123 replies to this topic

[Lazarus]

That's not acrylic. It's something I can't remember the name.... I cut better than the acrylic though.

 

Perhaps Lexan.

 

I had no luck making a similar cover with plexiglass and quickly learn how badly plexiglass warps. I've used Lexan before for other projects and it never occured to me to try that instead. Much strong and definitely less warping although I don't know how this will hold up over the long term. Looking forward to hearing how this works out.

[Canadant]

Shrimp dinner tonight.

 

Man, these gals need a formicarium. The test tubes are full and the Crema Hotel has got to be full too. I want a wood one. I bought some basswood from a craft store, but it seemd to thin so I returned it.

 

I want to get a block of it and kinda do a nucleus style. I'm not into the top down formicarium as much as the side view formicarium. Problem with ant keeping is the formicariums are expensive as hell and the do-it-yourself  method (so fun) is fun but also very expensive; especially if you haven't practiced and want to experiment. A block of basswood 14x4x6 LxWxH is about 50 bucks here. Remember I live north of the border and everything is expensive here and cool stuff like ytong is impossible to find. You guys in USA got it made with prices. Patience is best. Might just bite that bullet and get THA Nucleus. So beautiful.

 

Anyways... cheers.

[Canadant]

They are it all! Wow. That's a lot of shrimp.


Turned on the heat mat for the crematogaster today. They start to empty the pupae from their test tube and run them under their little broken board home. They love the heat. This is a pic. It's hard to see what your looking at but it's the entrance to the test tube on the right side. Board entrance is on the left. The burrowed out some space beneath their little nest.


This group need some outworld adjustment to make a bit more room. I keep them close to the front so I can view them easily but with the new test tubes I have to move some things around. No rush I guess. They're definitely growing.

[Canadant]

Crematogaster cerasi

 

Ugh... new home day. Stresses!

 

So these guys have really grown. They needed a formicarium. Since their outworld (a small aquarium) had a natural house of theirs in a broken board (which they love!!), I needed to drill a hole in the outworld to connect some tubing - Problem Number one. I grabbed a small tupperware dish and taped it to the inside of the outworld. This would protect the ants and outworld from flying debris. I began to drill through the side of the outworld with my dremal and used the grinding/sharpening bits (I think that's what they're for). Ugh... what a drag. I mean it takes a lot of effort to grind through an aquarium. I think it's acrylic. Sadly, there were casualties - about six. They got under the small conatiner and died from curiosity I mean just getting within a centimeter of the commotion killed them. Not sure if it was microscopic debris bits or just sheer violence of the vibrations. Anyways I got a small hole drilled and proceded to jam in some smaller hose. I'm not sure of the hose dimension , but it's the 'other' common size we use. I boiled the tip and jammed it in. Then I fumbled and frigged with the other end and finally got it into their new/old hybrid mini nest. I want a nucleus for these guys but this will be a good medium size for the time being.I filled the water resevoir and slide under the heat mat. The good news is that the queen recently moved into one of two test tubes and they jammed most of their eggs and brood in there. So all I had to do was connect the test tube to the nest. take a look Here are some pics:

 

The test tubes

 

Their outworld is a bit of a clutter and hopefully they move out of their little board house and completely into the formicarium. I have piled stuff to the left side to create room during hte drill. Droped straws as I removed them from test tubes etc. it will all be cleaned up.That way they'll have a bit for room to roam and for me to tidy up a bit. 

 

They're cleaning everything out of the test tubes now and there is a lot of action around the entrance to the formicarium. I have not seen the queen yet. I peaked under the lid for a sec but don't want to disturb them too much after all they commotion today. 

 

Wish them luck and lets' hope they take to their new home. Please excuse the poor pics. I'm limited in space at the moment and hard to get in there. 

 

Cheers,

 

Canadant

Edited by Canadant, March 5 2021 - 11:16 AM.

