4 replies to this topic

[Maters]

Hello. This summer I caught some Lasius queens. And all of them are doing great. In some of my test tubes mold had started growing and I decided to make some aerated concrete nests. 2 colonies that had a lot of mold growth have already moved in. But I'm having trouble keeping the nests moist. The first nest I made I drilled 2 holes on opposite ends of the nest that i stuffed with cotton for hydration. But i saw that it would dry out really fast. So the second one I made I carved a much larger trench going from one end of the nest to the other and also stuffed with cotton. Although much larger volume of water can be put in there the nest dries out in less than a day.  I searched on google about this but the method of keeping the nest in a dish of water and letting the concrete suck up the water doesn't sound too great. Anyone have any experience with Ytong/aac nests? Is there a better way of keeping the nests moist?

[Diesel]

Hey Maters. IMO concrete is not a really good medium to work with. Ytong on the other hand if you can get your hands on it has many useful applications and there are numerous people that use it that can provide answesr to this. IMO if you are a DIY person is to either buy or make a 3d printed nest that has hydration capabilities. i myself make mine using grout sand/peralite mix that usually does well with moisture without the mold issues. you can also check ebay,amazon and other site for professional style formicariums for cheap money. well worth the investment if you plan on being a serious ant keeper.

[Maters]

By aerated concrete I meant Ytong. Ytong is just a brand name for this stuff. I did consider using grout but I already had some of the aerated concrete so ended up using it instead. Hopefully I will find a way to keep my nests moist.

[Mettcollsuss]

Even if AAC looks visually dry, it still has water in it. Just hydrate it every 3-4 days and you should be good.

[AkumaArtist]

It doesnt need to be flooded,it'll be ok,but still is better to use a piece of sponge than cotton ,it retains the water much better