10 replies to this topic

[Lexew1899]

Hello, this is actually my first post on formiculture, although I have lurked here for some time.  I recently found a new queen, and decided I would try and keep a journal on it.  I am not exactly sure what species it is, so if anyone here might be able to ID it, that would be great.  I found it about a week ago in the Dallas, Texas area.

 

Here are a few pictures of the new queen...

 

[Lexew1899]

The formicarium I decided to set up for the queen, who is still in a test tube setup, is from antworldusa.  I decided to go with one of their all in one units, which is found here https://antworldusa....formicarium-kit.  I liked the price of the unit, and the design, which seemed pretty unique.  I emailed a bit back and forth with the owner of the site, and he told me he actually redesigned the unit, and they now come with a false bottom, so you don't really need to add grout to it anymore, a plus for me, one less, messy step.

When it arrived, it was already assembled.  Besides putting on the lid, etc.  Here is what it looked like out of the box.

There is the pull out hydration media bin and test tube water dispenser...

 

 

Here is a tube connector, and a vent cap if you don't want to connect any tubing to it...

Here is the top lid...

And the lid off, with feeder section open as well...

 

 

[smares]

nice set up!

[Lexew1899]

Overall it seemed very well constructed. Since I didn't need to grout the unit to make a ground level, I simply added some non toxic, Elmer's glue to the edges, and any part that seemed like the ants might be able to crawl out of. There was a good amount of silicone on most of the unit already, at least where the nest was, but I didn't see any around the false bottom. Not a big deal, but I simply wanted to ensure no ants somehow crawled into the netherworld of the unit.

I forgot to take a picture of also painting the bottom with a layer of Elmer's glue. I did this just so whenever the unit becomes knocked, the sand doesn't slide wildly all over the place. After paining this thin layer of glue on the false bottom, I then poured sand in, so it would adhere to the surface. With the all in one unit, you are also supplied with a few fake plants, sand, and some stones. As seen here...

I did make some modifications to the plants, which didn't come with bases. I fortunately had some fake plants from toys for my daughter, so I was able to glue them to these, and also added some moss to them, to make them a bit more realistic. I went to the craft store and bought a fake fern bunch for a few dollars, and also made a miniature fern plant.

Edited by Lexew1899, June 16 2018 - 3:11 AM.

[Lexew1899]

I also found a very tiny pine cone from my yard, which I will place against the water dispenser as a miniature ant staircase.  Here is what the unit looks like when fully decorated.  It might be a bit busy with the fern, but since nothing is grouted in, I can easily remove any plants that I need to.  Overall I am very happy with the design.  Hopefully it will be interesting to some of you also.

And sitting on the ant shelf...

Edited by Lexew1899, June 15 2018 - 6:22 PM.

[CoolColJ]

That's a massive nest,  will be a while till you actually use it

 

can each side be blocked off? Might need to do so

 

have you hydrated it yet? Any condensation issues?

Edited by CoolColJ, June 15 2018 - 6:52 PM.

[T.C.]

It looks really nice. I want it.

[Lexew1899]

Yes, there is a little pin, or gate, that separates both sides of the nest chamber, which can be removed when the colony is large enough. You can see it in the first picture, in the front corner.

I haven't tested humidity levels yet.

Before I actually move the colony in, pending if the queen is fertile, though she is carrying for her eggs, which seems to indicate that hopefully she is, they will be in a smaller setup. I'll take some pictures of that when I have time.

[AntsBC]

Queen is Solenopsis sp. I do not know exact ID as i don't live in Dallas or the U.S sorry.

[TennesseeAnts]

Since this queen was found in Texas, I would assume she is Solenopsis invicta.

[Derpy]

Yeah, she is definitely S. invicta.