Guys, tomorrow’s Mother’s Day and so today
I thought I’d create a video to honour the awesome mothers of the ant world, by showing
you my Top 20 favourite queen ants on the planet! With over 16 and a half thousand species of
ants worldwide, you better believe Mother Nature has crafted some of the most incredible
and mind blowing queen ants, with diverse body shapes, colours, spines, and abilities,
some with strange lifestyles, and some that are just drop dead gorgeous, well for ant
lovers like me! Some of the these queen ants I’ll be showing
you today, are queens belonging to colonies I own, others may be living in your own backyard,
which means you may be able to catch them to start your own pet ant colonies, while
others featured in this episode live in remote, exotic habitats in far off countries. So, without further ado, AC Family, for our
Mother’s Day episode, here are my top 20 favourite queen ants in the entire world,
here on the AntsCanada Ant Channel. Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel and hit the
BELL icon. Welcome to the AC Family, Enjoy! Now before we get started, I must clarify
that if you’re new to ants and are wondering why some of the queen ants you see today in
this video have wings, it’s because all queen ants are born with wings. They need them to fly during their breeding
flights that happen once in their lives, where they leave their nest to mate with males,
also with wings, before dropping to the ground to break off their wings to start ant colonies
of their own. It’s why queen ants are characterized by
wing scars on their thorax, and it’s how ant keepers like myself identify them for
catching to start pet ant colonies in ant farms. It’s actually ant breeding season right
now, so if you’ve always wanted to keep a pet ant colony, I’ll be talking a bit
more about how to obtain a queen ant of your own later in the video so stay tuned for that. Perhaps you’ll be able to catch one or more
of the awesome queen ants mentioned in this video. But let’s start with my top 20th favourite
ant, the Lasius ant queen. As far as ants go these are pretty much the
standard, super common black, brown, or golden ants you see outside, but that doesn’t mean
they aren’t beautiful! I’ve owned a Lasius neoniger ant colony
in the past, and they are to this day one the most beautiful and rewarding ants I’ve
ever owned. If you’re in North America, look out for
Lasius neoniger queen ants having their nuptial flights around the first or second week of
September, and if you live in Europe, you guys know July and August are the season for
Lasius queen clouds so thick they can be seen by weather satellites. Number 19 on my list of favourite queen ants
are Harvester Ant queens of the genus Pogonomyrmex. If you’ve ever owned any of the famous Uncle
Milton ant farms or the dreaded gel ant farms, you’ll know these ants because they’re
mailed to you for stocking into the ant farms in exchange for a coupon that comes with the
package. The vial of harvester ants however doesn’t
come with a queen harvester ant, only workers so many people don’t know what the queens
look like. They look like this! So gorgeous, right? They’re built like tanks and I just love
their rich shade of crimson red unmatched by any other red ant I know. I admit to have never seen harvester ant queens
in real life, as they were never native to where I’ve lived, but perhaps those of you
lucky AC Family from Southwestern USA may have seen these queens crawling around between
the months of June and September. Moving on to #18, meet another of my favourites,
a reddish ant that is also common throughout North America and Europe, this here is a Myrmica
queen! I love this queen ant because of the spikes
on their thorax, their sting which truly hurts, and the fact that these ants were one of my
first ant colonies on the channel. What’s cool about these ants is that they
live in what are called polygynous colonies, meaning colonies with multiple queens all
living together peacefully, all laying eggs and growing the colony. I find the easiest way to keep a colony of
these ants is to collect them from the wild, although if you try this there is no guarantee
they will adapt well to captivity. The good thing about this though is they make
shallow nests, usually under some wood or within the first two inches of soil somewhere
moist so scooping up the colony along with the queens is pretty easy. #17 Pavement Ants of the genus Tetramorium. I love these queens! To some they may look like your average boring
brownish queen ant, but I think they look pretty sleek with their elongated body shape,
rusty brown colour, and oh yeah, not to mention these queens establish one of the fastest
growing colonies I know! You’ll often see pavement ant colonies going
to war over territory on the sidewalks in the summer. I actually have an old playlist of a previous
pavement ant colony I once owned which follows the colony’s journey from just a queen in
