62 replies to this topic

[drtrmiller]

Introducing the byFormica Micro Liquid Feeder
 

• Small size fits nearly anywhere, just 1" (25 mm) tall, 19 mm diameter
• 1 ml capacity, plain water lasts up to several days between refills
• All the features you've come to expect from byFormica liquid feeders, in a tiny, economical package
• Sold in packs of 6 or 17 pieces (as low as $1.53 each), these are an excellent value for safely offering a variety of liquid foods

byFormica Liquid Feeders for ants are gravity-assisted feeders designed for offering liquid foods like water or sugar water.
 
Easy to use: Just fill with your preferred liquid, screw the glass vial onto the threaded base, and place in your formicarium to enjoy.
 
Made for ants: The byFormica Liquid Feeders feature a unique, semi-closed design which reduces moisture loss due to evaporation, restricts even the smallest ants from getting sucked into the feeder, and lessens the likelihood that some ants will attempt to cover the liquid with dirt. Multiple drinking ports allow ants to discover the liquid more quickly, and many ants to feed at once.
 
Never leaks on its own: Our design will not leak when assembled, even if inverted, toppled, or if ants put small amounts of debris on the exposed liquid. Use with water, sugar water, or SUNBURST Ant Nectar for the ultimate antkeeping experience.

 

Check Them Out Here, or
 
Browse All byFormica Liquid Feeders

 

This is quickly becoming our top-selling liquid feeder.  Thank you all for your support!

Edited by drtrmiller, June 16 2018 - 12:57 AM.

[Barristan]

Hi Terry,

how easy are they to clean? The amazon.de link leads to antkeepingdepot don't you sell via amazon.de anymore?

Edited by Barristan, June 16 2018 - 3:25 AM.

[drtrmiller]

How easy are they to clean? The amazon.de link leads to antkeepingdepot don't you sell via amazon.de anymore?

 

From the included instruction booklet:
 

Cleaning — Wash with warm water between uses, and use a brush, paper towel, or similar tool to remove caked debris, if necessary. If tube is stuck and can not be easily removed, rinse or soak the base under very hot water to dissolve the sugar and loosen it up.

The links I'm starting to use now will always take customers to the correct website, based on the user's location and website availability.  Right now, byFormica products aren't available in Europe, so users outside the US are directed to AntKeepingDepot, which ships internationally.  byFormica products will return to the European shops hopefully within the next few weeks.

[Deluga]

Would love to get those sized as soon as avaible in Europe.

I figure a tooth brush would be good for this size?

[noebl1]

Last week I ordered the 17 pack of them for use with my ants and I really like them.  My small ants like Temnothorax, Lasius and Tetramorium have no issues with them, and even been observing my Myrmica and Aphaenogaster using them.  I use the small BoxBox containers from The Container Store with a layer of hydrostone, and they fit perfectly.

 

Edited by noebl1, June 16 2018 - 7:30 AM.

[sirjordanncurtis]

To use the feeder, do you screw it completely closed?

[drtrmiller]

To use the feeder, do you screw it completely closed?

 

Yes.  It is designed for the vial to screw all the way down on the base.

Only a miniscule amount of plastic is wetted, which the ants will lick with their tongue organs.  It is for this reason that we refer to our feeders as having a "semi-closed" design, which reduces moisture loss due to evaporation, restricts even the smallest ants from getting sucked into the feeder, and lessens the likelihood that some ants will attempt to cover the liquid with dirt.

[sirjordanncurtis]

That's cool. I bought a pack of 17. These'll be good for founding formicaria.

[skocko76]

Hey Terry,

 

have you had difficulties with medium/big ants using the feeder?

 

My Camponotus barbaricus seem to be desperate to get to the sugary liquid inside, but always seem to back out from the hole and fall back to licking the thread at which the plastic meets the glass (while it's still wet from assembling). 

 

Also, my base looks a bit different, it gets wider towards the bottom, check the videos. The worker in the video is a nanite, much smaller than the rest of the workers.

Are the feeders simply not designed for ants the size of C. barbaricus, or they require a period of adaptation figure it out (has been some 2 weeks)?

 

 

 

[drtrmiller]

The model in your video shows the "Mini" Liquid Feeder, while the model in this post is the "Micro."  The Micro feeder simply has a smaller diameter base and includes only the 1 ml vials.  The smaller size allows for the Micro to be made more quickly, and for more to fit into a single package, so they costs less per feeder than larger models.

