25 replies to this topic

[Connectimyrmex]

Hi!

My Connecticut forest terrarium had nearly all of its inhabitants die off due to the first winter chills, and I decided to make it into a (nearly) all ant terrarium. It has a screen lid that a C. chromaiodes nanitic can barely squeeze through, so I might need to start making barriers. All of my current colonies are very hardy and active, thus making all of them great choices for my terrarium. I am having some difficulty choosing between my colonies, though. Any suggestions?
Here is the list:

 

C. chromaiodes (wild caught colony, 30-50 workers)
C. pennsylvanicus (wild caught colony, 30-35 workers)

Formica sp. (wild caught colony, 10-15 workers)

 

 

For Camponotus, I'm thinking about cutting a rotten log into pieces and carving a nest into a flat piece, with the nest being pressed up against the glass. If I do, should i use store-bought firewood/fresh wood or rotting wood from my backyard (natural Camponotus nest fragments, I still have the C. chromaiodes nest chamber).

 

Also, would it be safe to include the following animals?:
Orange-ish sowbugs

Springtails

Jumping Bristletails

Pennsylvania Wood Roaches

 

 

[FeedTheAnts]

Put the Formica in, those are the best terrarium ants.

[Hunter]

don't use camp pennsylvanicus,or C. chromaiodes they don't like dirt and are better in a plastic/acrylic nest, use formica

Edited by Hunter, November 13 2017 - 8:19 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

Hi!

My Connecticut forest terrarium had nearly all of its inhabitants die off due to the first winter chills, and I decided to make it into a (nearly) all ant terrarium. It has a screen lid that a C. chromaiodes nanitic can barely squeeze through, so I might need to start making barriers. All of my current colonies are very hardy and active, thus making all of them great choices for my terrarium. I am having some difficulty choosing between my colonies, though. Any suggestions?
Here is the list:

 

C. chromaiodes (wild caught colony, 30-50 workers)
C. pennsylvanicus (wild caught colony, 30-35 workers)

Formica sp. (wild caught colony, 10-15 workers)

 

 

For Camponotus, I'm thinking about cutting a rotten log into pieces and carving a nest into a flat piece, with the nest being pressed up against the glass. If I do, should i use store-bought firewood/fresh wood or rotting wood from my backyard (natural Camponotus nest fragments, I still have the C. chromaiodes nest chamber).

 

Also, would it be safe to include the following animals?:
Orange-ish sowbugs

Springtails

Jumping Bristletails

Pennsylvania Wood Roaches

 

Hunter, please read completely. Does it say that I'm using dirt for my Camponotus? No.

sorry 

 

I'll think about putting my Formica colony in the terrarium. Will they do okay with the other insects?

[Hunter]

for the camp i use a 10 layer cardbord that i epoxied the inside and outside,works well; also word you might get rot and you should bake it first. also i would add springtails and pillbugs, and mabye milipides

Edited by Hunter, November 14 2017 - 5:41 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

 I asked if I could add pillbugs and springtails. I guess that's a yes.

 

I'm not going to add millipedes due to their toxic secretions.

 

I kind of want to use rotting wood to make the terrarium look natural, but I guess I don't need to.

[Hunter]

 I asked if I could add pillbugs and springtails. I guess that's a yes.

 

I'm not going to add millipedes due to their toxic secretions.

 

I kind of want to use rotting wood to make the terrarium look natural, but I guess I don't need to.

ants tend not to attack milliepeds once they sense what it is

[Connectimyrmex]

Millipedes tend to be kind of... intrusive... In Hawaii, I had a terrarium with P. megacephala, two inch long rusty millipedes, and some young Pacific Beetle Roaches. One roach stepped on a millipede and the millipede sprayed it, causing it to die. Some other roaches ate the corpse and they all died as well. Later, another millipede walked over the P. megacephala nest entrance, causing a major to bite a leg. It sprayed toxins onto the nest entrance AND the glass. Since the millipede was disturbed for a while, lots of toxins were secreted and the toxins seeped into the nest. In two days, all of the brood and queens, most of the workers, and my only captive breeding myrmecophilic silverfish pair died. I tried extracting the remainder, but they all died with no chance of new queen introduction.

