12 replies to this topic

[Martialis]

There have been many different "ant-proof" items in the past, from many different colonies. Are we sure they won't just tear the prey up into smaller pieces? In the words of Hannibal, "We will either find a way or make one."

[Alabama Anter]

Ummm what the hack does this have to do with the title/byFormica????

[drtrmiller]

Ants may break the items into smaller pieces, as you suggest.  However, the pieces must be smaller than the diameter of the holes—about 3 mm.

 

The point of the design is that larger prey are not dragged into the nest intact, which can present problems like the food molding, or being unable to be carried back out of the nest and disposed.  In most cases, the majority of the exoskeleton for larger prey items like crickets and roaches, remains intact in the box.

 

Edited by drtrmiller, December 7 2016 - 7:07 PM.

[Martialis]

Ummm what the hack does this have to do with the title/byFormica????

its one of their products.

[Martialis]

Ants may break the items into smaller pieces, as you suggest.  However, the pieces must be smaller than the diameter of the holes—about 3 mm.

 

The point of the design is that larger prey are not dragged into the nest intact, which can present problems like the food molding, or being unable to be carried back out of the nest and disposed.  In most cases, the majority of the exoskeleton for larger prey items like crickets and roaches, remains intact in the box.

 

Thanks.. I was curious. 

[Enderz]

Good that you are asking questions before buying someone's product. Better to be educated then un-educated about a product before you buy.

[Serafine]

There have been many different "ant-proof" items in the past, from many different colonies. Are we sure they won't just tear the prey up into smaller pieces? In the words of Hannibal, "We will either find a way or make one."

Of course they can and will. This is exactly what they're supposed to do (remember adult ants cannot digest sold food, only the larvae can) and the box won't prevent them doing that.

 

It WILL however prevent them from dragging home an entire beetle which the larvae can't really digest fast enough so it starts to decay inside the nest and causes a huge mold outbreak. Also if smaller parts decay and mold inside the nest a single ant can (and will) easily discard them into the outworld.

Edited by Serafine, December 8 2016 - 3:24 AM.

[sgheaton]

Dang, Serafine should be the salesperson. About convinced me to buy one there..

[Serafine]

Happy to be of service

 

I'd buy one too, but being in the EU makes that pretty much impossible (the shipping would be 200 times the product cost).

Also I'd probably need an XL version for Camponotus. But I'll probably make one of my own, there's small butter boxes that could work very well for a larger model.

Edited by Serafine, December 8 2016 - 12:01 PM.

[drtrmiller]

I hope AntKit decides to produce something similar when they're back up on their feed, I like the idea (and it wouldn't be any competition because they're EU).

byFormica has stocked and sold goods within the UK for distribution to all EU countries for over a year. A few hundred orders in 2016 shipped from the UK stock. The product pages are fully professionally translated in French, German, Italian, and Spanish for the respective Amazon sites in the region.

I doubt this exact design will be distributed there because it is just an early prototype, but I do plan to introduce new products to the EU market when I restock in probably January, as nearly everything is sold out now.

Edited by drtrmiller, December 8 2016 - 12:06 PM.

[Serafine]

Can you make a bigger XL version that holds a large grasshopper or a roach and has entrances wide enough for Camponotus majors to pass (about 9mm)?

That would be awesome and I'd definitely buy one of these (together with some Sunburst).

Edited by Serafine, December 8 2016 - 12:58 PM.

[Guzzer]

Hello is it possible to get theses ship to Australia?

Also we have a few larger species down here. Are there different sizes?

[drtrmiller]

Hello is it possible to get theses ship to Australia?
Also we have a few larger species down here. Are there different sizes?

I'm developing a parallel project called "Mausoleum," which will have user-replaceable filters to accommodate different use cases. Read more about it here: http://www.formicult...e-nest/?p=45893

Shipping to Australia? Email au-sales@byformica.com to connect with us and place an export order. Shipping something tiny will be $13 USD, up to a kilogram for $23 USD, and over a kilo starting at $33 USD.

The unfavorable exchange rate and high shipping costs are why we don't yet have a more streamlined Aussie operation. But we also discount our prices a fair amount to make up for those unfortunate facts; so if you're really keen to try something, don't hesitate to email me at au-sales@byformica.com and we'll go from there.