8 replies to this topic

[antkeeper55]

I'm getting ready to move my Monomorium minimum colony into their enclosure, a THA fallen fortress (a plexiglass enclosure with a magnetic lid), but I'm not sure what to do for escape prevention, as I've heard that these are notorious for escaping almost anything. I've been reading what I can find about them on these forums and elsewhere, and it seems like fluon probably won't work. What would you all suggest? Or, for those of you who have kept monomorium or similar, what worked for you?

[AntsCali098]

I have monomorium ergtognya, the only things I've found that work for them are olive oil and Vaseline.

[Izzy]

I have a Monomorium minimum colony in a THA Mini Hearth. The fluon I got from byFormica contains them perfectly. No escapes yet. Been a little over a month. At least that's been my experience.

[ANTdrew]

Welcome to team Monomin. These can be hard to contain, but it’s not impossible. First off, make sure your Fallen Fortress was designed for tiny ants because THA does extra protocols for escape proofing in that case. I also highly recommend getting the magnetic lid vent. That way you can have some upside down fluon to stop them. If the colony gets really huge, you’ll want to look into a bigger outworld with an escape proof lip under the lid like I put in my CrematoProof^TM series of outworlds.

Edited by ANTdrew, May 17 2023 - 5:48 AM.

[antkeeper55]

Thanks for your help everyone. Since I have some fluon on hand, I'll start with that, and if that doesn't work I'll experiment with the others. 

 

First off, make sure your Fallen Fortress was designed for tiny ants because THA does extra protocols for escape proofing in that case.

 

Unfortunately it wasn't, as I originally bought it for a Pogonomyrmex colony. What sort of protocols would those be? If it's things like sealing the edges and lid better, I might be able to modify the existing one to work.

[Amatty76]

For my monomorium minimum I glued the glass onto the nest and also put a double layer of fluon in the outworld. (a layer of fluon like an inch below the first top layer)

Edited by Amatty76, May 17 2023 - 9:59 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Thanks for your help everyone. Since I have some fluon on hand, I'll start with that, and if that doesn't work I'll experiment with the others.

First off, make sure your Fallen Fortress was designed for tiny ants because THA does extra protocols for escape proofing in that case.

Unfortunately it wasn't, as I originally bought it for a Pogonomyrmex colony. What sort of protocols would those be? If it's things like sealing the edges and lid better, I might be able to modify the existing one to work.

I’m not sure what the protocols are, but I know they double check things like the fit of the glass and any other potential escape points. In your case, you’ll want to silicone down the glass if it’s not a perfect fit. I think the lid should be totally fine.

[antkeeper55]

Alright, good idea, I've sealed the nest glass and put fluon around the lid. Now to see if it'll hold up to the Monomorium. 

[Jonathan5608]

I just got a colony. They are already trying to tunnel through Cotten that blocks the exit to their testube. These guys have some interesting personalities