Hey everyone! I'm a long time lurker on the forum, first time poster. I also have caught my first queens a few weeks ago, I'm in northern Illinois.
I'm making a (VERY) tiny pumice nest, smaller than half the palm of your hand. It's the smallest little nest I've ever seen. I really enjoy building things, so making this has been fun. I even made it multi-leveled (but both chambers on the same side of the stone) and with 2 different size chambers, so the queen can pick which one she likes. It also has a small water reservoir about the size of your pinky nail which creates a moisture gradient, a port on the side that fits vinyl tubing leading to the deepest chamber, and a grove on the bottom of the stone so you can rest it on a heating cable while still sitting flat. Then I sealed everything up with non-toxic silicone and used the hard plastic casing from its own packaging (thus, very form-fitting) as a see-through lid. It was a lot to design in something that is less than an inch wide and an inch tall and cost $3. But, I have a question about the sponges used in formicariums.
What kind of sponges do you use? Dish sponges? Are there aquarium sponges? What kind of non-toxic sponges are out there? I assume you don't just use a dish sponge... or do you?
And yes, I know about test tubes. Many of my queens are in simple test tube setups, but this is WAY more fun!
Edited by tinman, October 1 2017 - 11:09 PM.