a test tube to a massive ant colony of hundreds of thousands of pavement ants! Look out for queens of this species between
May, June, and July! OK AC Family, starting from #16 onwards, we
start to get more exotic with the queen ants. Meet Pseudomyrmex gracilis native to Mexico
and some parts of the US. Check out the queen’s gorgeous black and
red colours and super slender body! You can see why they’re commonly called
twig ants and often live in wood. I wouldn’t touch them though, as they sting! They feed on insects and honeydew from sap-sucking
plant insects. Again, I’ve never seen a queen of this species
before but I have seen workers of their Eastern counterpart Tetraponera in our yard of Antopia. I’m hoping to catch a queen to start our
own colony of twig ants! Now check out this queen, guys! #15 of my top favourite queen ants is Colobopsis
queens! These ants have a crazy unique shaped head
that kinda looks like a plug, and well, acts as exactly that. Majors use their plug-shaped heads to block
the entrances of their nests which are made in wood. Imagine having a door for a face? Such cool looking ants and cool looking queen
to boot! #14 is just as cool. The queens of Turtle Ants, of the genus Cephalotes. These also have crazy shaped heads which are
used as doors to block their entrances, but what makes these ants even cooler, is some
species have been observed to actually glide if they ever fall out of the trees they nest
in. Scientists have observed them seemingly controlling
their fall when dropped from a tree so they glide right back to the tree trunk where they
can climb back up to their nests. Crazy ants and again crazy looking queen! #13 is another incredible queen ant! She looks like a tank with those massive mandibles
but they have a very special function. This is Lasius claviger, and she is known
as a social parasite. Check this out, guys! These queens are crazy! They need a host ant colony to start their
own colonies, usually a specific species of Lasius. Though exact details of how Lasius claviger
queens integrate into their host colonies isn’t well known, it is suspected they enter
the host nest, kill some workers and rub their dead bodies onto themselves to steal the host
colony’s scent, so they could move deeper into the nest undetected by the host ants,
only to assassinate the host queen with her massive mandibles, and take over her spot
as egg layer of the colony. All offspring produced thereafter are biologically
her own and are cared for by the host Lasius worker ants until soon, the entire host colony
is replaced by the bright golden Lasius claviger workers. Savage right? Random fact: They also smell like citronella
and I love smelling them for fun! #12 are some of my ultimate favourite ants! Welcome to the crazy world of Polyrhachis
queen ants! There are nearly 800 different species belonging
to this mind blowing genus of ant, each with their own unique look and a bad A set of spines! They’re found throughout Asia and Australasia. I’ve had a couple Polyrhachis colonies in
the past but haven’t had any luck with growing their colonies in captivity. We recently were the first to geographically
document this crazy species of Polyrhachis in our yard in Antopia. Polyrhachis queens come in a tonne of amazing
colours including gold, silver, and black, but check out my ultimate favourite Polyrhachis
queens: this blue species called Polyrhachis cyaniventris and this drop dead gorgeous species
called Polyrhachis bihamata also known as hook ants! Aren’t they crazy? Both these exotic species are native to where
I live so you better believe I’m trying to locate a queen of both to try and start
ant colonies on the channel! #11 of my top favourite queen ants is probably
the most famous or rather infamous ants in the world: AC Family, behold the Bullet Ant
queen, the species Paraponera clavata! If there was an ant dinosaur it would be this! These ants are massive, the largest ants in
the world, in fact, the queens measure just under three inches long and possess the most
painful sting on the Schmidt's sting pain index. I dream of seeing one in real life, but I
would have to travel to South America for that. Contrary to popular belief, these ants are
generally non-aggressive, that is until you mess with their nest! I don’t plan on ever feeling what their
sting feels like. I think I’ll leave that to Coyote Peterson! #10 is another notorious South American ant. Meet the Army Ant queen! Unlike most ants, army ant queens are actually
born without wings, so they don’t have traditional nuptial flights like most regular ants. Only the males have wings and these males
fly to the virgin queens to mate. Then the newly mated queens simply branch
off from their birth colonies along with some workers, and this is how new army ant colonies
are formed. Army ant queens have abdomens that expand
to a massive size during egg production, amassing 3-4 million eggs every month. They are completely nomadic and are always
