14 replies to this topic

[Canadian anter]

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, January 16 2025 - 3:08 PM.

[cooIboyJ]

These look really nice! I would probably buy one if I needed one

Edited by cooIboyJ, August 31 2024 - 1:38 PM.

[Canadian anter]

Due to popular demand, we have added decorated versions of these outworlds available for pre-order. To see what they look like decorated, Bioscape Outworlds – Canada Ant Colony (canada-ant-colony.com) check this link

[Canadian anter]

This is a bit of a late post, but we just switched over all of our outworlds from AMAC style and polystyrene containers to the acrylic outworlds.

 

Some relevant results of additional testing. Overall, we do not suggest using these outworlds for micro-species, but we've had good experiences using them to contain other ants.

 

Outworlds Can Contain:

• ALL sizes of Tetramorium, including Tetramorium immigrans nanitics
• ALL tested Lasius spp
• Small to Mid-Sized Pheidole, such as Pheidole californica, Pheidole pilifera
• Full-sized workers of smaller Crematogaster, such as Crematogaster pinicola

Outworlds Cannot Contain:

• Nanitics or underfed workers of smaller Crematogaster, such as Crematogaster pinicola
• Tiny Pheidole, such as Pheidole bicarinata, Pheidole tysoni
• Micro-species such as Monomorium spp, Solenopsis molesta

 

Where can I buy them?

 

If you're in the US or Canada, you can purchase them directly from me (shipping is relatively inexpensive). They are 35 CAD (24 USD) purchased alone and 30 CAD (21 USD) when purchased with a formicarium. They will also be available from AntGear by springtime.

 

In Australia, they are available from Antastic

 

In Europe, they will be available from Esthetic Ants, Hormigueando, and AntFarmSupplies

 

I am working on a ventless version for Stateside Ants, but it may be a while until they are in production.

 

Here are some long awaited product photos

 

Edited by Canadian anter, January 22 2025 - 1:10 PM.

[jabasson]

Why the vents on the back in the first place? And why is ventless only available from stateside? I also would appreciate one where there are no predrilled holes. I don't really like where they are at, being offset and having one on the front and back instead of the sides. Asides from that it is an awesome concept and if I have money for it I will probably buy some. I don't mean to just complain, I just wanna know why some design choices were made. 

[Canadian anter]

Why the vents on the back in the first place? And why is ventless only available from stateside? I also would appreciate one where there are no predrilled holes. I don't really like where they are at, being offset and having one on the front and back instead of the sides. Asides from that it is an awesome concept and if I have money for it I will probably buy some. I don't mean to just complain, I just wanna know why some design choices were made. 

Hi!

 

The ventless versions will be available from any store which wants them, but stateside ants was the main store which wanted them, since some of the species they work with are a bit smaller than most of the ants some of the other stores work with. I find that having some airflow within the outworlds would be beneficial for maintaining a separation between the outworld and the nest, as well as to prevent any stagnant air. We also have some small number of these containers going to non-ant keepers, and a lot of other insects do better with some cross-ventilation. 

 

Ideally for me, the vents would be smaller, but the size they are currently at is literally the smallest that the machinery could produce. They are actually triangular/trapezoidal just so the machine can fit. 

There will probably be an iteration in the future with symmetrical holes on all sides. for a standard modular nest. The current design and hole orientation was set up as a compromise between us, and several other ant stores, and a lot of the design choices were more for accessibility (e.g. "more formicarium manufacturers can use this nest") vs specific fit to a specific set up. In some ways, the positioning I want this outworld to be in is more of a standard 'USB-C' type universal adapter.

 

Because of the small size of the ant niche, we would not have been able to justify the cost of the machinery for an outworld like this unless we had lots of support from other shops. 

 

Zach

[Canadian anter]

We are also currently in talks with FORANTO Wooden Ant Nests, who will likely be integrating our outworlds into many of their products in the coming months.

