22 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Potting soil will already be free of mites. Sterilize anything else like clay by baking it at 200 degrees for a bit.

[1tsm3jack]

IMO it would be better to make the main 'terrarium' more like a gigantic outworld with the main colonies given entry via tubing, rather than letting them actually nest inside the terrarium itself.

 a good plant for aphids is sowthistle, which can be grown indoors.  6500k bulbs best, but 5000k will work too.  note sowthistle is a host for powdery mildew, so make sure not to splash water when watering.

boiling the substrate is easiest and fastest.

I like it to be natural for them so they can nest however they want like in the dirt build their own nests. I could just give them their own seperate containers with dirt and attach them via tubing but drilling holes into the side of a glass terrarium is something that I 1. don't know how to do and 2. don't have the materials for

[rptraut]

Hello 1tsm3jack;

 

If you're really serious about giving your ants a natural environment, don't try to recreate it - go out and dig it up.    If there are areas where you can responsibly dig up the kind of plants etc that you want, use a flat shovel and cut the sod - soil, plants and all, and place it in your vivarium over a drainage layer.   You can place clumps of desirable plants and soil until it's full to your satisfaction.   You'll get the good and the bad that comes with a natural environment and you'll see how your ants respond.   

RPT