26 replies to this topic

[AntsTopia]

I'll try to say this in the nicest way possible, but prepare for some pretty harsh criticism.
Leafcutter ant formicaria are NOT meant to be complex. In fact, of any kind of formicarium, they are by far the easiest to DIY. An acrylic container with a layer of plaster in the bottom is all you need; anything more complex will likely cost more and work half as well. Looking at the 3d printed skeleton of this nest, I am very confident that this nest will not work nearly as well as a standard leafcutter ant formicarium, and in my opinion, has no reason to exist. Innovation is great, but in my opinion leafcutter ant formicaria are a "solved" problem, and for the sake of the ants, sticking to the basics is the best thing to do.
Feel free to prove me wrong by turning this design into something great, but until that happens, I'm pretty confident that what I've just said will hold true.

This is NOT Discord.4. No posting any spam messages, including posting of messages that add little to no value to the topic of conversation.

I don't mean to revive this user's post however I just realized this was actually Andrew's post in Antsamerica's leaf cutter journal. 86793o5 actually was saying very rude things in that journal and Antdrew corrected him with message. 86793o5 then proceeded to copy paste that and put it in this thread responding to Cheeto. I also would like to add this user really doesn't make a contribution to formiculture and is constantly trying to be negative. I'm sorry if this offended anyone but I just wanted to put it out there.

Edited by AntsTopia, September 13 2023 - 11:47 AM.

[FinWins]

I'd highly advise being careful that the nest has issues. It's 3D printed and my guess is it's printed in PLA. Some PLA are prone to warping, loss of strength, and other things when exposed for prolonged periods with water.

 

Agreed, 3D print has known chemicals that come out when constantly in water. This may or may not kill the ants and their fungus.

It's actually made out of PETG so the same plastic as most water bottles

[NicholasP]

Ah ok. Also, is this hydrostone based plaster? If so, you may want to slightly adjust the walls or CAD files to account for expansion of the hydrostone.

[FinWins]

Ah ok. Also, is this hydrostone based plaster? If so, you may want to slightly adjust the walls or CAD files to account for expansion of the hydrostone.

it's gypsum

[auntcindy]

Any updates on this design? Have you tested it with Acromyrmex yet?

[FinWins]

Any updates on this design? Have you tested it with Acromyrmex yet?

I've been really busy with other projects so I have yet to finish it sadly.

[FormiCanada]

Heating the nest may or may not pose issues, but my biggest concern is that Atta / Acromyrmex are VERY strong chewers. I have seen cases of them chrewing through all kinds of stuff, most recently chewing through and obliterating the inside of a walnut in the span of 12 hours. Although conceptually amazing in design & super creative and beautiful, it may simply not be a match for the ants.