4 replies to this topic

[Myrmecologeek]

Hello Antlovers! I'd like to share my problem with you guys, and hopefully obtain some insights as well. So, I live in the Philippines, I keep several species of ants of varied sizes. The species I would like to talk about in this post are the smallest I keep at the moment. So here are the species:

Subfamily: Myrmicinae

Monomorium floricola

Subfamily: Dolicherinae

 

Tapinoma melanocephalum
Tapinoma emeryi

My problem lies in the housing. Most of my other ants live in grout/perilite mix nests or Pumice nests but that's only because they are big enough not to get through. However, these tiny species have tiny queens as well so it wouldn't be hard for them to actually slip through tiny holes that I might miss. Now I would like to get some insights on how to house these species. Any help is welcome.

Edited by Myrmecologeek, December 11 2013 - 10:33 PM.

[Servercheck]

I've been keeping my previous Pheidole colony in plaster nests. Haven't had any escape except when the barriers were worn out.

The queens were 4mm, minor workers are around 1 or 2 mm while majors are 3 or 4 mm.

A layer of most might help with barrier problems too.

Edited by Servercheck, December 11 2013 - 11:00 PM.

[dspdrew]

I'm actually planning to build a few very small formicariums specifically for the tiniest of ants. I just plan to be very precise in my design.

[Myrmecologeek]

I found that if you paint plaster with actual dirt, it lessens the tendency of the plaster to mold. I will try that on this, hopefully, no escapees.

[Crystals]

If you heavily silicone the joint where glass meets grout/nest the chance of them escaping the nest is slim to none.  If you are really worried, you can use 2- part epoxy on the glass and where the tube enters the nest.  If you choose the cheaper, more liquidy epoxies they seep into the tiny cracks and seal them tight.  You can test your nest by pouring it full of water and watch to see if any water drips out.

 

As for the foraging area, I would recommend testing some wild workers to see which barriers are the most successful.  Fluon is supposed to work well, but for some species I have found olive oil works excellent - but some species have no problem taking an olive oil bath...

So I also recommend a tight lid with very fine mesh covering the air holes.