306 replies to this topic

[PetsNotPests]

 

So I just say build your own nests because in the end its a great amount of money you can save.

  

I think it's so cool to see the unique setups people get with their DIY stuff.   So much creativity and honestly some of them are downright genius.   
 
This thread makes me want atta SO BAD.

I would love to make my own DIY nests/ outworlds but I'm still young and don't trust myself ( I'll think it will look ugly )

 

Making DIY nests are very simple, and don't require much effort. There are plenty of step-by-step tutorials on formiculture, and trust me, ants aren't picky about what their nest looks like. 

[NicholasP]

 

So I just say build your own nests because in the end its a great amount of money you can save.

  

I think it's so cool to see the unique setups people get with their DIY stuff.   So much creativity and honestly some of them are downright genius.   
 
This thread makes me want atta SO BAD.

I would love to make my own DIY nests/ outworlds but I'm still young and don't trust myself ( I'll think it will look ugly )

 

I doubt your too young. I'm 13 and I make my own nests for my ants all the time. Just use hydrostone or plaster which are really cheap and great nest materials and try using a dremel at first.

[Antkeeper01]

I'm 13 too and I have made terrariums for my ants by best one is for leptothorax sadly I may have to tear it apart soon because I used paper towel instead of something more permanent, and I didn't boil the soil but there are spring tails so I may not tear it apart

[AnthonyP163]

Perhaps talk about these things elsewhere, like in chat, at this point the journal has been flooded with irrelevant messages.

[NicholasP]

agreed.

[Otter]

 

I'm going to be honest, I want Attas BADLY but since they are vegetarians, I'll never find perfect plants for them, unless they like grass

I saw a grass cutting leaf cutter species in a documentary but I’m not sure if it was Atta or something else. Not sure that you would be able to buy them from anyone anyway.

 

that's atta vollenweideri

[Antkeeper_21]

anyways, update?

[Antkeeper_21]

 

 

I'm going to be honest, I want Attas BADLY but since they are vegetarians, I'll never find perfect plants for them, unless they like grass

I saw a grass cutting leaf cutter species in a documentary but I’m not sure if it was Atta or something else. Not sure that you would be able to buy them from anyone anyway.

 

that's atta vollenweideri

 

 

so the atta is considered weird? ;P

[CheetoLord02]

This colony is starting to really push my limits. I use a gallon bag to collect plants for them, and they're eating roughly half a gallon of plants every day. It's... a lot, especially considering I live in a desert where good plants aren't exactly abundant. But it's all still totally worth it.

Here's an overview of all the colony's fungus chambers. They're up to 5 now.
 

 

 

The rope bridge is also still going strong, and I have yet to have a single ant fall off. They've gotten amazing at using it and they've made some extremely streamlined paths to get the food from their 2nd outworld, across the bridge, and spread to all 5 fungus chambers as they need. Just in case anyone still wasn't sure that Atta were the best ants.
 

[cap_backfire]

This is so rad.   

Couple questions.... 

1:  Where did you get the fully enclosed looking plastic containers?   They look kind of like Beanie Baby display boxes?   

2:  Do you seed the new fungus chambers with fungus or do they just figure it out? 

 

3:  How many hours have you clocked in just watching these guys?  

 

These are so cool.   I would figure out how to dedicate a whole quarter of my basement to them and just throw cabbages in twice a day or steal veggies and leaves from my neighbors gardens in the dead of night.   

Anyway, I'm super jealous.  

[antsandmore]

I'm 13 too and I have made terrariums for my ants by best one is for leptothorax sadly I may have to tear it apart soon because I used paper towel instead of something more permanent, and I didn't boil the soil but there are spring tails so I may not tear it apart

i'm 13 too and I need to make my own formicariums or nests soon

also nice ants cheeto

[CheetoLord02]

This is so rad.   

Couple questions.... 

1:  Where did you get the fully enclosed looking plastic containers?   They look kind of like Beanie Baby display boxes?   

2:  Do you seed the new fungus chambers with fungus or do they just figure it out? 

 

3:  How many hours have you clocked in just watching these guys?  

 

These are so cool.   I would figure out how to dedicate a whole quarter of my basement to them and just throw cabbages in twice a day or steal veggies and leaves from my neighbors gardens in the dead of night.   

Anyway, I'm super jealous.  

Containers are from pioneer plastics. They are some sort of display case. They're upside down, and I casted the plaster in the lid.

They just figure it out. I just hook up new chambers and they move fungus there on their own.

Too many to count. Their setup is to my direct left at my desk so while I'm on the computer I can just look over and watch them at any time

[mmcguffi]

Half a gallon of plants a day is a lot! Could you cull some of your colony? Maybe take a section without the queen and simply disconnect it from the rest, then keep separate or freeze? You could connect new fungus chambers with tubing smaller than the queen to insure it doesn't get in -- kind of like queen excluders in bee keeping

 

Anyway, very neat! Can't wait until my Atta start ramping up

[JCRHJM]

I wonder if you could regulate their growth and keep the population steady by offering a set amount of food

[CheetoLord02]

I wonder if you could regulate their growth and keep the population steady by offering a set amount of food

you definitely can, but that's no fun.

[CheetoLord02]

As of now the colony is processing about 1 gallon of plants every day. It's impossible to estimate their worker numbers, but I'm pretty confident I've smashed my original goal of 50k workers, just based on how absurdly large this colony is. I'd like to hear what you guys think their worker numbers might be. It's impossible to estimate accurately, but it's always fun to throw random numbers out there.
 

 

 

All 3 of the new nest chambers are getting very close to being completely filled, in just over a month since they were added. I'll likely have to add new nesting chambers very soon. They also have brood just exploding out of the fungus everywhere.
 

 

 

I have been having issues with the colony escaping fairly regularly, mostly just a few workers slipping over their barrer at a time and no massive break-outs, but regardless it's not exactly fun to deal with. Not sure how I'll fix it besides replacing their barrier every few days, but I'll figure something out.

 

 

[SoySauce]

So cool!!!

[ANTdrew]

What are you using as a barrier?

[PetsNotPests]

Is it just me or is the vinyl tubing disconnected in the second picture? (look to the left) 

 

Super cool update though. I'd estimate 55-60k workers?

[m99]

Is it just me or is the vinyl tubing disconnected in the second picture? (look to the left) 

 

Super cool update though. I'd estimate 55-60k workers?

 

And escapees running out!