3 replies to this topic

[Yuki]

Is there any method you guys know of to control mold in formicariums? I'm having serious black mold issues in almost all of my test tube colonies, and I'm not entirely sure why. It's getting annoying for me, honestly, and I'm sneezing way too much to say the least.

On that note, I have melafix and pimafix that I use for aquariums. Would a dilute solution of either of these (tea tree oil and west indian bay tree oil dilutions) help more than hurt? Has anyone tried these oils?

[MegaMyrmex]

I can only say that the way I deal with the mold is two ways- if it's a small amount I just wait, but if it's medium or bigger, I quickly try to change the test tube setup. Some pics could help, but generally if its grayish that kind of mold is quite common in test tubes. If you want to reduce almost all chances of mold, you could try gettimg some THA founding formicariums. Pricey but definitely worth it. As for the oils, if you're not sure about it, I would highly recommend avoiding it. If this is your first time antkeeping or if you have only a small amount of queens or colonies, I wouldn't do it. As for your possible allergies, I prefer to wear those surgical masks or the surgical masks that you can wash and reuse. Helps me a ton when I deal with mold outbreaks in my Plaster if Paris formicariums. Good luck!

[Serafine]

My Lasius niger had some mold developing on their cotton (started to turn grey, mainly because they decided to stick garbage to the cotton) and very successfully used sand to suppress it.

My other ants (Camponotus barabricus, Solenopsis fugax) never had any mold. It is important to clean your hands before making a test tub setip, often the foundation for any mold plague is brought in by the antkeepers themselves.

Edited by Serafine, November 22 2017 - 2:25 AM.

[drtrmiller]

If you want to reduce almost all chances of mold, you could try gettimg some THA founding formicariums. Pricey but definitely worth it. 

 

Any organic material will be susceptible to mold in high humidity environments.  Also, aren't ytong and the stone material used in those formicaries somewhat absorbent?  Porosity would aid in absorption of organic liquids and particulates, which is why you can find a number of users asking how to remove mold from their THA formicaries here in this forum.

Mold is just something antkeepers must learn to accept as a likely occurrence in any functional formicarium, and it is not generally harmful to ants except in very limited circumstances.