7 replies to this topic

[Jefw1f]

I have a camponotus queen (I think) and an AC Formicarium. While doing woodwork with an old downed tree limb I was thinking I could pack the nest cavities with sawdust and let the colony dig it out like it was old decayed wood.

I also thought of mixing the fill with Elmer's glue to make something tougher for them to really have to chew into.

Has anyone tried this before? Can anyone see some obvious reasons this would fail? Thoughts, opinions?

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[ANTdrew]

Start the queen in a test tube. It will be several years and some luck before she needs a large formicarium. The sawdust is fine to add, but it will greatly reduce your visibility. Knowing ants, they’ll probably make a big mess of it, too. Skip any glue.

[Jefw1f]

I guess I should have specified. The queen was started last summer and has 3 large workers. She just laid her 2nd batch of eggs last week.

I am cautiously optimistic that they will be large enough to leave the test tube this year! Though I'm struggling to get them to move into a new clean tube. They've been taped together for almost a month

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[ANTdrew]

It’ll still take another two years at least for them to fit in a big AC formicarium. Look into a THA mini hearth in the meantime.

[Jefw1f]

It's a small one, 4" x 4" or so. Hopefully it doesn't take 2 years to get to that size.
I have been considering getting one of the Tarheel all in ones. I'm just not as familiar with them and I'm familiar with the modular ability of the AC stuff.

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[futurebird]

I have a camponotus queen (I think) and an AC Formicarium. While doing woodwork with an old downed tree limb I was thinking I could pack the nest cavities with sawdust and let the colony dig it out like it was old decayed wood.

I also thought of mixing the fill with Elmer's glue to make something tougher for them to really have to chew into.

Has anyone tried this before? Can anyone see some obvious reasons this would fail? Thoughts, opinions?

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I tried this with a cork nest and the ants simply dug out all the plugs just to see what was back there.
But I do think it made them feel better about living in a smaller part of the nest. They are there now and will probably need the whole damn thing this spring. 

That said, ANTdrew is correct let their numbers grow out a bit.

 

I'll try to find the thread on my ants like this. 

 

I feel like I need to warn everyone that the minihearths are annoying if you want to take photos. But they are very healthy and stable and beginner friendly. Still I no longer use mine, it's impossible to light and I find FORANTO, UNDERGROUNDCITI and ANTCUBE much better. But then I just like filming my ants. 

[futurebird]

https://www.formicul...al/?hl=discolor

 

This is the colony I tried to section. 

[PaigeX]

I guess I should have specified. The queen was started last summer and has 3 large workers. She just laid her 2nd batch of eggs last week.

I am cautiously optimistic that they will be large enough to leave the test tube this year! Though I'm struggling to get them to move into a new clean tube. They've been taped together for almost a month

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time to do the shake method. xD