20 replies to this topic

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

So recently I have been thinking about starting an ant shop so I can make a bit of money and also so I can make myself more busy during the summer 

 

So my first thing I drafted out on paper is this type of 3D printed replacement for a test tube, not a cheaper alternative but one that will last far longer than test tubes, like how they end up shattering or they running out of water. One of the other reasons is that I feel like that traditional test tubes have too much space in them for founding queens at the start (It really bugs me) the expensive acrylic replacements for test tubes (the ones you find on Etsy or smt like that) have a similar problem with space. I also decided that it will be compact and small so it will be refillable so that you don’t have to move your queens or small colonies all the time because of the water reservoir evaporating. My other experiences with 3D printed nests were that ants have trouble gripping onto the walls and floor (especially queens) so I will also line it with sand and something like grout or perfect cast (please tell me what I can use to line the walls with sand) the nest will be 16x16x60mm with a nesting area of 16x30mm (480mm square of nesting space!)

 

Here is my draft:

[MyrmecologyMaven]

Interesting idea but it feels like you're trying to find a problem that doesn't exist. All of the problems and things you want to change already have easy fixes and alternatives.

If queens having too much founding space bothers you why not just use a smaller diameter test tube and give more water space to shrink the founding area?

Also glass test tubes breaking isn't much of an issue. I have been using them for years and never had any problems. Just be careful while handling them as you should already be doing.

For grip you could always buy (Gensis inserts from Tar Heel ants), or make some textured inserts yourself. the water in test tubes usually last at least 4 months in my experience.

If you wanted a test tube setup that lasts longer there are a few alternatives that I have some video examples of linked below. 

If you want to discuss designs to try to make new founding setups feel free to dm me! Diys are always cool!

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=yeFEC_yi2M0

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=iceahERV8DU

Edited by MyrmecologyMaven, February 3 2025 - 6:03 PM.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Interesting idea but it feels like you're trying to find a problem that doesn't exist. All of the problems and things you want to change already have easy fixes and alternatives.

If queens having too much founding space bothers you why not just use a smaller diameter test tube and give more water space to shrink the founding area?

Also glass test tubes breaking isn't much of an issue. I have been using them for years and never had any problems. Just be careful while handling them as you should already be doing.

For grip you could always buy (Gensis inserts from Tar Heel ants), or make some textured inserts yourself. the water in test tubes usually last at least 4 months in my experience.

If you wanted a test tube setup that lasts longer there are a few alternatives that I have some video examples of linked below. 

If you want to discuss designs to try to make new founding setups feel free to dm me! Diys are always cool!

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=yeFEC_yi2M0

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=iceahERV8DU

Most of our stuff is imported (besides Por Amor and Canada Ant Colony) so it makes it more expensive and we can’t have Tar Heel Ants without a big shipping fee…, yeah Por Amor does inserts too, but that is not the point. Now I really feel like that I was trying to get a problem from something that does not exist, but what I wanted to do is also add different sizes like: (width x length x hight) 16x16x(60,90,120mm) ; 32x16x(60,90,120mm) ; 48x16x(60,90,120mm) basically turning into their own respective Formicarium line (My bad for not adding such an important piece of info  )

 

(Sigh, I feel like I should just scrap this idea now…  )

Edited by OwlThatLikesAnts, February 3 2025 - 6:30 PM.

[MyrmecologyMaven]

 

Interesting idea but it feels like you're trying to find a problem that doesn't exist. All of the problems and things you want to change already have easy fixes and alternatives.

If queens having too much founding space bothers you why not just use a smaller diameter test tube and give more water space to shrink the founding area?

Also glass test tubes breaking isn't much of an issue. I have been using them for years and never had any problems. Just be careful while handling them as you should already be doing.

For grip you could always buy (Gensis inserts from Tar Heel ants), or make some textured inserts yourself. the water in test tubes usually last at least 4 months in my experience.

If you wanted a test tube setup that lasts longer there are a few alternatives that I have some video examples of linked below. 

If you want to discuss designs to try to make new founding setups feel free to dm me! Diys are always cool!

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=yeFEC_yi2M0

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=iceahERV8DU

Most of our stuff is imported (besides Por Amor and Canada Ant Colony) so it makes it more expensive and we can’t have Tar Heel Ants without a big shipping fee…, yeah Por Amor does inserts too, but that is not the point. Now I really feel like that I was trying to get a problem from something that does not exist, but what I wanted to do is also add different sizes like: (width x length x hight) 16x16x(60,90,120mm) ; 32x16x(60,90,120mm) ; 48x16x(60,90,120mm) basically turning into their own respective Formicarium line (My bad for not adding such an important piece of info  )

 

(Sigh, I feel like I should just scrap this idea now…  )

 

Keep trying! The first design or concept is usually no good. Good designs take time. I like the concept of it but the design and use needs work.

