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What species/genera can chew through wood?

wood ants chew this tag is useless lol formicarium

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16 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Chickalo - Posted March 9 2021 - 3:26 PM

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Hello ant people,

 

I plan on making some wood formicariums, and I was wondering what species can chew through wood?  (I figured the list would be smaller than the ones that cannot).  Obviously Camponotus is a given.  Also, is there anything I can do to make it harder for them to chew through?  Also anything that assures mold won't show up for a long time.  Thanks for taking the time to anwser (maybe).

If it's a long list just tell me (that's why I put genera, not just species), but I just want a basic idea of what species can and cannot chew wood.  Also I live in Massachusetts so it doesn't need to be a world wide list lol.

 

From,

Someone who's name is Chickalo


シグナチャーです。예.

 


#2 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted March 9 2021 - 3:45 PM

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Crematogaster are also wood dwelling. Formica and Aphaenogaster will make nests under bark (the latter mainly) or in *rotten* wood.

 

Actually not really rotten, just really soft (probably from being soaked by rain)


Edited by Kaelwizard, March 10 2021 - 9:42 AM.

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#3 Offline Manitobant - Posted March 9 2021 - 3:53 PM

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A list of NA ants that can chew through wood:

Camponotus (duh, obviously)
Colobopsis
Crematogaster
Rufa group formica
Liometopum
Pseudomyrmex (actually do great in wood nests however)
Solenopsis (don’t tell me invicta can’t chew through it, they can chew through pretty much everything)
Possibly tetramorium immigrans
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#4 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted March 9 2021 - 4:07 PM

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A list of NA ants that can chew through wood:

Camponotus (duh, obviously)
Colobopsis
Crematogaster
Rufa group formica
Liometopum
Pseudomyrmex (actually do great in wood nests however)
Solenopsis (don’t tell me invicta can’t chew through it, they can chew through pretty much everything)
Possibly tetramorium immigrans

I have found fusca group in wood.

#5 Offline NickAnter - Posted March 9 2021 - 4:18 PM

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Some Temnothorax species can probably chew through wood. Mine can only chew through it *extremely* slowly, however, so not a huge issue in most cases.


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#6 Offline ANTdrew - Posted March 10 2021 - 3:17 AM

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T. immigrans is a definite.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#7 Offline AleeGuy - Posted March 10 2021 - 5:25 AM

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A list of NA ants that can chew through wood:
Camponotus (duh, obviously)
Colobopsis
Crematogaster
Rufa group formica
Liometopum
Pseudomyrmex (actually do great in wood nests however)
Solenopsis (don’t tell me invicta can’t chew through it, they can chew through pretty much everything)
Possibly tetramorium immigrans

I've caught wood nesting aphaenogaster(fulva) so they should be able to chew through wood too, not sure about hard types of wood but they do in softer/rotten.

#8 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted March 10 2021 - 6:33 AM

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I have also caught wood nesting aphaenogaster.



#9 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted March 10 2021 - 6:34 AM

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I have made wood formicariums before and I've nested formica in them, and carpentar ants tho. They didn't seem like the wanted to chew throught the wood at all.


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#10 Offline Guest_StrickyAnts_* - Posted March 10 2021 - 9:03 AM

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I have made wood formicariums before and I've nested formica in them, and carpentar ants tho. They didn't seem like the wanted to chew throught the wood at all.

oh nice, have any pics? been wanting to make some for awhile.


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#11 Offline antsandmore - Posted March 10 2021 - 9:12 AM

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Crematogaster are also wood dwelling. Formic and Aphaenogaster will make nests under bark (the latter mainly) or in *rotten* wood.

Interesting. I may try that sometime, because they're going to need a bigger formicarium soon.


Ants I am keeping:

 none for now, planning on being more active this year


#12 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted March 10 2021 - 3:15 PM

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Stricky ants, sure I'll post some pics of the wood formicariums.


They really work. And in mine you can take the lid off of them incase your ants die or there is mold, but they never ended up molding.



#13 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted March 10 2021 - 3:28 PM

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Pls don't judge any of these.
IMG 20210310 181800
IMG 20210310 181729
IMG 20210310 181740
IMG 20210310 181735

They have worked pretty well with all of my colonys. I upload better pics tommorow. It is dark right now.


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#14 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted March 10 2021 - 3:50 PM

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Those are pretty good, honestly.



#15 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted March 10 2021 - 3:52 PM

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Thanks. They are meant to connect to an outworld with tubes.


And there are different sizes for different ants.



#16 Offline AntBoi3030 - Posted May 8 2021 - 5:41 AM

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they won't if the wood is rotten,if it is and they need more space or it is too humid they will attempt to bore out of it (any woo nesting sp)


My favorite queens/colony’s:
Pheidole Tysoni, Selonopis Molesta, Brachymyrmex Depilis, Tetramorium Immagrians, Prenolepis Imparis, Pheidole Bicirinata 


#17 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted May 8 2021 - 11:49 AM

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they won't if the wood is rotten,if it is and they need more space or it is too humid they will attempt to bore out of it (any woo nesting sp)

This is an old post and most wood nesting species in the US nest in rotten or water damaged wood, not healthy dry wood. (Except Crematogaster, they like it dry)

Edited by Kaelwizard, May 8 2021 - 11:50 AM.






Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: wood, ants, chew, this tag is useless lol, formicarium

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