Please be aware that this guide is not all-inclusive and may or may not apply to your ants.  Much of this can be used for the vast majority of ants that are kept, but some ants, such as Atta or other leafcutters, army ants, et al. will require some special care.  If you’re unsure, feel free to ask on the forums if this guide applies to your ants.  Also be aware that all of these methods are used by hobbyists and amateurs and not necessarily professionals.  None of us, including me, will take responsibility if something happens to your ants.

I wrote this as a general outline for beginners to the ant keeping hobby.  This is not supposed to be a step-by-step procedure on raising queens or colonies; it is simply here to answer your basic questions and get you going in the right direction.  This is not a scientific paper, or anything similar; just a conglomerate of ideas, methods, and techniques used frequently in the anting community.  I, and I’m sure most other hobbyists, do not condone artificial wars, or anything that could knowingly cause the ants harm.  That being said, please enjoy this guide and I hope you find some useful information in it.