 

Point being: ants learn what millipedes are by TESTING. Some ants will die. If the millipede approaches or enters the nest, the ants would have no choice but to defend their mother and their baby sisters. If ants never attacked millipedes at all, there would be more millipede myrmecophiles.

Simply put: I HATE MILLIPEDES. DO NOT TRY TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. Trust me, I have millions of millipedes available to me at all times. I choose not to use them.

 

If I ever DO use millipedes, I would probably use a baby Narceus americanus millipede. The ones in my yard act pretty relaxed, unlike the easily aggravated garden millipedes.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, November 14 2017 - 7:29 PM.

[Penguin]

Millipedes tend to be kind of... intrusive... In Hawaii, I had a terrarium with P. megacephala, two inch long rusty millipedes, and some young Pacific Beetle Roaches. One roach stepped on a millipede and the millipede sprayed it, causing it to die. Some other roaches ate the corpse and they all died as well. Later, another millipede walked over the P. megacephala nest entrance, causing a major to bite a leg. It sprayed toxins onto the nest entrance AND the glass. Since the millipede was disturbed for a while, lots of toxins were secreted and the toxins seeped into the nest. In two days, all of the brood and queens, most of the workers, and my only captive breeding myrmecophilic silverfish pair died. I tried extracting the remainder, but they all died with no chance of new queen introduction.

 

Point being: ants learn what millipedes are by TESTING. Some ants will die. If the millipede approaches or enters the nest, the ants would have no choice but to defend their mother and their baby sisters. If ants never attacked millipedes at all, there would be more millipede myrmecophiles.

Simply put: I HATE MILLIPEDES. DO NOT TRY TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. Trust me, I have millions of millipedes available to me at all times. I choose not to use them.

 

If I ever DO use millipedes, I would probably use a baby Narceus americanus millipede. The ones in my yard act pretty relaxed, unlike the easily aggravated garden millipedes.

 

Wow, now I know if I ever end up needing a "cleaning crew" I will not add millipedes.

[Connectimyrmex]

Not saying millipedes suck, but... they suck.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, November 14 2017 - 7:39 PM.

[Mettcollsuss]

Formica sp. does well in terrariums. I had the same question about housing Camponotus sp. in terrariums, but I didn't really get an answer.

[Connectimyrmex]

Formica sp. does well in terrariums. I had the same question about housing Camponotus sp. in terrariums, but I didn't really get an answer.

Thanks. I'll give it a go.

[FeedTheAnts]

Not saying millipedes suck, but... they suck.

[Connectimyrmex]

 

Not saying millipedes suck, but... they suck.

 

oops sry

they're okay i guess? I just hate, er, certain millipedes

[TennesseeAnts]

Formica for the win!! They are my favorite s! I have a 150 worker colony.

[Connectimyrmex]

Cool!

[AntHUB]

Millipedes aren't all toxic i use the small ones in CO in almost all of my terrariums most aren't even aggressive.

[AnthonyP163]

Hi. I have a terrarium with Tetramorium, and they were able to take down the pillbugs. However, knowing formica, I don't think they'd swarm like my tetramorium did. So that cleanup crew you mentioned would be totally okay. If you decide to put in plants, Formica will tend aphids. My pillbugs eat leaf litter, and so do my springtails. Just make sure there's always a food source for everything. 

 

P.S. 

I don't think the millipedes up here secrete anything, but it could be different. Good luck!

[Connectimyrmex]

Millipedes do. If you want to test, pick up a household millipede and smell it.

They aren't aggressive, they just have surprising tendencies and reactions to the slightest disturbances

[Tmhernandez77]

I have a solenopsis colony in a terrarium, and they have absolutely exploded in size.  I'm trying to find a larger terrarium to move them into, something like a 40 g long.  They are also incredibly easy to take care of.  I put a capful of honey in every few days, I feed grass seeds, nuts, fish food, crickets, dubia, dried fruit.  They rarely leave anything for me to clean up.  Additionally, they have done a pretty thorough job of mixing the soil up.  I highly recommend!