26 replies to this topic

[FinWins]

Just made a brand new leaf cutter formicarium! Still finishing it though! 

[ANTdrew]

How does it work?

[FinWins]

The two chambers on the left will have two tubes that have holes for water to go into the gypsum that will be poured in to the chambers and acrylic domes will cover the whole thing

[CheetoLord02]

I'll try to say this in the nicest way possible, but prepare for some pretty harsh criticism.

Leafcutter ant formicaria are NOT meant to be complex. In fact, of any kind of formicarium, they are by far the easiest to DIY. An acrylic container with a layer of plaster in the bottom is all you need; anything more complex will likely cost more and work half as well. Looking at the 3d printed skeleton of this nest, I am very confident that this nest will not work nearly as well as a standard leafcutter ant formicarium, and in my opinion, has no reason to exist. Innovation is great, but in my opinion leafcutter ant formicaria are a "solved" problem, and for the sake of the ants, sticking to the basics is the best thing to do.

Feel free to prove me wrong by turning this design into something great, but until that happens, I'm pretty confident that what I've just said will hold true.

[86793o5]

I'll try to say this in the nicest way possible, but prepare for some pretty harsh criticism.

Leafcutter ant formicaria are NOT meant to be complex. In fact, of any kind of formicarium, they are by far the easiest to DIY. An acrylic container with a layer of plaster in the bottom is all you need; anything more complex will likely cost more and work half as well. Looking at the 3d printed skeleton of this nest, I am very confident that this nest will not work nearly as well as a standard leafcutter ant formicarium, and in my opinion, has no reason to exist. Innovation is great, but in my opinion leafcutter ant formicaria are a "solved" problem, and for the sake of the ants, sticking to the basics is the best thing to do.

Feel free to prove me wrong by turning this design into something great, but until that happens, I'm pretty confident that what I've just said will hold true.

This is NOT Discord.
4. No posting any spam messages, including posting of messages that add little to no value to the topic of conversation.

[ZTYguy]

I do have to agree with Cheeto on this. I love the design and it’s great that people are trying to improve formicarium designs however when it comes to leaf cutters, you simply have to let it be. They already can nest in most any nest that is already on the market and plainly they seem to do the best in the simplest nests. I have three very healthy Acromyrmex colonies all in different setups but they also happen to be pretty rudimentary setups. I have one “drew” style nest, a custom 5 gallon with a plaster floor and (probably the weirdest of the bunch) a THA Fortress. With Leaf Cutters you simply have to let it be. Nothing more really has to be made for them. They thrive and grow in simplicity so why try and complicate something that is already straightforward and easy.

[ZTYguy]

I'll try to say this in the nicest way possible, but prepare for some pretty harsh criticism.
Leafcutter ant formicaria are NOT meant to be complex. In fact, of any kind of formicarium, they are by far the easiest to DIY. An acrylic container with a layer of plaster in the bottom is all you need; anything more complex will likely cost more and work half as well. Looking at the 3d printed skeleton of this nest, I am very confident that this nest will not work nearly as well as a standard leafcutter ant formicarium, and in my opinion, has no reason to exist. Innovation is great, but in my opinion leafcutter ant formicaria are a "solved" problem, and for the sake of the ants, sticking to the basics is the best thing to do.
Feel free to prove me wrong by turning this design into something great, but until that happens, I'm pretty confident that what I've just said will hold true.

This is NOT Discord.4. No posting any spam messages, including posting of messages that add little to no value to the topic of conversation.

I just saw this and I am going to end this here but, he did not break any rules by saying this. He simply added his criticisms and critiques. This is a forum for learning information and sharing experiences. What Cheeto said was very much helping the topic and showing how the design could be changed or viewed.

[ANTdrew]

Cheeto’s post is totally within forum rules.

[mazmurlo]

OP, if you could elaborate more on the design, perhaps give us a reason why it's so unconventional, it might help to clear the air here.

[Rrar]

Are there any guides for making leafcutter? Just asking in case I go to US and catch them

[AntsTopia]

If you were to catch leaf cutter ants in the USA and bring them back to Canada, It would be very unethical. I do not know about Canadian laws but I am sure the government had some kind of law about ants. Please do not go to the US and try to catch leaf cutter ant queens. 

[Virginian_ants]

I don't think Canada has as strict laws as the us, so there's a chance it's legal. The are sites in Canada that sell ants from around the world.

[FinWins]

Just printed out another nest with a slightly different design that confronts a couple issues the the first one had.

[FinWins]

New design pics!

[Virginian_ants]

It's the large middle chamber a feeding area or main nest what are the small chambers for. I'm sorry If you already answered this.

Edit: I looked back and you already did. Sorry

Edited by Virginian_ants, September 12 2023 - 3:42 PM.

[FinWins]

It's the large middle chamber a feeding area or main nest what are the small chambers for. I'm sorry If you already answered this.

Edit: I looked back and you already did. Sorry

The area with the grate is the main nest, the open area in the middle is the foraging area, and the smallest chamber is the garbage box

[CAantz]

Looks very cool, do you know the humidity of the main chamber when the water is poured in?

[Virginian_ants]

Seems great.

[NicholasP]

I'd highly advise being careful that the nest has issues. It's 3D printed and my guess is it's printed in PLA. Some PLA are prone to warping, loss of strength, and other things when exposed for prolonged periods with water.

[AntsTopia]

Agreed, 3D print has known chemicals that come out when constantly in water. This may or may not kill the ants and their fungus.