ANTSTORE World of Ants

[methuselah]

Hello all ant-keepers

I am interested to keep ant harvesters like Messor barbarus. I notice that there are lots of different formicariums: antfarm, glass farm basin, apartment etc. I am not sure which type of settings or even combinations are suitable for this type of ants.

In addition to some accessories, I am thinking of getting 60x3x30 cm glass farm as the ant nest and connect to glass farm basin where the food will be located. In the glass farm I will put sand/loam mixture with some clay chips at the bottom. The moisture in the sand/loam mixture will be regulated by adding water through a plastic tubing inserted into clay chips area. In the basin will basically keep dry where seeds and other foods will be placed.

Do you think Messor barbarus (or any harvester ants for that matter) prefer to built their nest in glass farm settings or in a basin setting?

Really appreciate for any useful advice and feedback. Thank you.

[donbilbo]

They sure like to dig. But the easiest approach would be a gypsum or ytong nest. Those are commonly used, if you make them big enough you can also have a dry part.

You allways have to think about colony size in the beginning. A colony with 2000 ants would easily just build a storage space for their seeds in the middle of a basin but if you have to buy a small colony 10 ants they will be really shy. So they wont use one farm for their brood and another basin for dry seeds, they will just sit in one or two small cavities..

[SteveUK28]

i agree with donbilbo, ytong is definatly the best way to go. I currently have mine in just a test tube as they are still a small colony and will give them a second when they outgrow this one.. then after i shall introduce them into a ytong in a basic tank setup.

[JimmyVe]

Mine are kept in a Ytong, they like it. But if you would go for a ytong farm remember that these ants can dig throug ytong so you need to make sure the ytong is in a glass frame or setup.

[methuselah]

Hello,

I seems to gather that nest for harvester ants require a moist part and dry part and most people use Ytong nests. However, I am interest in a natural setting such as soil/loam in ant farms where also I can see the nesting. I wonder if anyone have use other type of building material (apart from Ytong)?

I am wondering, if the following setting is practical/suitable for this type of ants (see attached image)?

Thanks for the feed back.

[SteveUK28]

I think that is a very good idea methuselah. I think a lot of people generaly use ytong as the setup as it is much cheaper then the natural way your looking at. Also your setup is gonna need expanding a long time before a ytong one would.

I do like your idea tho a lot, however i think i would the moist and the dry part connected to a foraging area.. Have to say cant wait to see pics of he finished thing.. Just remember most messors like it hotter than normal European ants.

[JimmyVe]

I have a sand nest to (for my Pheidole pallidula). They like to dig through ytong so. It works just fine. There are even pictures from it in my diarry. (Need to update that one )

[methuselah]

There is however yet another question. As I shown the picture above for the seed chamber. How dry do you think it should be? Fresh from oven bake and completely dry or just slightly moist? In ytong nests, do the ants keep their seeds in completely dry environment?

Once I have set up the formicarium I will send some photos.

Many thanks for any more feedback and advice.

[Cordovan]

Hi methuselah,

suggest you will have to moist it at least once, in order to bind the dusty sand/loam-mixture to one (more or less) solid block. Not sure, whether the ants are able to moist it enough themselves so that it won't collapse as they dig chambers and corridors...

Another idea for the setup: How about connecting the basin via "tube fitting T" (example) between the ant farms?
As young colonies don't need much space, it might happen that the ants use the first farm only for the complete nest (brood & seed chambers) in the beginning...

[methuselah]

That is a good idea, Cordovan, I like the idea of T-connection between the glass farms as I intend to insert a tube through one of the outlet for the humid glass farm where I can put water without opening the lid.

[Zagone]

Some Messors don't even need any moisture at all. I've tried moistening a part of the nest for my Messor minor hespirius, but they don't move their brood based to the mosit area if thye're at a dry area.

I have a theory that the fact that their pupae don't make cocoons has to do with moisture, or lack there off. But I don't really have anything to base that off, just speculations. ;3

[damondeionno]

"I have a theory that the fact that their pupae don't make cocoons has to do with moisture, or lack there off. But I don't really have anything to base that off, just speculations. ;3"

It's a nice theory, but the truth is that all myrmicine ants have naked pupae - and different myrmicine ants live in the full range of environments - moist and dry.

[Zagone]

That doens't answer why though. :[ I''ll save that for another thread though. /derail

[damondeionno]

Zagone

You are right, it doesn't answer why.

This is old but interesting:

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[Zagone]

Wow, that's great! Thank you! :O