11 replies to this topic

[shoegazer]

So I made this founding chamber out of a beads/craft container at Hobby lobby. I like it in theory, because it allows for separate opening of 6 different chambers for food, hydration, etc. It's polyethylene, but I was able to attach substrate with an appropriate plastics glue. The lids close fairly tightly, but I wouldn't try this for any small to tiny species.

 

I have yet to try raising any queen ant ever, so I'd be curious to hear what other folks think of the design. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

Edited by shoegazer, December 23 2015 - 6:57 AM.

[drtrmiller]

"plastics glue" doesn't sound good.

[shoegazer]

Why is that, exactly? Fumes?

[drtrmiller]

Firstly, I don't know what glue you're talking about.  You will need to specify the brand and type exactly for a more informed opinion.

 

Most glues that are designed for plastics have dangerous chemicals in them.  Ants are very sensitive animals, with solvents and other volatiles being extremely poisonous.

[shoegazer]

In this case, Loctite brand for vinyl, fabric, & plastic. Do you have a brand you would recommend to avoid this potential?

[drtrmiller]

Yes. That adhesive has MEK and toluene in it, both of which are extremely dangerous solvents.

 

I would have recommended a two-part epoxy, thoroughly cured for a few days.  Also, a finer sand would probably be better than the boulders you currently have in there.

 

A plaster stone would be even better, though, as it's the most biocompatible.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 23 2015 - 7:54 AM.

[shoegazer]

Thanks! From the info I can find in MSDS and half-life calcs, one could realistically expect the MEK and toluene to be essentially gone in a few weeks. I won't have ants for many months yet. I have used this glue in the proximity of several other inverts in the past, including Polistes wasps, without much thought about it post-cure and no observed ill-effects. You've obviously looked into this in depth, do you have a specific brand of epoxy in mind? Most epoxies (and glues) have a difficult time bonding to polyethylene.

 

I hear ya on the boulders, it was all I had on hand for the first go. I'm going to make several of these to see what works and what doesn't.

[Crystals]

I have used aquarium silicone and even grout in the past with no problems.  The grout one was prefered by the ants as it kept the humidity more stable.

 

There is this link - Pictures of founding chambers for queens - http://www.formicult...ounding-queens/

[Etherwulf]

In your case, a thin layer of grout or plaster followed by a layer of fine sand should work better. That's the standard low-budget setups used in laboratories so it should work well for most genera of ants with the few exceptions.

[shoegazer]

Awesome, thanks for the helpful comments, all.

[dspdrew]

I think that glue is basically the same as the vinyl cement I sometimes use. As long as it is fully cured (all the solvent is evaporated), it should be fine. I have killed ants before putting them in something bonded together with plastic cement that was not fully cured. The fumes from the solvent are very strong.

[AntTeen804]

That looks cool.