2 replies to this topic

[OhNoNotAgain]

Okay so. Decades ago I did start a colony or two in an Uncle Milton (NOT gel) ant farm. I used dirt, not the weird sand, and I only eventually killed off the colonies because I was totally clueless, busy and preoccupied (read: neglect) and it was pre-Internet. I've also used other dirt-based formicaria, possibly even the jar-in-jar old-fashioned thing (can't remember well because some of this was 40+ years ago).

 

I still remember how cool it is to watch ants tunnel and build their own nests.

 

Furthermore, this guy has professionally grown Pogonomyrmex colonies to the point of alates in custom two-pane dirt formicaria:

https://www.asu.edu/...mrex queens.htm

 

ANYWAY, having used Uncle Miltons, I know one of their disadvantages is the "outworld" (if you can call it that) is like Flatland and is hard to maintain, put food into, and clean. But if the ant farm is hooked up to a decent real outworld, that problem is mitigated.

 

So what are the big downsides of an Uncle Milton-style, IF real substrate AND a real outworld are provided?

 

Any tips/ideas?

 

EDIT: Hydration is pretty easy; just add some water once in a while. Also, Uncle Miltons will NOT work for small species like Tetramorium. Pogonomyrmex, esp. larger ones like the Uncle Milton staple occidentalis, are great because they are too large to escape easily and they suck at climbing. I once tried putting some fraggle workers in my Uncle Milton, to use for a classroom demo, and they just hung out near the top, waiting for a chance to escape.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, May 24 2020 - 8:53 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Read Dspdrew’s thread here: https://www.formicul...ted-10-29-2017/

He’s taken this idea to the level of high art. As the lucky owner of two of his dirt box formicariums, I can say that it’s a very fun way to keep ants and especially good for sensitive species.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Read Dspdrew’s thread here: https://www.formicul...ted-10-29-2017/

He’s taken this idea to the level of high art. As the lucky owner of two of his dirt box formicariums, I can say that it’s a very fun way to keep ants and especially good for sensitive species.

I actually have a Dirt Box. The Pogonomyrmex I kept in there were able to tunnel in such a way that I could not see inside the dirt, unfortunately, and being unable to monitor their status and their activity, I eventually lost them over the time when I turned off the heat over winter.