[jabasson]

Not every idea is gonna be a winner, but you learn from every design you make. Sometimes an idea is good, it just needs to be taken a different direction or be improved upon. I think making your inserts for different sized tubes, or adding sand to the insert, could be a great way to expand off of a great invention already made in the past.  I also think your previous idea was good, I'm just not personally a fan because of the amount of plastic that is used, when a glass test tube does the trick while being much more environmentally friendly. Also if you plan to use PLA, any water contact will degrade the plastic and it will need to be thrown away eventually. Just thought I would throw this out there just in case, you might already know this, but PETG is a much better material for anything touching water (or sun) in your designs. 

[AntBoi3030]

Cool idea! It’s always fun to make your own nests and to see your colonies living and thriving in them; it's part of the fun! I think that you could use some kind of plaster to coat the walls. Or, honestly, just sand on the floor could work. I've also seen people who intentionally add rough texture on 3D-printed nests if that's something you can do. You could also add some kind of heat cable feature where you can slide the heat cable under the nest without tipping it too much.

[ReignofRage]

Something that follows this concept (refillable reservoir) is already pretty common and relatively cheap: bamboo tubes! It is basically a refillable test tube setup and there are several variants to accommodate the needs of different species. Some bamboo tubes have just the water barrier, some have plaster lining the "floor" of the test tube, and some even have restrictions built inside to create chambers. From personal experience, I always found that simply pushing the plug cotton beyond the entrance of the tube was more than sufficient to reduce the space inside a test tube setup. It also allows you to incrementally pull the plug cotton closer and closer to the start of the test tube as the colony starts to eclose workers. This is how I have founded 3--4 mm queens in 20 mm test tubes without issue. While your design may not be a direct fit as an alternative to a test tube setup, it may prove to be a good option at founding and housing miniscule cryptic species such as Hypoponera and Strumigenys. Based on your drawings, it seems like it would be great at keeping humidity high and a good size for adding substrate. I do think the barrier applied on the inside of the nest could be done away with, it should only ever be opened when the ants have moved out, are being forced to move out, or have died. keep up the creativity! 

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

, and some even have restrictions built inside to create chambers. 

The ones with chambers are the annoying ones to clean, but I do like the regular ones

 

also I have been thinking about making nests for small ants like temnothorax and small solenopsis, like solenopsis molesta, maybe even make a nest where solenopsis can live with other species of ants that they would normally live with in the wild, maybe those are good ideas, what do you guys think?

Edited by OwlThatLikesAnts, February 4 2025 - 4:40 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

I do not want to be the pessimist but it is near impossible to make money selling ant products starting out. So few people on this forum have broken to positive numbers in bookkeeping. That being said, I would still make the nest for personal growth and hands on experience. That is worth more in my opinion then the money you could make. 

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

I do not want to be the pessimist but it is near impossible to make money selling ant products starting out. So few people on this forum have broken to positive numbers in bookkeeping. That being said, I would still make the nest for personal growth and hands on experience. That is worth more in my opinion then the money you could make. 

Sure, I guess I won’t start to sell stuff but I will try to perfect my designs (this isn’t that least you seen this thread)

[Ants_Dakota]

I do not want to be the pessimist but it is near impossible to make money selling ant products starting out. So few people on this forum have broken to positive numbers in bookkeeping. That being said, I would still make the nest for personal growth and hands on experience. That is worth more in my opinion then the money you could make.

Sure, I guess I won’t start to sell stuff but I will try to perfect my designs (this isn’t that least you seen this thread)

I suppose I should clarify that you may sell products, but that the initial cost to make the nests is usually higher than the amount you can make back. A great example is the outward line featured in my shop. I am making next to no profit on those, so even selling some of them would barely make back the money I put in. Please don't take this in a negative way, but rather to focus on learning new tools and as mentioned above, finalizing a design that you can be proud of and that will work for your ants to cut down the price of buying new formicaria.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Alright, do you think selling ants is the same thing as selling outworlds and Formicariums?

[MyrmecologyMaven]

Alright, do you think selling ants is the same thing as selling outworlds and Formicariums?

Selling ants really depends on what you have and if anyone in your area is interested. If you had maybe a founded acromyrmex colony with a fungus garden you could probably sell it very fast for a high price. If you had a bunch of invasive solenopsis you found chances are not many would want them or be willing to pay for them. If you have rare quality stuff from going out anting a lot you could make money. But chances are you won't make a whole lot just selling common ants you find near your house.

[AntBoi3030]

Alright, do you think selling ants is the same thing as selling outworlds and Formicariums?

