8 replies to this topic

[Mettcollsuss]

I've been planning on making a terrarium for my Aphaenogaster picea colony for a while now. I finally got around to getting all the supplies I needed to build it. It would make a lot of things easier if I could make this terrarium without a lid or barrier and had it sitting in some water to prevent escapes. Is this possible with Aphaenogaster? 

[ponerinecat]

yes. pretty much all ants will be stopped by water, but a moat onlly really looks good on small scales.

[ANTdrew]

Could you just have a lip around the top of terrarium with fluon on the bottom?
Some ants are light enough to walk over the surface tension of water. I found this out the hard way!

[Mettcollsuss]

Could you just have a lip around the top of terrarium with fluon on the bottom?
Some ants are light enough to walk over the surface tension of water. I found this out the hard way!

I have seen pharaoh ants and some of the smaller Pheidole walk on surface tension. I was wondering if Aphaenogaster were one of those ants that could. I would just apply a standard barrier, but there's a few problems. The plants were taller than I had anticipated and they would go past the barrier, even if I trimmed them back some. Also, If I were to have a standard barrier and lid, the humidity inside would render the barrier ineffective.

[ANTdrew]

I get that. What plants are you dealing with?
Ants hate vinegar, so a moat filled with vinegar solution will stop them, surface tension or not. The wider the moat, the better.
A nicer looking option could be making kind of an island that the ants live on surrounded by water like a palluadarium.

[TheMicroPlanet]

Maybe puting something living in the moat would help. Perhaps a fish or a frog or something? Puting a stick of some sort reaching from the moat to the terrarium would help ants get back to the nest; i don't imagine they'd make the same mistake again.

[OhNoNotAgain]

I think AntsCanada is going to be trying betta fish in a moat.... I'm curious as I actually really like betta fish.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, December 15 2019 - 12:19 PM.

[TheMicroPlanet]

Would the betta eat the tarantulas though? That was really my only problem with the betta option. However, I guess he could take the taranatulas out until they're all gone.

[ANTdrew]

I think AntsCanada is going to be trying betta fish in a moat.... I'm curious as I actually really like betta fish.

This is actually kind of genius.