21 replies to this topic

[Ants101]

Hello,

I just wanted to share what I have. I am a fan of the little acorn ants which I normally find them in old acorns and walnuts on the ground.

Temnothorax curvispinosus queens were captured on June 26 thru June 27 of 2021.

They were spotted flying and walking around a house lamp (color warm) and by lit lamps (color cool) from a school building around 10 pm at night.
I remember that it rained for a short period of time during the day, long before night came.

Now,(Jan. 2022) there are 15 workers and 40 larvae.

I have them in this DIY setup that I got from the container store.
I believe the so called “boxbox” brand. The acrylic mini container and the Petri dish like pieces were melted together as well as glued with hot glue gun, among many other details that you may notice from the pictures.

Added sand from Zoo Med brand (desert white sand).

I feed them springtails, fruit flies and a mixture of honey/water or maple/water.

Hope you find it interesting!

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[PurdueEntomology]

Is this formicarium bought? If so, could you share the dealer?  Thanks.

[antgallery]

Is this formicarium bought? If so, could you share the dealer?  Thanks.

I could be wrong but I think they made it themselves.

 

I also love Temnothorax! They are so cute with there adorable big eyes!

[ANTdrew]

“I have them in this DIY setup that I got from the container store.”
Home made setup.

Edited by ANTdrew, January 13 2022 - 1:20 PM.

[AntBoi3030]

I have had a soft spot for acorn ants ever since I saw a video on them. That YouTube channel got deleted though .

[Ants101]

.

Edited by Ants101, January 26 2022 - 8:33 AM.

[Ants101]

This setup is something I put together specifically for the acorn ants. I drilled, melted, hot glued everything together😅

[Ants101]

I have had a soft spot for acorn ants ever since I saw a video on them. That YouTube channel got deleted though .

[Ants101]

“I have them in this DIY setup that I got from the container store.”
Home made setup.

I am glad that I am not the only one.

[Ants101]

Is this formicarium bought? If so, could you share the dealer?  Thanks.

  

Is this formicarium bought? If so, could you share the dealer?  Thanks.

I could be wrong but I think they made it themselves.
 
I also love Temnothorax! They are so cute with there adorable big eyes!

This setup is something I put together specifically for the acorn ants. I drilled, melted, hot glued everything together

[Manitobant]

When replying to multiple people, you should keep the quotes within a single post instead of posting multiple times.

[OiledOlives]

Do the ants take the springtails?

[Ants101]

When replying to multiple people, you should keep the quotes within a single post instead of posting multiple times.

Sorry. It is actually my first time responding to comments. But now I believe I got the hang of it.

[Ants101]

Do the ants take the springtails?

They do. These acorn ants know how to catch them and sting them but I prefer to knock them down before giving to them because they sometimes are too quick.

[AntaholicAnonymous]

I had a colony of the same species.
I accidentally collected them with tree bark for an enclosure of my big red manica rubida ants.

At first it was great and the acorn ants were super sneaky and good at finding far away food sources actively hiding from the large ants as they passed. After 4 weeks the massive enclosure seemed big enough to coexist peacefully.

Long story short the manica found out about them and went on a killing spree cleansing the whole tank.
Like 6 Wolfes tearing up a mouse together. Super aggressive.
Sad end but manica are notoriously effective against other ants and a lot more aggressive than Google suggests. lol

[Ants101]

I moved the acorn ant colony from this DIY formicarium setup…..



…into this new DIY formicarium that was put together with guidance and help from a close friend.



Here is a closer picture of the 5 temnothorax queens getting ready to move out of their old home.



They did moved in 👍. They squeezed themselves in the entrance but hopefully they will eventually move into the main chamber in the future.

[antsriondel]

I moved the acorn ant colony from this DIY formicarium setup…..

C1647320-6648-47EF-ABC6-250EB1A9EB3E.jpeg

…into this new DIY formicarium that was put together with guidance and help from a close friend.

63C98152-21AA-4FD1-991B-F0934759051C.jpeg

Here is a closer picture of the 5 temnothorax queens getting ready to move out of their old home.

1ECC25B7-C6E6-40E1-A6D2-4E4323C7361B.jpeg

They did moved in . They squeezed themselves in the entrance but hopefully they will eventually move into the main chamber in the future.



65022455-D8EE-4BD3-8B12-D7045404D797.jpeg

nice!!

[ANTdrew]

That condensation could prove problematic for such tiny ants. Experiment with positioning the heat cable to prevent it.

[Ants101]

That condensation could prove problematic for such tiny ants. Experiment with positioning the heat cable to prevent it.

Thanks. Tiny drops of water are like the acorn ants worst enemy.

I noticed that there is more tiny drops of water on the lid more than usual. I should not have made the screened holes on the lid smaller than usual. Looks like I will need to make the holes bigger like the other ones because they are not having this problem.

Edited by Ants101, January 30 2022 - 12:57 PM.

[antgallery]

Very beautiful nest though.