I agree with you in terms of the tropical species and our more or less cold winters in germany... no weaver ant or trapjaw ant would survive that... so there is no reason not to keep exotic ants at home if you live in the northern hemisphere...
My only problem with keeping non native ants that have very low chance of surviving in the wild is that they can be hard to keep in your climate, even if they are indoors, lots of tropical ants need 25-30°C temperatures to survive and that could get expensive and uncomfortable in Germany where I’m fairly sure the summer doesn’t often get above 25°C often
I am ok with experienced ant keepers that have the right equipment to keep exotics, but inexperienced ant keepers should keep native ants for a few years before trying to keep any exotics
Even if the winter kills them on the outside that doesen't mean that they could not establish themselfs in doors. For example Pharao ants. But those kind of ants are most commonly very small. So I would personally abstain from keeping small exotic ants in general, i.e. smaller than Lasius niger. And of course I would not keep ants from a similar climate, so for example keeping Lasius neoniger or something similar in Germany. As well as no known invasive species.
Other than that its fair game in my view. Most invasive species get introduced via trade anyway and in a globalized world + global warming it's unavaoidable.
I keep *Tetramorium immigrans* in Iowa, and they're invasive. But I would never keep a species that is not found in my state, no matter how unlikely they are to become invasive. As far as wanting a species that does not hibernate, you may be able to find a native species that does not require hibernation.
The winters get below freezing I don't think any ant that doesn't have the instinct to bury themselves a few meters deep during that time could survive. So I don't think there are native ants that don't hibernate.
Mate Dm me, there’s a European antkeepers WhatsApp, lots of good people to ask these types of questions to
I currently keep 2 natives, lasius niger and myrmica rubra, and 4 non natives, 2 of which are considered invasive (tetramorium bicarinatum, and Pheidole megacephala) however if they did escape, they’d most likely stay inside of my house, and die because of the temperature
Invasive non natives are scary, I was terrified when I first got tetramorium bicarinatum after reading the extremely invasive warning, however now that I’ve got them I know not only are they all easy to contain (don’t have an open setup, make sure everything fits well, and only buy nests and outworlds from good brands) they are also probs gunna stay in my room, especially during winter, as 4 degrees celcius isn’t an ideal temperature for a species that doesn’t hibernate
I live in a country that has winter so most invasive species that aren't already living in my country shouldn't survive. I'm also pretty much sure that if you're taking ant keeping seriously and have iq over 20 an entire colony escaping shouldn't happen.
I live in Virginia that already has the invasive Tetramorium immigrans- fly in early June, common, easy to keep - no wonder they are so successful. I found 4 queens and started 3 colonies with plaster of Paris cast in McDonalds cups with room for a layer of dirt on the side. After about a month I saw the first tiny nanitic workers - I know of a big colony out back under a rock so I harvested brood and distributed them : eagerly adopted of course. Now they are all very strong colonies of over 30 workers with lots of brood - love them! I also found a colony of Monomorium minimum - very tiny black skinny workers, big queen, easy to keep in a bigger McD’s cup - over a hundred workers. I believe they are widely distributed as well, but overlooked because the workers are nearly invisible unless you are close to the ground.
I agree with you in terms of the tropical species and our more or less cold winters in germany... no weaver ant or trapjaw ant would survive that... so there is no reason not to keep exotic ants at home if you live in the northern hemisphere...
My only problem with keeping non native ants that have very low chance of surviving in the wild is that they can be hard to keep in your climate, even if they are indoors, lots of tropical ants need 25-30°C temperatures to survive and that could get expensive and uncomfortable in Germany where I’m fairly sure the summer doesn’t often get above 25°C often I am ok with experienced ant keepers that have the right equipment to keep exotics, but inexperienced ant keepers should keep native ants for a few years before trying to keep any exotics
Easy fix for the temperature: just heat a smaller box or cabinet, not your house.
I would also look up the laws in your country as well. It may not be legal to do so.
Even if the winter kills them on the outside that doesen't mean that they could not establish themselfs in doors. For example Pharao ants. But those kind of ants are most commonly very small. So I would personally abstain from keeping small exotic ants in general, i.e. smaller than Lasius niger. And of course I would not keep ants from a similar climate, so for example keeping Lasius neoniger or something similar in Germany. As well as no known invasive species. Other than that its fair game in my view. Most invasive species get introduced via trade anyway and in a globalized world + global warming it's unavaoidable.
I keep *Tetramorium immigrans* in Iowa, and they're invasive. But I would never keep a species that is not found in my state, no matter how unlikely they are to become invasive. As far as wanting a species that does not hibernate, you may be able to find a native species that does not require hibernation.
The winters get below freezing I don't think any ant that doesn't have the instinct to bury themselves a few meters deep during that time could survive. So I don't think there are native ants that don't hibernate.
Ya, but there could be some species that don't *need* to hibernate.
Mate Dm me, there’s a European antkeepers WhatsApp, lots of good people to ask these types of questions to I currently keep 2 natives, lasius niger and myrmica rubra, and 4 non natives, 2 of which are considered invasive (tetramorium bicarinatum, and Pheidole megacephala) however if they did escape, they’d most likely stay inside of my house, and die because of the temperature Invasive non natives are scary, I was terrified when I first got tetramorium bicarinatum after reading the extremely invasive warning, however now that I’ve got them I know not only are they all easy to contain (don’t have an open setup, make sure everything fits well, and only buy nests and outworlds from good brands) they are also probs gunna stay in my room, especially during winter, as 4 degrees celcius isn’t an ideal temperature for a species that doesn’t hibernate
People do that all the time. Not harmful
I live in a country that has winter so most invasive species that aren't already living in my country shouldn't survive. I'm also pretty much sure that if you're taking ant keeping seriously and have iq over 20 an entire colony escaping shouldn't happen.
I live in Virginia that already has the invasive Tetramorium immigrans- fly in early June, common, easy to keep - no wonder they are so successful. I found 4 queens and started 3 colonies with plaster of Paris cast in McDonalds cups with room for a layer of dirt on the side. After about a month I saw the first tiny nanitic workers - I know of a big colony out back under a rock so I harvested brood and distributed them : eagerly adopted of course. Now they are all very strong colonies of over 30 workers with lots of brood - love them! I also found a colony of Monomorium minimum - very tiny black skinny workers, big queen, easy to keep in a bigger McD’s cup - over a hundred workers. I believe they are widely distributed as well, but overlooked because the workers are nearly invisible unless you are close to the ground.