Hi Everyone!
We've recently designed a new outworld that I think you might be interested in. In a lot of the ant-keeping hobby, outworlds have usually been made from containers designed for other uses. Most of these containers have been highly optimized for cost. Companies like Pioneer Plastics and AMAC use polystyrene (I believe Hobby Lobby/Dollarama as well), which is much cheaper than other clear plastics, but scratches easily and is brittle. Plus, it can take a lot of work to adapt these outworlds to the needs of your ants.
We've spend the past year designing and iterating upon a new outworld to make something good for ants while still being relatively affordable. The outworlds we have are injection molded and specially designed for ants. They're designed to be crystal clear, escape proof for most species, easy to clean, and with no additional work required. I've posted some preliminary photos, particularly from some of our tests. Better professional photos and pictures visualized with nests will be out soon!
They're just now on preorder, and expected to ship around mid-late October. They'll be available for 40 CAD, or 30 USD. For the next 2 weeks, pre-orders will be available at 20% off. We can also provide wholesale pricing to formicarium manufacturers or folks looking to buy large quantities of boxes for non-resale purposes.
They will ship direct both from the US and Canada, and should be available in several European and Australian stores by the end of the year. Decorated versions will be available soon
Basic Features
- 15cm x 15cm x 12 cm (6" x 6" x 5")
- No assembly required
- Made from scratch and break resistant acrylic.
- 4mm feet to allow for heat cables to be run under the outworld
- Rounded corners and edges to make clean up easy
Escape Prevention Methods
- Removable rim and lid for fluon or other escape barrier application
- Removable stainless steel mesh lid with micromesh
- Cross ventilation from 0.5mm triangular vents at the side of the outworld, which are small enough to contain up to the smaller Pheidole. (NOT recommended for Solenopsis molesta and Monomorium sp)
Predrilled Holes
- Two pre-existing holes are drilled in each outworld. Both holes are 21.6mm from the floor of the outworld (25.6mm from the outside surface after including the height of the feet). Holes are 13mm or ½ inch in diameter.
Photos
Edited by Canadian anter, August 31 2024 - 10:25 AM.