62 replies to this topic

[skocko76]

I've had similar experience, especially if placed on wood or stone. The liquid would syphon out. I learned I wasn't screwing the cap all the way in. Needs to be well aligned and screwed pretty tight. Also avoid placing on porous surfaces.

[drtrmiller]

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

 

Please ensure you're filling the glass vial with liquid, screwing the vial onto the plastic base, and then placing on a non-absorbent surface. There is no need to screw it on tightly—just enough that it can't be screwed down further. If you attempt to screw it on too tightly, the plastic could crack.

 

Also, please test multiple feeders to determine how many are possibly defective. It is very rare for even one to be defective, but it could possibly happen. However, if several or all of them are leaking, the most likely explanation is that they're not being used properly.

 

When filled with liquid and screwed together, they shouldn't leak a drop. It should be that simple.

 

If you continue to have further issues or concerns, please contact me privately via PM here, at www.facebook.com/byFormica, or by email (support@byformica dot com).

Edited by drtrmiller, October 17 2018 - 7:22 AM.

[Serafine]

You need to regularly replace the contents of the feeder (at least once a week if it's hot).

 

These feeders are gravity-assisted feeders, if you leave the sugary liquid in there long enough that it starts fermentation processes the emerging gas bubbles will rise up to the top of the bottle and push out the liquid. Specifically do NOT use honey or even worse dilluted honey water with these feeders during hot seasons, honey water starts fermentation within days, resulting in the feeder starting to leak.

 

Diluted maple syrup and diluted invert sugar syrup work great, regular sugar water is kinda okayish and everything that contains honey should be avoided.

 

 

p.s. Why was there no announcement that the feeders are available on amazon again? I almost missed it.

Edited by Serafine, October 17 2018 - 10:50 AM.

[Pren-imp]

I bought these 1ml feeders and I must say for the price I got way more then I expected. First off they are very well packaged, I was very impressed. Second they work well for water or sugar water that i have used. They have lasted a week with my smaller colonies. I recommend these to all my fellow ant keepers.

[Shifty189]

Just wanted to stop by and say thanks for making these. I just got my set in the mail a few weeks back and found that they work much better than I thought they would. Since I got them as a present and didn't order them directly I can't leave you feedback on Amazon. Keep up the great work, and thanks for keeping the price point reasonable.

[iXvXi]

I'm still using the old revision! Taken today.

Edited by iXvXi, March 8 2019 - 12:11 PM.

[Serafine]

After having tested and observed them for some time I recently noticed something I hadn't seen before.
It looked like my ants preferred the 4ml feeders (they are still heavily using the 16ml feeders but the 4ml feeders always drain faster), so I changed the feeder's location to see if this is just due to the feeder's position in the setup. And yes, position DID in fact have an impact, however the 4ml feeders are still draining a bit faster and are often more crowded.

 

From what I can observe this is due to the feeder's footpiece design - the flat bottom circle of the 4ml feeder makes it very easy for the ants to stand there and drink while they seem to have more problems with the 16ml feeder's sloped foot. For the next design revision I'd recommend to replace the 16ml feeder's sloped foot with something closer to the 4ml feeder's flat bottom part as it seems easier for the ants to hold onto that. I sometimes even ants mounting themselves upside down on the 16ml feeder, something I never observerd with the 4ml ones.

 

I even made a super ugly picture to visualze the issue. It's not really a problem though, just something that could be further optimized. All in all the new designs are already WAY better for big ants than the old ones with the smaller openings.

 

Edited by Serafine, August 21 2019 - 1:37 AM.

[FSTP]

that's ants in your illustraions are cute Serafine.

[Lazarus]

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

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.

When I ordered from Amazon Canada my order came from AntKeepingDepot which surprised me and was quite a long transit

[dominatus]

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!

 

 

Could you sell me on the advantages of these over a simple test tube with cotton plug? I have some idea of how it may be an improvement but would like to know your's and others thoughts before I decide to get some.

Edited by dominatus, August 22 2019 - 6:43 PM.

[Silq]

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!

Could you sell me on the advantages of these over a simple test tube with cotton plug? I have some idea of how it may be an improvement but would like to know your's and others thoughts before I decide to get some.

You can't fit a test tube in every setup but you can fit these in about any setup. You can combine this with a test tube and outworld where the test tube has your cotton and water and the feeder has nectar or sugar water.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

[sweetgrass]

I love these feeders

[drtrmiller]

It looked like my ants preferred the 4ml feeders (they are still heavily using the 16ml feeders but the 4ml feeders always drain faster), so I changed the feeder's location to see if this is just due to the feeder's position in the setup. And yes, position DID in fact have an impact, however the 4ml feeders are still draining a bit faster and are often more crowded.

 
I think the 4 mL feeders you're referring to are the Mini base, not the Micro base discussed in this topic.
 
Based on your illustrations, I believe the newest revision of both the Mini and Mega bases may resolve the issue you observed.  I'm still planning to send you some to test.
 