on the move sweeping the floor of all insects and small animals unfortunate enough to befall
their path of carnage! When in South America, beware of the army
ant raids and you better believe if I ever get to visit the South American jungles one
day I will surely film these savage ants for you! Getting closer, at Top 9 of my favourite queen
ants in the world, I present to you, the Bull Ant Queen, belonging to the genus Myrmecia! All you AC Family from Australia, represent
your ant fauna in the comments! I know you know these ants. They possess a notoriously painful sting,
but look at them! They look absolutely stunning. Elongated mandibles, eyes with very good vision,
and a thin elongated body, they are a true Aussie ant masterpiece! I believe I was 9 yrs old when I read an article
in an old National Geographic magazine on these bull ants, and from then on knew exactly
what animals I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to! Now AC Family, prepare to have your heart
stolen by #8. Meet the ever adorable Discothyrea mixta. Aren’t they the most cutest ants you ever
did see? They legit look like cute pokemon or anime
critters! They are absolutely tiny ants with queens
just a couple millimeters in length. They’re native to tropical Africa and are
suspected to feed on baby spiders and spider eggs! How I wish I was small enough to cuddle with
them. OK I’ll stop gushing now but they’re truly
the cutest little ants I know. #7 are ants we are familiar with here on the
channel! I love me some Trap-jaw queen ants! Trapjaw ants are savage and their queens are
no exception. Of all the ants I’ve ever been stung by,
the sting from a trap-jaw queen was the worst! These ants are characterized by a menacing
pair of mandibles that open over 180 degrees and snap shut with tremendous force once trigger
hairs between the mandibles are touched. I miss my past trap-jaw ant colony, the Jawbreakers,
and plan on getting some trap-jaw ants once again in the future! #6 are also ants we are familiar with on this
channel: Diacamma ants, also known as Asian Bullet Ants. Check out the crazy colours and venation patterns
on the armour of these ants that are also known for their intense sting! They are easily my top 6 favourite ant! But here’s the thing about these ants: They
actually don’t have a proper queen in the colony, but instead establish what is called
a Gamergate, a dominant worker ant who fights for the right to mate and lay all the eggs. Pretty savage how that all works, and we do
have several videos on these ants on the channel! Just look up the Black Panthers. #5 of course are perhaps the most favourite
ants on this channel and of course belonged on this list for sure: behold the fire ant
queen! This here is the Ember Empress, the name we
gave to the queen that went on to birth a massive fire ant colony of millions now living
in the Ember Islands. If you haven’t yet you must watch their
full playlist on this channel. Fire ant queens are probably some of the most
gorgeous queens I’ve ever seen and owned, though they are hated by most of the world
as agricultural and destructive pests that have invaded nearly all subtropical and tropical
parts of the world, and originally came from South America. #4 may not be so exotic but they definitely
have earned one of the top spots on my list of favourite queen ants in the world, and
they are Carpenter Ant queens of the genus Camponotus! These ants found worldwide have some of the
most gorgeous queens I’ve ever seen. They are such a diverse genus with over a
thousand species and are known for living in wood, though some species nest in soil. They come in amazing colours including, jet
black, red, orange, yellow, brown, and even green! On this channel we currently own a young carpenter
ant colony known as the Woodland Warriors, but I think my favourite queen carpenter ant
has to be a species I kept in Canada known as Camponotus novaeboracensis. Is that not one of the most beautiful queens
you’ve ever seen! Stunning colour! Carpenter ants are an easy
species to keep so look out for queens flying right now all the way into August. I think many ant enthusiasts will agree with
my Top 3 favourite queen ant, and that of course is the gorgeous Leafcutter ant queens
belonging to the genera Atta and Acromyrmex. Personally, I think Atta queens are truly
some of the most coolest looking queen ants in the entire world! They are massive compared to their workers,
with velvety-looking exoskeletons and a huge thorax and abdomen. These ants feed on fungus which they grow
in huge subterranean gardens nourished by chewed up leaves collected from the South
American jungles in which they live. What’s cool about queen leafcutter ants
is when they leave their nest for nuptial flight, they take with them some fungus spores
in a special pocket under their heads which they eject once settled into their founding
