2 replies to this topic

[Bugdaddy]

I tried searching, but couldn't locate anything. 

Is there any cheat sheet or "Pro tips" On which ants can chew through softer nest materials, and which ones can't?

Like many of you probably know, my first queen is going to be a Tetramorium sp. It's to my understanding that they CAN chew through Ytong.

(I asked the discord chat, general consensus was that.)

[mbullock42086]

harvesters, most of the ants that can chew through ytong tend to be myrmicinae.  

[Mettcollsuss]

Any species CAN chew through Ytong (or plaster, grout, or firebrick, for that matter), if determined enough. Just make sure that they are happy in their setup, and they won't feel the need to attempt to escape. However, Tetramorium sp. is not particularly destructive, at least that I'm aware of. In fact, Tetramorium immigrans (previously known as Tetramorium sp. E) is one of the most adaptable species in North America. They will accept virtually all food, and nest pretty much anywhere. If you want to try building a homemade formicarium, this is the best species to do it with. Some genera that are destructive (aka more likely to try to escape through chewing their way out) are Solenopsis, Pheidole, Messor, and Pogonomyrmex. Despite their infamous wood gnawing tendencies, Camponotus is actually somewhere in between destructive and non-destructive. If you are still worried, there are other formicarium materials that can't be gnawed through, such as 3D printed (such as AntsRussia's modular nest, AntWorlds' nests, AntzForAll's nests, and byFormica's nests) and acrylic (such as AntsRussia's AFK-2, AFK-8, and AFK-8.1, AntsAustralia's acrylic nest series, Antkit's acrylic nest series, British Ants' nests, and AntHouse's acrylic nests). 

 

Hope this Helps!