[Canadant]

Crematogaster cerasi

 

 

This is how it looks now. Test tubes now removed and plugged with cotton. It did not take them too long to move into the formicarium from the tubes (as I suspected) because they just love heat. I was able to clean up the outworld slightly. I still have a bit more to do on the right hand side. It's still a bit cluttered but there is no rush at the moment. I gave them a feed of cooked shrimp last night. They love it. I was watching to see if any was being moved to the formicarium, but most was still going to their little board home... at first, strangely. however, now, I'm seeing chunks going to the new formicarium. There is a ton of brood in there and piles of little eggs. I still cannot locate the queen, however. I would think with my little ant knowledge that she would be near all those little eggs. Perhaps she's buried in there somewhere. Maybe she moved back into the board house. I pulled the cottanball I had jammed in there for moisture. There was a large room filled with ants. You'll see it in the pic on the lower board, left side. I saw them drag some shrimp in there and some were feeding on it. I'm not really sure how to move them out of the board permanently. What say you Formiculture? Any tips. It's not a huge deal but it would be nice to consolidate all ants in the formicarium. I actually like the little nest but... meh, it's time for them to let it go. I think there is still a lot of ants in there. Who knows?

 

The Postives

 

It's so nice opening the lid and looking in on this colony, finally! I've missed out just based on the natural situation. The fact that I painted this AC formicarium white on the inside helps too. I can finally see the ants. Who would design a formicarium with a dark brown finish? Terrible! I placed a few wood chips in there just for some hominess. They are not over the micron mesh but packed above on the floor part of the formicarium. There are a lot of callow ants and brood and as I said lots of eggs. Again, would the queen likely be near the eggs? Who's to say she's still not holed up in the board. 

 

The Negatives

 

Well to create a more appealing envirnment to move them out of their test tubes and into the formicarium I cranked the heat mat under the full formicarium and now there is a bit of condensation. A bit too much for my liking. I backed the heat mat up and under the plastic floor and away from the micron mesh part. Hopefully it makes a difference. The condensation generally stays above the micron mesh area and has not crept to the other half of the nest. Any tips on condensation? I lessened the thickness of one of the cottonballs in hopes that it would create a little more air to get into the nest. 

 

Here's the outworld now:

 

 

Fianlly, can you believe that I'm still seeing ants from the 'great escape' over a year and a half ago?! I saw this little gal about a week or two ago. God bless her. I've even fed them at times. 

 

 

Tetramorium and Formica 

 

I'll be turning on the heat cable in a week to boost these guys. I've noticed some brood in the tetramorium formicarium and Formica Formicarium. The Formica will need a bigger, better outworld. I really want to see these guys cruising around. I have larger aquarium for them. 

 

Cheers,

 

Canadant

 

PS. Do any of you know how to change the title of your journal. I think I need something that better reflects my journey. 

Edited by Canadant, March 6 2021 - 3:26 PM.

[ANTdrew]

You can edit the title by going back to first post and choosing “Use Full Editor.”
If you heat the glass with a heat cable on top, then water won’t condense on it.

[Canadant]

'Confessions'

 

Tetramorium immigrans

This colony is now finished. They were interesting and fun. They grew like crazy and ate anything I threw at them. However, in my life right now space is a premium and I'm growing as an ant keeper. Perhaps the were almost too easy. I'm beginning to prefer a more challenging/interesting/rewarding ant experience. So sadly I report today that these guys were put down in order to make room for my Formica neorufibarbis colony that is growing larger and are likely to expand greatly in the coming season. Since Tetramorium are not in my area - but are in my province/not listed but rumoured to be here - they could not be released. So, as they say in the Mafia, "They're gone, and there ain't nothin' we could do about it." Honestly, the risk of keeping them and risking escape is a low risk but nonetheless a risk. It is what it is. Please don't jump all over me. 

 

Crematogaster cerasi

These gals are growing. This is an ant species I find a more challenging/interesting/rewarding ant experience. They've turned their formicarium into a nursary. There is lots of ants in there and tons of eggs and brood. I still haven't seen the queen in there yet. I have the formicarium in a location that is not too optimal for viewing so hard to get a good angle to see her. She has to be in there somewhere, but maybe she is still in their little wooden home. I still can't entice them to move out of there completely. They're all in there.

Here is a pic: You can see them hangin' out in there on the lower left side. There is a bunch in there at all times. 