chambers which are the seeds to the future fungus garden of the colony. Isn’t that amazing? #2 are also a familiar queen ant and a favourite
on this channel! Meet the Marauder Ant Queen, Carebara diversa! This is one massive tank of a queen ant, and
also much bigger than her workers. Here on the channel, I owned the Titans a
huge multi-queen marauder ant colony which I released back into the wild during lockdown
last year. They are crazy egg-layers, and there is no
other reason they are in my top two other than the fact that they look just crazy! Oh, and they’re about an inch long so they’re
huge, and so are their supermajors! I hope to try starting a colony again once
we move to the new Ant House which reaches full completion this year. And finally, AC Family, my top favourite queen
ants of all time which in my opinion are the most beautiful and interesting queens of the
ant world: Behold the gorgeous weaver ant queens of the species Oecophylla smaragdina
native to Southeast Asia and Australia. Hands down these queens are the most beautiful
queen ants I have ever seen in my entire life! I mean have a look at them! They are massive ants reaching just under
an inch in body length and come in the most amazing colours! Can you imagine that in a single mature weaver
ant nest one can find queens of different colours: bright lime green, forest green,
blue green, yellow, gold, brown, rust colour, and any combination of the above? Usually in ants, queens of a single species
come in just one colour type, not these weaver ant queens. They come in a variety of colours. Their darkened wing venation is truly a marvel,
as well! Here on the channel, we used to own the Emerald
Empire, which I plan on starting up again once we move to the Ant House, as colonies
of weaver ants are literally everywhere in the area. They live in huge basket leaf nests in the
trees which they construct using their larvae’s silk as glue. Super unique right? These weaver ant queens will always truly
be my ultimate favourite queen ants in the entire world… for now anyways! So, AC Family, what did you guys think of
these queen ants? Do you agree with my list? Did any queen ant mentioned stand out as your
favourite? Is there a queen ant species you feel deserved
to be on this list but was left out? Let me know in the comments and I’ll HEART
my favourites. This was truly a lot of fun, and if there’s
one thing that going over this list with you has reminded me of, it’s that the world
of ants is truly vast, diverse, and utterly beautiful. I do highly invite you guys to try catching
a queen ant of your own outside, and enjoy growing and keeping a pet ant colony! Queen ants are literally flying outside right
now, as it’s nuptial flight season in the Northern Hemisphere, and I see a lot of you
tagging me on social media with your awesome queen catches! Believe me, you won’t regret getting into
this fun, rewarding, and of course educational hobby! For you beginners, we have a very helpful
ant keeping guide on our website Antscanada.com, as well as a variety of easy-to-use ant keeping
products, ant farm starter kits, and equipment to get you started and properly set up for
ant colony success! We also have an ant trading market place on
the site in case you prefer to purchase already established ant colonies with a queen, from
a fellow ant keeper in your area, so go check out antscanada.com now to jump into all the
ant love with us here on the channel! I wanted to wish you all out there a very
Happy Mother’s Day, and send a big, warm hug to all the mothers and queen ants of the
world! Thank you for watching and supporting the
ants. It’s ant love forever! AC Family, did you enjoy today’s episode? So much more is ahead for the ants of the
Antiverse and Antopia so if you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for? SMASH that SUBSCRIBE button and BELL ICON
now, and hit ALL so you get notified at every upload. Also don’t forget to hit the LIKE button
every single time including now. It would really mean a lot to me, guys. Thank you! AC Inner Colony, I have left a hidden cookie
for you here, if you would like to see who else became a new mother in our Ant Room! You won’t believe it! And now it’s time for the AC Question of
the Week. Last week, we asked: What would you name this new species of klepto-feeding
ant mite? Congratulations to Yare Yare Daze who answered: I would call it a Xenomite. Congratulations Yare Yare Daze, you just won
a free Ultimate Ant Keeping Handbook from our shop! In this week’s AC Question of the Week we
ask: Which is your #1 favourite queen ant mentioned
in today’s list? Leave your answer in the comments section
and you could also win a free Ultimate Ant Keeping Handbook from our shop! Hope you could subscribe to the channel as
we upload every Saturday at 8AM EST. Please remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, and
SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed this video, to help us keep making more. It’s ant love forever!