I could be wrong, but from the videos I watched, it appears to me that the ant has successfully gone inside and tasted the liquid, but isn't very interested in drinking it, so it's testing the other holes to see if they contain the same or different liquid.  I have a colony of Camponotus pennsylvanicus, which has minor workers about the same size as C. barbaricus, and both the minor and media workers can drain a Mini feeder like yours in no time and without any issue at all.

Try mixing a couple different ratios of sugar to water and offering them three of the 1 ml feeders at once to see which ratio of sugar to water the ants most prefer.  Let us know how it works out for you.

Edited by drtrmiller, June 18 2018 - 11:37 AM.

[skocko76]

Ok, good to hear! Thanks!

[MonkeySword]

Any idea when these will be available on Amazon again?

[Antsinmycloset]

Not to get side tracked, but have you ever considered allowing these to be ordered individually? Like allowing someone to buy X of one size, and Y of another, versus the kits on Amazon?

[drtrmiller]

Any idea when these will be available on Amazon again?

 

They are available again now, but some items won't ship until the end of the week.

 

Not to get side tracked, but have you ever considered allowing these to be ordered individually? Like allowing someone to buy X of one size, and Y of another, versus the kits on Amazon?

 

Roughly the first $5 of every single item "Fulfilled by Amazon" goes to Amazon in the form of fees and inbound shipping costs to get products to Amazon's warehouses.  Amazon charges the same pick-and-pack fee regardless of whether a customer orders 1 item or 100 in the same transaction.  This is why I'm only able to sell most products as multi-pack bundles on Amazon.

 

I'm always evaluating business options to offer the best value I can for my customers, and appreciate your feedback.

[Jake]

 

Any idea when these will be available on Amazon again?

 

They are available again now, but some items won't ship until the end of the week.

 

Not to get side tracked, but have you ever considered allowing these to be ordered individually? Like allowing someone to buy X of one size, and Y of another, versus the kits on Amazon?

 

Roughly the first $5 of every single item "Fulfilled by Amazon" goes to Amazon in the form of fees and inbound shipping costs to get products to Amazon's warehouses.  Amazon charges the same pick-and-pack fee regardless of whether a customer orders 1 item or 100 in the same transaction.  This is why I'm only able to sell most products as multi-pack bundles on Amazon.

 

I'm always evaluating business options to offer the best value I can for my customers, and appreciate your feedback.

 

Perhaps opening your own online store (website) would be a more suitable option for you? That might save you more money in the medium to long run rather than using amazon

[Deluga]

That highly depends if he wants to ship worldwide. 

The shipping should be cheaper with amazon, as they have better prices with shipping company due to their size.

 

The shipping cost for us in Europe isn't that bad, using amazon, but many other sites have a very high shipping price to Europe.

Also it saves him some work and time, which is more valuable. 

 

Using a "host" to sell and ship items for you, is actually cheaper than doing it by yourself. I know that, due to my education in this exact business. 

 

EDIT: I'm gonna buy some, as soon as they get avaible for Europe. 

Is this suitable for only smaller ants or also bigger ants?

Edited by Deluga, June 19 2018 - 7:45 AM.

[Serafine]

They are suitable for all sizes of ants (except huge ants like Myrmecia probably) unless your ants have a habit of burrying them under tons of dirt (like my Solenopsis fugax love to do).

[Kevin]

I recently purchased the larger quantity available for the new byFormica "micro" feeders. As always, everything was in stellar packaging and in perfect condition. I have been using byFormica feeders for all my colonies, and they never disappoint me.

 

[drtrmiller]

These, as well as other newer byFormica liquid feeders, have been added to Amazon Prime.  Check them out!
 
Amazon Prime members get free 2-day shipping for in-stock items, and all US addresses get free shipping for orders of $25.00 or more.
 
(Product Link redirects to AntKeepingDepot for customers outside the United States and Canada)
 

I recently purchased the larger quantity available for the new byFormica "micro" feeders. As always, everything was in stellar packaging and in perfect condition. I have been using byFormica feeders for all my colonies, and they never disappoint me.

I appreciate the positive feedback. If you ever have an opportunity to leave a review on the Amazon product page, I'd be very grateful.

Edited by drtrmiller, July 28 2018 - 9:20 AM.

[Kujawaorchids]

I love these feeders and i've started moving all my ants to them. Very nice work making these and the packaging is perfect!