 

The cool thing about Crematogaster is that they buld a sort of paste like structure. They use it to seal off/shrink entrances and you can see them in the next pic, that they've construceted two walls... literally. They must have done it too control humidity and airflow, but who knows. Any input from members on this substance/technique is welcome. I can't find anything about it online other that lineolata use it to build structures.

 

Formica neorufibarbis

Formica is my dream ant. They way they move, their aggresiveness, size and colour... the quintessential ant! So, these gals have been quietly growing. They had a small outworld and I rarely saw them in it. I turned on the heat two weeks ago and they began to arrange the puppae next to the heat cable. The queens gaster is small yet the colony grows. It's hard to get pics 'cause when you open the lid to peer in they kinda go a bit crazy. I've noticed that their skittishness is subsiding with the growth of the colony. Worker size has also increased in the past few months and I'm expecting it to grow even larger in the coming months. The Tetramorium outworld was cleaned up and refreshed and I attached these guys late yesterday afternoon. They needed some space to stretch their legs and roam. They were very shy for the first several hours but late last night I noticed them exploring their tube to the outworld. I gave them some hornworm and hoped that would entice them out. Well I came out this morning and was greeted with several ants in the outworld. The most I've ever seen at one time. They were drinking from my byFormica feeders and trying to pry the now dried hornwortm off their feeding dish. I tried to pry some off gently with some tweezers and they attacked! 'Atta Gals! They weren't skittish at all really. Anyways they were thankful and began to drag some pieces back to the nest. They look great! I'm excited for the future. They nest is filthy though. Hopefully they clean it up in the coming months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Canadant, April 4 2021 - 5:07 AM.

[Kaelwizard]

Glad they are doing so well! Don’t worry about people jumping on you about the Tetramorium. They are invasive so I don’t think anyone would recommend anything other than euthanizing them or giving them to someone who you trust can keep them from escaping if you don’t want them anymore.

[ANTdrew]

Tetramorium are fun, but they are rather low on the rewarding scale. That’s really cool about the carton walls your Crematogaster build. Mine don’t do that, but they don’t have any material to chew up, either. Maybe I should give them some in the new outworld expansion I’m setting up? Keep up the good work!

[Canadant]

Formica neorufibarbis

 

Her majesty in all her royal glory! Look at those beautiful legs! Long live the queen. She really does not have a big gaster, yet the colony is definitely growing. Eggs, larvae and puppae all in these shots. They're not nearly as skittish now when I remove the lid. Not the best shots because I tuck the formicariums either away or behind the outworld (space/aesthetic issues) and it makes it hard to get in there and hold the camera steady. Take these shots for what they are! But I'm pleased with what I'm seeing. Finally, some Formica!

 

Puppae

 

The Queen! I think she may need a name!

 

Larvae

 

 

Beautiful Legs

 

 

Crematogaster cerasi

 

These gals growing too. Some pics. Once again hard to get in there. Nice brood and egg piles, but these gals hang off the ceiling and block a good look into the formicarium. Here are some pics with callow ants. One callow was wagging his tail excitedly over the protein pile. Cute. Hope they all decide to move inside someday. I may never get them completely out of their little wooden home.

 

Carton (thanks for dropping the terminology Antdrew) walls.

 

Just masses of them

 

Protein pile/callows

 

Same

 

More masses of ants

 

Cheers,

 

Canadant

Edited by Canadant, April 8 2021 - 1:22 PM.

[Canadant]

Crematogaster cerasi

 

I spy with my little eye...

 

 

I caught a glimpse of her today in the formicarium. Proof that she's in there as I suspected (also, in the spot I felt she was hiding). There is also another new pile of eggs. Still would like them all to move in there, but there really is no way of getting them out of that little wooden home (not without catastrophe, anyways). It's like a satellite nest now. It literally has a road going to it with ants passing back and forth. 

 

Formica neorufibarbis

 

This group is about to explode. I just can't get over the amount of puppae this early in the season. Here are some pics. There is a nice callow ant on the right hand wall. She looks beautiful actually. You'll see eggs and larvae in here too. They've really become far less skittish too, when I open the lid and view. Still not too much action in the outworld, but that will change. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Canadant

Edited by Canadant, April 12 2021 - 10:08 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Awesome!

