7 replies to this topic

[CrantockLad]

Greetings--

 

First-timer here. Santa just brought us our first ant colony. Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, 1 queen and about 30 workers. They seem to be doing great.

 

We have noticed a strange behavior: they are depositing sand and debris on the glass side of the formicarium, which is irritating, because we'd like to see them better. So:

 

1) why are they doing this?

2) what's the best way to clean this off, without disturbing their habitat (and triggering a mass jailbreak?

 

Many thanks for any insights, and apologies if this is dumb question, I posted in the wrong place, etc

 

Chris 

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[ANTdrew]

They are trying to block light. Use a piece of felt, a towel, or some cardboard to give the ants the darkness they’re looking for.

[ryanp347]

Ya, logically blocking out light is the only thing that makes sense. Some ants are bothered by it, others aren't. These don't seem to be a fan! A red transparent film is supposed to work and still allow visibility.

[Chickalo]

Most ants hate light, so they'll block it.  That's why my Pogonomyrmex are doing, too.  I hate light too, so relatable.  Takes one to know one, I guess.

[CrantockLad]

Great detective work!

I put the formicarium in the shade and the ants have quit doing this.

But now to the second part...

 

How to clean the glass without opening it up and triggering a mass jail-break!

 

Or is that just standard procedure--open it up, clean it out, and then coax the ants back in?

 

Many thanks for your suggestions,

 

Chris

[ANTdrew]

You could try putting the ants in the fridge for a while to slow them down. Be careful the temps don’t get too cold, though. Then quickly clean the glass. Best bet in my opinion would be to order a new glass from THA and swap it quickly.
Some of you kids on this forum need to grow up to invent some nanorobots for us to do crap like this.

[dspdrew]

Great detective work!

I put the formicarium in the shade and the ants have quit doing this.

But now to the second part...

 

How to clean the glass without opening it up and triggering a mass jail-break!

 

Or is that just standard procedure--open it up, clean it out, and then coax the ants back in?

 

Many thanks for your suggestions,

 

Chris

 

I noticed you said you moved them to the shade. I hope you mean shade from indoor lighting, because you definitely don't want to keep that thing in any direct sunlight.

[CrantockLad]

Yes, shade from indoor lighting. No direct sunlight here! (Plus we're in Oregon, so no sunlight of any kind for 6 months