35 replies to this topic

[dermy]

I know like Ant World and all that sort of stuff.

[AntsTexas]

saw this at CVS pharmacy, what's ur take on it?

 

[attachment=553:SSPX0017.jpg]

[drtrmiller]

saw this at CVS pharmacy, what's ur take on it?

 

SSPX0017.jpg

 

It's oil-based or coated in some sort of hydrophobic substance. Exercise extreme caution.

[AntsTexas]

was gonna try it, but not now!!  thanks 4 telling me 

[dermy]

I could see ants just making it their own anyway, best to use natural sand, so it's at least safe.

[dspdrew]

Unfortunately it is really hard to get a quality dirt formicarium. All of the good ones are in europe...

 

Maybe that's something I need to work on.

 

 

 

saw this at CVS pharmacy, whats ur take on it?

 

SSPX0017.jpg

 

It's oil-based or coated in some sort of hydrophobic substance. Exercise extreme caution.

 

 

If that's the stuff I was playing around with once at the Natural History Museum gift shop, I don't see how it would be of any practical use.

[drtrmiller]

I remember seeing it at some gift shop or Sharper Image, and I felt like I was going to get ebola after I touched it, once I realized how long it must have been sitting there and how many thousands of kids' germs must be in it.

[PTAntFan]

I remember seeing it at some gift shop or Sharper Image, and I felt like I was going to get ebola after I touched it, once I realized how long it must have been sitting there and how many thousands of kids' germs must be in it.

LOL

[Miles]

I think that soil/substrate nests can be excellent formicariums! As someone who has spent a lot of time over on the European forums, I can definitely say that they have a place in ant keeping and to say so otherwise would be foolish, in my opinion. Sure, there are flaws with them, but they're valuable education tools. Part of my current elementary school curriculum is based on observation of soil excavation by ants. It's only natural that we ant keepers implement that capability in some of our formicariums.

Edited by Miles, June 7 2015 - 4:38 PM.

[dspdrew]

I am planning to eventually design a really big preformed formicarium that also has soil the ants can excavate, along with a really nice, natural outworld big enough for them to build their entire mound the way they do in the wild. When I do, it'll be either Acromyrmex versicolor, or Myrmecocsytus mexicanus that I'll have in it; they both make really cool mounds. I think that would look awesome sitting in a living room.

[Miles]

Yes, I have Myrmecocystus mexicanus and I collected the pebbles from their mounds for the formicarium I am planning to make for them. For the time being, they have made a small mound out of them. Pretty neat!

[Barristan]

As I already said in another thread most of the time a well moisturized dirt nest will always win. Ants living in soil will prefer it over ytong, plaster of paris, acrylic glass nest etc.

 

But that does not necessarily mean that dirt nests are always better. Ants have been kept in artificial nests for years successfully. One Lasius niger queen was kept in a plaster of paris nest for 29 years.

 

In the end it is just personal preference.

 

That is an example how a natural formicarium can look like: http://eusozial.de/v...opic.php?t=2762

Edited by Barristan, June 8 2015 - 4:11 AM.

[dspdrew]

As I already said in another thread most of the time a well moisturized dirt nest will always win. Ants living in soil will prefer it over ytong, plaster of paris, acrylic glass nest etc.

 

But that does not necessarily mean that dirt nests are always better. Ants have been kept in artificial nests for years successfully. One Lasius niger queen was kept in a plaster of paris nest for 29 years.

 

In the end it is just personal preference.

 

That is an example how a natural formicarium can look like: http://eusozial.de/v...opic.php?t=2762

 

That's a really nice looking out world. Where is the nest, and are the ants viewable in the nest?

[Barristan]

The bullet ants live in the soil and the Pseudomyrmex pallidus live in one of the pieces of dead wood. So he can't view the ants inside their nest.

[GDVP]

I like the idea of giving ants a natrual way to nest and build but the only problem i've got with it is that most of time you won't be able to see what is going on inside of the nest.

[Tspivey16]

I liken the analogy as:

 

Fish aquarium with fake plants, toy divers with bubbles, and neon pebbles

 

or

 

A Fish aquarium with natural growing plants and natural substrate. Also perhaps a mix where the fake is meant to looks as closely to the natural as possible.

 

All a matter of taste. Same debate it seems.