62 replies to this topic

[sirjordanncurtis]

Yeah, you should make ultra small feeders that fit into test tubes

[drtrmiller]

Yeah, you should make ultra small feeders that fit into test tubes

 

Fitting inside such a small space wouldn't be feasible. And the ants may choose to nest adjacent to a feeder that is attached to the open end of a test tube.  That is what happened in some instances when I attached a feeder to a small formicarium.

Edited by drtrmiller, August 20 2018 - 3:23 PM.

[Major]

Is the bottom section of the Micro Liquid Feeder 3D printed? Also, have you even experienced any issues occurring with almost a “rock candy” forming?

[drtrmiller]

Is the bottom section of the Micro Liquid Feeder 3D printed?

Yes.
 

Also, have you even experienced any issues occurring with almost a “rock candy” forming?

This can happen when pure sucrose solutions evaporate to form a supersaturated solution. One change I'm making to Sunburst is to incorporate some other types of sugar to prevent crystallization.

 

If these Micro feeders, or the "Classic" byFormica feeders, become stuck with crystallized sugar, they can break when attempting to untwist the vial from the base.  The Mini and Mega bases, also currently being sold, have been reinforced through design changes, so they will not break.

 

If sugar has crystallized in your feeder, simply soak or rinse it in hot water, and that will dissolve the sugar crystals and make it easier to remove.  

[Major]

Just bought one from Drew when I was buying his starter Formicarium for my Crematogaster. My Crematogaster Lineolata don't seem interested in it. Do you have any good sugar water ratios?

[sirjordanncurtis]

Just bought one from Drew when I was buying his starter Formicarium for my Crematogaster. My Crematogaster Lineolata don't seem interested in it. Do you have any good sugar water ratios?

 

1:1

[Major]

Just bought one from Drew when I was buying his starter Formicarium for my Crematogaster. My Crematogaster Lineolata don't seem interested in it. Do you have any good sugar water ratios?

 
1:1

I don't think it's my ratios any more. They drank it when it was soaked in a cotton ball, but not while in the feeder. Any ideas why? They've decovered it though.

[skocko76]

Perhaps the cotton soaks in moisture and changes the ratio of the solution? Hm.

If the the sugar is completely dissolved, than it should not be it. But if some sugar is suspended in the water, then maybe it could be it.

Maybe you could try with more sugar?

[drtrmiller]

 

 

Just bought one from Drew when I was buying his starter Formicarium for my Crematogaster. My Crematogaster Lineolata don't seem interested in it. Do you have any good sugar water ratios?

 
1:1

I don't think it's my ratios any more. They drank it when it was soaked in a cotton ball, but not while in the feeder. Any ideas why? They've decovered it though.

 

 

When making your own sugar water, it's up to the user to experiment and find the best working ratio for your ants, as the optimal ratio can sometimes vary between species, time of year, and based on other factors.

 

The primary functional difference between a soaked cotton ball and a byFormica liquid feeder is ease of access. The ants can discover and feed from a soaked cotton ball more easily than from the liquid feeders, the latter of which requires them to stick their head into a hole and use their antennae to inspect a razor thin gap where the liquid is accessible. This design is intended to reduce evaporation, prevent small ants from drowning or being sucked into the feeder, and to reduce the probability that ants will cover the exposed liquid with dirt. 

 

A small colony will only drink a small amount, so the ants may be less willing to search for food immediately after allowing them to become full of liquid dispensed another way. Further, some species do not search for food as easily as other species, and workers from smaller colonies can be especially dumb when searching for food. While I can't speak for Crematogaster lineolata, I can say that both extremely tiny and larger species of ants will readily feed from these feeders so long as the ants are hungry/thirsty enough to search for food.

 

Fill the feeder with sugar water and replace with fresh liquid every 2-4 days. Don't worry if feeding isn't immediately observed. If the ants are thirsty, and the liquid contained in the feeder is satisfactory, the ants will find the liquid and drink from them.

Edited by drtrmiller, August 31 2018 - 3:43 AM.

[sirjordanncurtis]

Would part of it still work if I put it down sideways?

[drtrmiller]

Would part of it still work if I put it down sideways?

