12 replies to this topic

[Arcais]

Assuming I have Camponotus quercicola, is this design big enough for them?

 

 

[CoolColJ]

As long as it's big enough for the queen to move around it should work

[Arcais]

Thanks CoolColj.  We'll see if they take to it once its done.

 

I made this to fit the Boxbox Narrow Stackable Rectangle Clear acrylic box that the container store sells.  I made a little connectors that i can either put a plastic tube in to make it modular.  A test tube fits over it as well. 

Now just need to find something for the back of it... think the ceramic tile option.

 

 

If fits perfectly in the box down to the rounded edges.  STL is attached to this post... i think.

 

 

Attached Files

•  Formicarium_III_205mm_LRG.stl   1.65MB   22 downloads

[CoolColJ]

Looks good, I like it.

 

How do you hydrate it?

Edited by CoolColJ, October 15 2018 - 4:05 PM.

[Arcais]

The back has lots of space, so I was going to use a tile, although I have a piece of oak on it ATM. Probably end up chewing through it though.

Finding unglazed tiles is tough, unless you order online. A 3x8 strip is all I need to cover up the back.

Then I figure a sponge or something against the tile. Seems like that is the way to go.

Then I’ll do grout in the outworld with kind of substrate. Might do saw dust from the oak.

[CoolColJ]

Water tower with sponge and mesh could work fine

[Arcais]

 

I could always add some kind of slow drip as well.

[nurbs]

Hey Arcais, that's a nice clean design, but not sure if C. quercicolas will do well in it. I generally stay away from pure plastics/3d prints/acrylic.

 

How many workers does your colony have at the moment?

 

I've got experience with this species, here are some tips:

 

* Add lots of crushed oak bark to the nest and the outworld of your design, they love this and might do better with that added.

 

* They prefer tight spaces vs. something open and large, even if the colony is 20 or 30 workers. Because they are strictly nocturnal, you will only have 1 or 2 workers foraging at night, and the rest will stay huddled in the nest during the day. I usually keep mine in a test tube setup all the way up to 20-30 workers before moving them.

 

* Your hydration method looks interesting, let us know how that goes!

 

Here is a colony from last year:

 

 

[Arcais]

I have several of the oak logs where I found them.  The backing behind the printed plastic is a trimmed down piece of one of those logs as well.  I've been keeping the saw dust from the cutting just in case.

 

Before I made the printed design, I trimmed down a block to fit in the acrylic box and carved tunnels in it.  Even with a dremel, carving in oak takes a long time.  Then I saw all the cool designs people made and figured I'd try that.  I have 2 3D printers and they were just gathering dust lately.  They needed something to do.

 

For workers, there are a lot... 100 or more?  This colony wasn't started from a new queen though(Cheated).  I had just caught the other queen that you ID'ed walking across my living room in San Carlos (now re-inspired).  That weekend I head up to my parents place in Volcano.  They have like 5.5 acres up there and there are tons of ants everywhere, so I brought my test tubes just in case.

 

I was helping them split firewood...  they have the lazy man axe, aka the slow hydrophilic blade.  Anyway, log splits and plop goes a colony.  "WHOA!!!  Better get a bucket!!!"

 

I figure I saved them from becoming Snap, Crackle and Pop in my parents fireplace.  I'm going try to get up there when they are actually flying next year.  I could probably get the parents to actually catch a few if I'm not there.  They usually bring down a praying mantis or two when they visit for my boys.  Ants are so much easier

 

So for now I have my 'cheat' colony.  And I didn't know they were nocturnal until I got them home.  I was thinking maybe I wasn't giving them the right food.  Then one night I looked in later, and they were all out doing their thing.

 

Besides these camponotus, I think I saw at least one other camponotus species, one or two medium species and a much smaller species.

Edited by Arcais, October 17 2018 - 4:14 PM.

[Arcais]

 

I added some sawdust and shavings down into the tunnels to fill it up a little.  They can remove what they don't want.

The ants were in and around the piece of log I have in there now.  Within a few minutes, once they found the tunnels, they began dragging other ants down into the tunnels.  Like "Hey Sis, come check out what I found... you are taking too long... I'll just drag you down the hall by your feet".

 

The queen had disappeared from view, and I believe she is actually in the piece of log still, as I don't see her anywhere else.

[nurbs]

Are the wood shavings pine?

[ANTdrew]

What an elegant design. I hope your colony thrives in it.

[Arcais]

It’s all oak. It’s the log they were in and the a few from the pile.