264 replies to this topic

[antsriondel]

So did you carve that design or cast it?

I think he cast it.

[PaigeX]

So did you carve that design or cast it?

Yea like above, I think he cast the main design then dug out the connection between each chamber.

[UtahAnts]

 

So did you carve that design or cast it?

Yea like above, I think he cast the main design then dug out the connection between each chamber.

 

Yeah exactly, The bubbles rose to the surface of the mold (the back of the nest in this case), so I think I'll stick to carving in the future in order to have noticable ytong texture in the chambers.

[UtahAnts]

Another nest I made recently for a customer who wanted a mini hearth style nest.

 

I'm running low on image file space on my account, so I'm only going to be able to post a picture or two of future nests unless I delete my other images first.

 

[antsriondel]

Another nest I made recently for a customer who wanted a mini hearth style nest.

 

I'm running low on image file space on my account, so I'm only going to be able to post a picture or two of future nests unless I delete my other images first.

 

IMG-4274.jpg

that's insane!! so awesome!!!!

[UtahAnts]

My newest vertical nest, it's double-sided, 3 levels. You'll also notice I used slightly coarser sand grains then I usually do. The customer wanted to start a Laius queen in the nest, and seeing there was way too much space for a starting colony, let alone a queen, I created a partially closed chamber (in one of the top right chambers) with its own water tower and entrance to the outworld. I'm planning on making a temporary wall of sand-plaster over the chamber entrance, so once workers arrive, they should easily be able to chew through to access the rest of the nest and the outworld.

 

 

 

 

 

Size comparison between some different nest types.

 

I have some interesting personal projects coming along, I can't wait to share them with you guys!

[UtahAnts]

So here's some of the personal projects I was talking about. The nests are designed for Myrmecocystus, although other species such as Camponotus and Pogonomymex would be interesting as well. I used these cheap cloche domes I picked up from a Dollar Tree in Oregon. The dollar store seriously makes ant keeping so affordable. To cast the nest I used repeating layers of sand and perfect cast (orderly layers in the first nest, random chaotic levels in the second). Removing the sand was a challenge, as the perfect cast expanded and basically locked the dome in place. I had to use the small entrance hole in the bottom of the base to wash and remove all the sand. What's left is a ship in a bottle type aesthetic, although an interesting concept, the inability to remove the dome from the nest limits the long term effectiveness of the formicarium. I plan on still using perfect cast in the future for these nest types, but without any contact points with the dome. That way the dome and repletes can be easily removed without breaking the dome or leaving the repletes to die when the colony moves out of the nest. The noticeable stress-cracks in the domes are also another reaon to be careful when using an expanding cement material like Hobby Lobby perfect cast.

 

I'm still coming up with more possible designs for cloche dome nests. I really like the 360 degree view of these, and the large, hollow base allows the interior tubing and water tower to be hidden without taking up space in the dome itself. I think the possibilities of this nest type are nearly endless, you could use these domes for anything from leafcutters to honeypots.

 

 

 

 

[ANTdrew]

Genius!

[ANTdrew]

These remind me of Tschinkel’s nest casts!

[UtahAnts]

These remind me of Tschinkel’s nest casts!

 

They do look like his stuff. A couple years ago I remember seeing a cylindrical formicarium similar to the second dome nest above. It had seemingly random, sandy platforms. I can't find the image again, but perhaps that nest was one of his creations as well.

 

*Edit: Found the formicarium, doesn't seem to be Tschinkel's.

 

Edited by UtahAnts, February 21 2022 - 9:56 AM.

[UtahAnts]

For this custom build I used the same type of fine grain beach sand I used with my first multilevel nest. This was for a customer's large formica colony, although any large species would have done fine in this nest. With its 4 double-sided levels, this is the largest formicarium I've built so far. 

 

 

 

 

[T.C.]

These all look pretty good. I've experimented with wooden formicarium's for a long time. Several years now actually. Long term direct hydration to the wood will result in a dead colony from mold. Usually takes a few months though. Ants in the wild can do so because they are nesting in trees that are still alive that have natural hydration. 

[UtahAnts]

These all look pretty good. I've experimented with wooden formicarium's for a long time. Several years now actually. Long term direct hydration to the wood will result in a dead colony from mold. Usually takes a few months though. Ants in the wild can do so because they are nesting in trees that are still alive that have natural hydration. 

 

I try not to have any areas where water makes direct contact with the wood in the formicariums, and I have never had any mold at all, but I'm sure a moldy wooden nest would quickly kill a colony.  All the tubes in my previous images are closed off with a plastic stopper on one end, preventing the water from leaking out the other end filled with cotton. Do you have any images of your wood formicariums? Any favorite tools you use?

[antgallery]

 

These all look pretty good. I've experimented with wooden formicarium's for a long time. Several years now actually. Long term direct hydration to the wood will result in a dead colony from mold. Usually takes a few months though. Ants in the wild can do so because they are nesting in trees that are still alive that have natural hydration. 

 

I try not to have any areas where water makes direct contact with the wood in the formicariums, and I have never had any mold at all, but I'm sure a moldy wooden nest would quickly kill a colony.  All the tubes in my previous images are closed off with a plastic stopper on one end, preventing the water from leaking out the other end filled with cotton. Do you have any images of your wood formicariums? Any favorite tools you use?

I just put liquid feeder's with water in them in my Outworlds for wooden nests. Also I use a wood router and a Dremel for carving my nest's

 

Your Formicarium's are beautiful by the way 

Edited by antgallery, April 11 2022 - 8:26 PM.

[T.C.]

 

These all look pretty good. I've experimented with wooden formicarium's for a long time. Several years now actually. Long term direct hydration to the wood will result in a dead colony from mold. Usually takes a few months though. Ants in the wild can do so because they are nesting in trees that are still alive that have natural hydration. 

 

 Do you have any images of your wood formicariums? Any favorite tools you use?

 

Depends on what your going for. I've used boards, logs, and experimented with some other stuff. Years ago I built this log formicarium. That was the first one, I did. Since I have perfected them a little more. In due time I'll share some pictures.

[United-Ants]

For this custom build I used the same type of fine grain beach sand I used with my first multilevel nest. This was for a customer's large formica colony, although any large species would have done fine in this nest. With its 4 double-sided levels, this is the largest formicarium I've built so far. 

 

cool nests  i might try to make some ant nest soon with some contares and test tubes some contares  and dirt when the snow melts 

[Canadant]

Those some great looking, well thought out nests. They're so clean looking. Beautiful.