I expect it would be more susceptible to leaking. What problem are you attempting to solve such that you would want to lay it on its side?

[sirjordanncurtis]

 

Would part of it still work if I put it down sideways?

I expect it would be more susceptible to leaking. What problem are you attempting to solve such that you would want to lay it on its side?

 

 

 

I just wanted to find a way to fit it into to an AC test tube portal without cutting out pieces from the plastic lid.

[drtrmiller]

 

 

Would part of it still work if I put it down sideways?

I expect it would be more susceptible to leaking. What problem are you attempting to solve such that you would want to lay it on its side?

 

 
 
I just wanted to find a way to fit it into to an AC test tube portal without cutting out pieces from the plastic lid.

 

 

The AntsCanada product you mention is probably not designed to function as a foraging area. There is no reason to destroy it just so you can fit a liquid feeder in there.

 

I place test tube colonies in small plastic bins I got from Walmart, and simply line the bins with Fluon to prevent escapes.

[sirjordanncurtis]

OK that'd work. I think they are drinking from it though. I just have to make sure to give it to a species which doesn't pile stuff all over food

[sirjordanncurtis]

Are there any long term harmful effects to have the feeders (or the liquids) occupy a space which is being heated?

[drtrmiller]

Are there any long term harmful effects to have the feeders (or the liquids) occupy a space which is being heated?

 

In short, temperature swings will cause the air and liquid in a gravity-fed feeder to expand or contract and be pushed out the bottom.

 

Relevant section emphasized in bold text, below:

 

For a number of reasons, many species of ants naturally place loose substrate on any moisture—and sticky or sugary liquids, in particular—located in close proximity to the nest.  Since we cannot dictate the animal's behavior outright, byFormica Liquid Feeders try to mitigate the problem by restricting the amount of surface area that is exposed moisture.  Where other liquid feeders have large holes and/or open troughs, byFormica liquid feeders have an extremely fine groove—less than 0.5 mm—which is just large enough for ants to drink from.
 
However, in some isolated cases, certain, problematic ant species, when paired with very fine substrate, may have the capacity and inclination to place dirt particles on these grooves or in the holes, which can cause liquid to leak out under very specific conditions.  If this happens, and if the feeder is placed onto a porous material or substrate, then all the liquid can drain out into the substrate.
 
First, the user must ensure the feeder is not placed in an environment which may cause liquid to be pushed out from the feeding grooves deep in the holes (i.e. by avoiding extreme swings in temperature, such as heat lamps).  The user may further mitigate the issue by:

• Replacing the substrate with a more coarse medium such as small gravel which won't fit into the holes of the liquid feeder;
   
• Placing the liquid feeder on a non-absorbent surface of plastic, foil, or glass or in a tray of some kind, or;
   
• Placing the feeder as far away from the nest entrance and/or substrate as possible (possibly an elevated surface which the ants would have to climb in order to access), so the ants will not be as threatened by the liquid.

With proper care and consideration, the consequences of this natural behavior may be avoided relatively easily.  All liquid feeders on the market are susceptible to this problem, and I think byFormica liquid feeders are the best at mitigating it.

Edited by drtrmiller, September 13 2018 - 1:05 AM.

[ANTdrew]

I got my feeder in the mail yesterday. The tetramoriums love it!

Later on, though, they proceeded to cover it up with bit from their trash dump. LOL

 

[drtrmiller]

It is natural for ants to attempt to cover liquids—and especially sticky liquids—located close to their nest.  byFormica liquid feeders have an extremely fine groove far inside the drinking ports from which the ants lick liquid off the plastic.  Most ants will not be inclined to place substrate on the actual drinking surface because it is so small, so they will abandon the substrate elsewhere, such as on the brim of the feeder, as is the case with your photo.  This dirt placed on the brim of the feeder isn't problematic at all, and the ants may very well remove it some time later.

[ANTdrew]

I took it as a blessing in disguise. Since all their trash was stuck to the feeder, it made clean up way easier. I think I really need to get the gals a bigger foraging area than their mini-hearth provides.

[StormRider2407]

I got some of them a little while ago, but no matter what liquid I put in it leaks out.