[AntsND]

Hello! I was wondering if your Itsa ant nest would be good for a Lasius or Pheidole species! And if so how many workers can it fit? Thank you k

[Canadian anter]

Hi! I wouldn't suggest the Itsa ant nests for either of those species

[AntsND]

Alright! Are there any you would recommend? Trying to buy locally to save some money on shipping  

[Canadian anter]

Alright! Are there any you would recommend? Trying to buy locally to save some money on shipping

Would highly suggests the ytong nests we have from esthetic ants

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Hello, may I ask, are you guys going to do anything else with Down The Ant Hill? I want to know because this is the only other product that you guys have made and is selling in your shop, besides the stickers.

I also wanted to know if you guys will make nests and outworlds focused on cryptic and small ant species, like this 20 by 20mm ant nests that I made for small cryptic colonies.

 

(I just wanted to say that the Crematogaster colony I ordered in October arrived in great condition, some of the workers died of old age but they now have a nice brood pile and are bouncing back)

[Canadian anter]

Hello, may I ask, are you guys going to do anything else with Down The Ant Hill? I want to know because this is the only other product that you guys have made and is selling in your shop, besides the stickers.

I also wanted to know if you guys will make nests and outworlds focused on cryptic and small ant species, like this 20 by 20mm ant nests that I made for small cryptic colonies.

IMG_0171.jpeg

 

(I just wanted to say that the Crematogaster colony I ordered in October arrived in great condition, some of the workers died of old age but they now have a nice brood pile and are bouncing back)

Hi!

 

We post content on social media under Down The Ant Hill. I am working on a formicarium line in the background as well. However, Down The Ant Hill will likely not become a specialized ant keeping product brand. I decided to move this product (and some future products) under Down The Ant Hill instead of Canada Ant Colony because most of the sales are international, so I wanted the accompanying branding to match that.

 

Good to see progress on your Crematogaster!

 

By the way, link from esthetic ants is up as well: Deluxe Medium Outworld | Esthetic Ants

Edited by Canadian anter, January 25 2025 - 11:46 AM.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

 

Hello, may I ask, are you guys going to do anything else with Down The Ant Hill? I want to know because this is the only other product that you guys have made and is selling in your shop, besides the stickers.

I also wanted to know if you guys will make nests and outworlds focused on cryptic and small ant species, like this 20 by 20mm ant nests that I made for small cryptic colonies.

IMG_0171.jpeg

 

(I just wanted to say that the Crematogaster colony I ordered in October arrived in great condition, some of the workers died of old age but they now have a nice brood pile and are bouncing back)

Hi!

 

We post content on social media under Down The Ant Hill. I am working on a formicarium line in the background as well. However, Down The Ant Hill will likely not become a specialized ant keeping product brand. I decided to move this product (and some future products) under Down The Ant Hill instead of Canada Ant Colony because most of the sales are international, so I wanted the accompanying branding to match that.

 

Good to see progress on your Crematogaster!

 

By the way, link from esthetic ants is up as well: Deluxe Medium Outworld | Esthetic Ants

 

Alright, thanks for the info!

Also that outworld looks good, but I prefer the look of the one with slits in it 

[Canadian anter]

 

 

Hello, may I ask, are you guys going to do anything else with Down The Ant Hill? I want to know because this is the only other product that you guys have made and is selling in your shop, besides the stickers.

I also wanted to know if you guys will make nests and outworlds focused on cryptic and small ant species, like this 20 by 20mm ant nests that I made for small cryptic colonies.

IMG_0171.jpeg

 

(I just wanted to say that the Crematogaster colony I ordered in October arrived in great condition, some of the workers died of old age but they now have a nice brood pile and are bouncing back)

Hi!

 

We post content on social media under Down The Ant Hill. I am working on a formicarium line in the background as well. However, Down The Ant Hill will likely not become a specialized ant keeping product brand. I decided to move this product (and some future products) under Down The Ant Hill instead of Canada Ant Colony because most of the sales are international, so I wanted the accompanying branding to match that.

 

Good to see progress on your Crematogaster!

 

By the way, link from esthetic ants is up as well: Deluxe Medium Outworld | Esthetic Ants

 

Alright, thanks for the info!

Also that outworld looks good, but I prefer the look of the one with slits in it 

 

They are the same outworld! Just from a different POV