[Canadant]

Formica neorufibarbis

Moving Day!

This colony quickly outgrew their AC Mini Hybrid nest. I can't believe the amount of brood this queen kicked out this spring. There's still more too. They had grown so that they lined every wall in the formicarium. Brood filled the chambers. I caught a lone escaped worker yesterday and assumed she was sent out to scout new areas to relocate the colony, so I knew it was time to get moving (pun intended).

I wanted to get these guys a new nest. I was looking at the new Por Amor formicariums here in Canada. The grout on the interior would be great as this species love to line the walls. But since time was of the essence and I don't really want to invest in more anting supplies I stuck with my AC Omni nest; A cool-looking, but horribly designed contraption. I thought about my large Hybrid nest 2.0 for Camponotus but these guys like a deeper chamber.

So, unplugged and the stuffed some cotton in the formicarium trapping the ants. Then attached the omni nest, ran a heat cable underneath and placed a perfectly sized box over top (such a poor design choice by AC, but whatever... for another day).

Next... how to move the ants. I thought I'd place the old formicarium in the outworld and open the side entrances and remove the lid. The light should eventually get them to move. (Insert 'Ain't nobody got time for that!' meme here). I just dumped them in. Wow! Always waaaaay more ants than you think.

So, there were a lot of callows. And I found most of the colony and brood were moved in to the new formicarium. The queen is in there, too. But the callows would congregate and bury their heads in piles around debris in the outworld. I guess they were callows I'm still not 100% sure, but they looked less colored than the rest. There were hundreds of them. I mean they'd sit there like zombies in 'I am Legend'. I guess they were quite susceptible with their new exoskeleton's and were just paranoid. Later I noticed that they were ever so slowly being picked up and carried into the new formicarium. There are still a lot to go but they're getting in there. Sadly, I think a few became injured in the dump. Perhaps because they were too soft.

I gave them half the nest for now and will open the rest later (a good design choice). But they're quit a bit of ants. They may need more room sooner. I'll let them get settled first.



A Brood chamber


The Dump


Hard to see but a callow being carried in


I guess I'll leave it there for now.

Cheers,

Canadant

[ANTdrew]

My Crematogaster started building with carton, too, now. I gave them a big new tube to live in and covered it with half a bamboo piece. They chewed up the bamboo and made a carton wall to close off the tube.

[TennesseeAnts]

That colony actually looks more like F. pallidefulva to me.
 

Edited by TennesseeAnts, June 3 2021 - 7:50 AM.

[Canadant]

That colony actually looks more like F. pallidefulva to me.

Interesting. What makes you say that?

Edited by Canadant, June 3 2021 - 7:35 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Based on the apparent lack of a major caste and the overall slenderness of the workers. Can you get some closeup shots of a worker? Or better yet the queen?

[Canadant]

So, over night all ants made it into the new formicarium. I'll give it a week or two and see where I stand with opening new chambers for nest expansion. This species drags everything back into the nest, so it can get messy in there if there's too much room. In there last formicarium they had a small chamber completely stuffed with garbage so I thought I'd check it out and see what's in there. It looked like it would be hard and encrusted in there but it was actually this soft spongy mass. Not too damp either.

Here's a pic:


Just cricket heads, wings and etc. Like a dust.


Amazing to see this guy with a bunch of eggs! The queens gaster is not big and I thought she was done but she keeps going obviousl.

Edited by Canadant, June 3 2021 - 1:56 PM.

[Canadant]

Based on the apparent lack of a major caste and the overall slenderness of the workers. Can you get some closeup shots of a worker? Or better yet the queen?

There are some close ups in this thread of her and I'll post one in a minute. Yes, she does have slender legs. The general consensus in the 'Queen ID' thread was neorufibarbis. I'll take a look in my Ants of New England book as well.

[NickAnter]

I have thought of that too, TenneseeAnts. However, no ants in the pallidefulva group are recorded in Nova Scotia. It does look an awful lot like them, I will admit.