You could also supply ants to other ant stores, you just need a lot.

[Rrar]

 

Alright, do you think selling ants is the same thing as selling outworlds and Formicariums?

Selling ants really depends on what you have and if anyone in your area is interested. If you had maybe a founded acromyrmex colony with a fungus garden you could probably sell it very fast for a high price. If you had a bunch of invasive solenopsis you found chances are not many would want them or be willing to pay for them. If you have rare quality stuff from going out anting a lot you could make money. But chances are you won't make a whole lot just selling common ants you find near your house.

 

I agree with MyrmecologyMaven on that. However, you could try to indoor breed them for certain species

[ANTdrew]

I no longer make a profit selling ants. All the big businesses with permits have ruined it for little guys unless you live in California where there is a big ant community, I guess.

[Ants_Dakota]

I no longer make a profit selling ants. All the big businesses with permits have ruined it for little guys unless you live in California where there is a big ant community, I guess.

This is more or less true. You will notice that there are next to no shops run on this forum anymore. Most of the most ambitious Formiculture shop owners started their own online stores with permits or partnered with someone who did. While good for getting new people into the community, I agree that it has decreased the ability for intermediate level ant keepers to sell ants without permits. I think, however, that there is still a method for making profit for those of us still on this forum. I think UtahAnts has demonstrated an exceptional style of how to run a profitable shop on Formiculture, and I am not just talking about making formicaria. He has also brough probably half a dozen people into the hobby, or at least it seems so to me, and these new members from Utah are supplied with affordable local ants and advice from him. I think this is the best way to run a shop on FC now. By focusing on introducing new members in your area to ants, and supplying them with the products and local ants needed to succeed, you can better the community as a whole.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

 

I no longer make a profit selling ants. All the big businesses with permits have ruined it for little guys unless you live in California where there is a big ant community, I guess.

This is more or less true. You will notice that there are next to no shops run on this forum anymore. Most of the most ambitious Formiculture shop owners started their own online stores with permits or partnered with someone who did. While good for getting new people into the community, I agree that it has decreased the ability for intermediate level ant keepers to sell ants without permits. I think, however, that there is still a method for making profit for those of us still on this forum. I think UtahAnts has demonstrated an exceptional style of how to run a profitable shop on Formiculture, and I am not just talking about making formicaria. He has also brough probably half a dozen people into the hobby, or at least it seems so to me, and these new members from Utah are supplied with affordable local ants and advice from him. I think this is the best way to run a shop on FC now. By focusing on introducing new members in your area to ants, and supplying them with the products and local ants needed to succeed, you can better the community as a whole.

 

One thing that is for sure is that shipping ants in Canada is not that hard because the shipping permits are way less strict than the US so that is why I wanted to at least start off by selling ants

(Probably because anything not from Canada dies in the winter )

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Hey guys I am back with this thread, I am not thinking of selling this but I guess I will start to post my designs here.

 

With the on coming anting season approaching in Canada (snow still hasn’t melted but is getting there) I wanted to test what happens if we put a mini formicarium of sorts and see if we can get ant queens like that, sort of like a daytime alternative for black light traps, or as I call it, my “ant queen trap prototype”. Seeing how RPT put an Uncle Milton ant farm outside and a colony moved in, I got inspired to try this out. I don’t really have really high hopes for this because I feel like I’ll catch some other insects that are not ants but I still want to have at least some positive results, maybe I can even snag a small colony of temnothorax.

 

This is the prototype version:

​

 

Here is how it looks inside, your supposed to put cotton inside it and the size of the entrance and chamber is supposed to support medium sized ants.

 

 

Feel free to share your thoughts

Edited by OwlThatLikesAnts, Today, 5:22 AM.

[Stubyvast]

hmm cool set-up!

I like the white colouring, it will help the ants to really pop out. I also like the divider set-up, with appropriate gaps that ants can select and move brood through. Are those spaces designed to be fitted with cotton or some sort of moisture/feeding apparatus?

I am wondering if the entrance will fit a certain size of vinyl tubing (standards such as 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch sizes are great). That would be awesome, because then it can rapidly be connected to other set-ups with ease and without the need of finding some kind of adapter. Great for ant keepers without lots of time on their hands.

 

Also wondering, is the cotton you mentioned for watering and such-like? If so it would also be a great idea for modularity to make another hole near the back of the formicarium for standard sized test tubes to slot into, (or alternatively a 3d-printed plug if the test-tubes are undesired) so that you can provide interchangeable moisture, as well as removing brood if ants choose to nest in it, in order to harvest pupae for parasitic species and whatnot. 

 

Great prototype! I always love it when people try new designs, it's so fun to see how the ants behave inside of them.