ANTSTORE World of Ants

[JimmyVe]

I never tried it but it seems i need to. Would be easier than with the bottle.

[Peenmeister]

Am going to start building a tank for a future Polyrhachis Dives colony and am still wondering how I'm going to solve the escape-proofing problem. Might go for the electric fence idea as a second line of defence, along with PTFE. I still also consider a trench with some filter to keep it clean, but have no idea how I'm going to prevent the ants from just walking the wires and tubes. The trench would be 5cm long.

I think I will go for an electric fence somewhere up high along with a trench of water above it, that I construct near the lid, glued to the tank with silicon, and put PFTE on the bottom part of the trench. Gues that will keep them out.

[JimmyVe]

That seems like a good way to keep your ants inside of the nest. If you can work it out make sure to take pictures and post them here.

[delete-14751]

I would like to point out that some ants are attracted to electric currents, you may find them lining up to get shocked!

[Joep]

And wich species are attracted to electric currents?

[tail__]

I think it is only because working electric devices are warm.

[delete-14751]

Fire Ants for one, its something to do with the fact they use electrical signaling! In southern USA they have damaged airports because they are attracted to all the electrics... also the solider cast like to eat some circuits while they are there.

[akell]

I wonder if something like that could work for Pheidole pallidula? Maybe a 9v and a steel mesh, or would that fry the poor things?
I have fair sized Manica rubida colony, and at the moment I am cooling the basins down with a few ice packs and then setting them in a big Rubbermade tub so I can give the basins a good cleaning. It slows the critters down, and the ones that do make it over the wall I suck up with an aspirator. I was told they were not very good climbers, but I suppose the question is, "...compared to what?"
A friend has a big Camponotus ligniperda colony, several hundred of them, (I am envious), he has drilled out large cork stoppers through which he inserted glass tubes and then closed off those tubes with a smaller cork. He has made little nets, from those Babybell cheeses, into which he puts a cotton ball soaked in honey and water. He ties a thread to the net, inserts the net into the tube, holds the end of the thread, makes like a blowgun, and voila, dinner is served. To remove the cotton he just takes the cork from the tube, pulls the thread and out comes the cotton. Same deal with maggots and crickets, sans thread. One of these days he's going to get distracted and wind up with a mouthful of mealworms, maggots, or some other creepy-crawly.