What are the best ants for beginners?
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Ant keeping is a fun and rewarding hobby, loved by people of all ages and backgrounds. To ensure you have a great experience it's important to start with the best ants for beginners.
Below is a brief summary of several beginner ant species that people like. Any species you find on this site will be great for beginners!
Examples of Ants For Beginners
Crematogaster (Acrobat ants)
These ants are one of the most popular species of ants for beginners. They're fast growing, show lots of personality and like lots of food and heat. They are small ants but create huge colonies and form long trails.
Aphaenogaster (Winnow Ants)
These ants are 'elegant' looking ants, but need a more constant supply of food. This is because they lack a "social stomach", which means they do not store food inside their bodies.
Camponotus (Carpenter ants)
These ants are slower growing than most, but grow very large (up to 2cm). Because they grow slow they are great ants for beginners!
Lasius (cornfield ants)
These beginner ants are small, but grow fast. They form mid-sized colonies that can contain a few thousand ants. Lasius are great ants for beginners because they grow larger colonies that are fun to watch.
Formica (Field Ants)
These beginner ants are fast, large and can become aggressive when over 50 workers. They form larger colonies that are easily spooked and panicky. These ants grow slow growth in the first year and explode in growth in the second or third. They are great ants for beginners because of their size.
Tetramorium (Pavement Ants)
These are great ants for beginners because they are impossible to fail! They are small, grow fast and are not picky eaters. They like to eat certain types of seeds.
Of course, we have full kits available here.
If you have any questions about whether a species we sell are great ants for beginners, please reach out!