When I ordered from Amazon Canada my order came from AntKeepingDepot which surprised me and was quite a long transit

 
As far as I know, the only "sellers" on Amazon.ca offering byFormica products are companies with no physical inventory and no connection to byFormica.  They simply list items at astronomical prices, and order from a lower-priced vendor to effectively drop-ship the order.  This isn't illegal, but it is highly predatory behavior that I can't really do anything about so long as they are able to deliver the genuine article.
 
The only authorized sellers right now are byFormica Ant Products, located in the US, and Ant Keeping Depot, located in Australia.  I'm going to be onboarding more resellers soon in Europe and possibly Canada, so stay tuned.

Edited by drtrmiller, August 23 2019 - 1:31 AM.

[ANTdrew]

I had a suggestion on how to improve the bases. If they had little tiny feet to lift them off the ground a bit, it would be a lot easier to put them back in outworlds that are full of tiny ants. I always worry about smooshing ants in some of my larger colonies that have workers everywhere. Just a thought...

[Ants_Dakota]

I had a suggestion on how to improve the bases. If they had little tiny feet to lift them off the ground a bit, it would be a lot easier to put them back in outworlds that are full of tiny ants. I always worry about smooshing ants in some of my larger colonies that have workers everywhere. Just a thought...

that would be helpful, but would the ants be able to get back to it?

[ANTdrew]

I'm thinking like three 1-2mm little feet on the bottom. Ants could easily climb up that unless it was Pogonomyrmex or something, but they could just reach up.

[Ants_Dakota]

I'm thinking like three 1-2mm little feet on the bottom. Ants could easily climb up that unless it was Pogonomyrmex or something, but they could just reach up.

ok, that makes sense. 

[drtrmiller]

I had a suggestion on how to improve the bases. If they had little tiny feet to lift them off the ground a bit, it would be a lot easier to put them back in outworlds that are full of tiny ants. I always worry about smooshing ants in some of my larger colonies that have workers everywhere. Just a thought...

 

I have seen this implemented in some foreign products.

 

The problem could also be solved by providing the ants more space so they are not overcrowded.  With the exception of army ants, it is rare for ants to forage at such high densities commonly observed in captivity.

 

In any case, I am happy to report that I have been developing a different style of feeder which would resolve this problem.  I hope to make the new products available soon.

[dspdrew]

I had a suggestion on how to improve the bases. If they had little tiny feet to lift them off the ground a bit, it would be a lot easier to put them back in outworlds that are full of tiny ants. I always worry about smooshing ants in some of my larger colonies that have workers everywhere. Just a thought...

 

I've thought about doing this exact thing for a long time. I always have had this problem. With three little tiny feet, it would eliminate rocking too in some situations. Unfortunately, if you're 3D printing your feeders, adding little feet sounds like a real PITA. It might require printing them in two parts.

 

 

 

I had a suggestion on how to improve the bases. If they had little tiny feet to lift them off the ground a bit, it would be a lot easier to put them back in outworlds that are full of tiny ants. I always worry about smooshing ants in some of my larger colonies that have workers everywhere. Just a thought...

 

I have seen this implemented in some foreign products.

 

The problem could also be solved by providing the ants more space so they are not overcrowded.  With the exception of army ants, it is rare for ants to forage at such high densities commonly observed in captivity.

 

In any case, I am happy to report that I have been developing a different style of feeder which would resolve this problem.  I hope to make the new products available soon.

 

 

I think giving your ants a feeder with little feet would probably be easier than building a larger foraging area.

[cocdeshijie]

 

I had a suggestion on how to improve the bases. If they had little tiny feet to lift them off the ground a bit, it would be a lot easier to put them back in outworlds that are full of tiny ants. I always worry about smooshing ants in some of my larger colonies that have workers everywhere. Just a thought...

 

I've thought about doing this exact thing for a long time. I always have had this problem. With three little tiny feet, it would eliminate rocking too in some situations. Unfortunately, if you're 3D printing your feeders, adding little feet sounds like a real PITA. It might require printing them in two parts.

 

 

 

I had a suggestion on how to improve the bases. If they had little tiny feet to lift them off the ground a bit, it would be a lot easier to put them back in outworlds that are full of tiny ants. I always worry about smooshing ants in some of my larger colonies that have workers everywhere. Just a thought...

 

I have seen this implemented in some foreign products.

 

The problem could also be solved by providing the ants more space so they are not overcrowded.  With the exception of army ants, it is rare for ants to forage at such high densities commonly observed in captivity.

 

In any case, I am happy to report that I have been developing a different style of feeder which would resolve this problem.  I hope to make the new products available soon.

 

 

I think giving your ants a feeder with little feet would probably be easier than building a larger foraging area.

 

 

They can be printed in 1 go just fine.

Edited by cocdeshijie, November 24 2020 - 8:18 PM.