ANTSTORE World of Ants

[SteveUK28]

Hey guys..

righty today i got myself some plaster as im gonna give making a plaster nest, however i have no idea what so ever.. so some advice please. Im guessing i have to first mould the shape of the nest i want and then pour the plaster over it?? Does that mean i would also need to make some kind of case to hold the plaster?? Any help would be very welcome

[damondeionno]

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[SteveUK28]

Thanks Damon, I actually found that video yesterday after i posted the question.. and i have a nest on the window sill drying out now.. Hopefully my first attempt wont be too bad

[damondeionno]

I found that technique worked really well. The only trouble is that my Messors quickly outgrew it. I moved them to a ytong nest which they are busy chewing through (you can hear them if you put your ear close). I linked up the plaster nest that the messor's had been in to double the room for my P. pallidula colony, but that wasn't enough and they started chewing their way out of that. I'm not sure what ants you are keeping, but be aware that some species will happily tunnel through plaster.

I'm now seriously considering the design of all glass nests. Just need to work out how to keep them moist.

[SteveUK28]

lol.. yes i was thinking about my messors at first.. but i think that may be a bad idea.. so i think my Formica gagates mught just be going in there.

[JimmyVe]

They one thing you need to consider with the plaster nests are that they get mould. (I tried it once) Mabye its was a bad setup from me but i don't have that with the ytong setups so.
Put up some pics from your setup if you like mate.

[maxfly]

I warmly dissuade you for using the plaster, you could uses rather a mortar of beton of cement, gets the same result but you avoids the mold.

Composition of beton of cement; is like that ( Sable, Cement white, thiny grit, water)


If u search around the web u find the right quantity for the mix.

[SteveUK28]

lol well its a serious failed attempt anyway.. its like totally stuck inside the tank i poured it into lol.. and it did dissolve some of the plastercine i used to model the chambers.. I think il give plaster a miss all-together.. I much prefer ytong anyways lol

[SteveUK28]

Ok.. So i decided to go back to it and try again.. so this time not to bad.. at least im got tunnels and chambers Only problem is the plastacine i used to make them seems to have melted lol.. Il let it all dry out for a good day now.. and see if i can get it all out... Fingers crossed people

[JimmyVe]

Seems harder than i thought.

[damondeionno]

Steve

When I did it I made up play dough using flour, water and salt. It did stick in the plaster a bit. I had to scrape out some of it with a knife. Basically I had to take off a thin layer of plaster from quite a bit of the chambers. I think your nest looks really good btw. Are you going to sit it in somethin to enable it to soak up water you add?

[SteveUK28]

Still not sure yet damon, still have not decided what ants im putting in there. I made the play dough the same way as you, glad it didnt dissolve this time

[insanebe]

lol well its a serious failed attempt anyway.. its like totally stuck inside the tank i poured it into lol.. and it did dissolve some of the plastercine i used to model the chambers.. I think il give plaster a miss all-together.. I much prefer ytong anyways lol

ha i had that problem i could never work out good way to get the plaster out, i found plaster a bit hap-hazard, i never had a problem with mould or tunnelling though, (ligniperda not good diggers i guess)