ANTSTORE World of Ants

[charles17]

ive experimented for a while with different soil types, and i would like to get my hands on some ytong, but that's proven very difficult here in the US... backwards energy industries... anyways...

so ive tried to look for a substitute for ytong, because i dont want to have a sand/loam nest, as i'd like some control over what the tunnels and rooms look like haha... and afraid the tunnels will collapse or get infected with some sort of fungi or something...

so, my latest idea is foam- that idea was shot down by my ant-loving friend from slovenia... saying that foam doesn't hold moisture, so unless i moisten the colony every day, the ants will dry out and die quickly...

so i thought, what about aerated foam? similar to ytong, except much more fragile... should hold moisture and be sturdy within the antfarm (i have an antstore deluxe size one)


so my question is- does anyone have any experience using any type of foam in their antfarm? tips? advice???

[Fabian]

Mh, i never heard about using foam for a formicarium and i think it wont be a good idea .. i dont know from what chemicals it is made and if they are dangerous for the ants, on the other hand its not very sturdy, a little vibration will make the whole nest move i think.
Another possibility for making a nest is gypsum, are you able to buy it somewhere?
And by the way, why dont you use yur antfarm? I used one by my self and ist was very interesting to watch them dig their tunnels e.g.! As long as you dont shake your farm like a cocktail, the tunnels wont collapse, sure, you cant control how and where they dig but is it that important?

Back to ytong, i cant imagine that it is that difficult to get it, even over there But i never were in the USA, here you get it in every building market (is it the rights word?^^) for about 60 EuroCent (about 50 US Cent).

Oh wait, do you want to put the foam into the farm? mh - do you think that works? I dont think so! you will get Problems with getting into the farm in a way that there are no gabs and i think its a problem to keep it in the form you like (because its elastic^).

Got to go to school! bye!

[charles17]

well styrofoam is used in cups and stuff, so im pretty sure its nontoxic... dunno about porous styrofoam though... i think its used for plants, but ill ask to make sure its nontoxic...

and after much debating im pretty sure i want to have their tunnels be a certain pattern... call it aesthetic preference haha...

and trust me, ytong is very hard to come buy. construction supply stores around here have never heard of such a material... ive become more aware that there are idiots in this country that try to keep industries as energy-inefficient as possible , so an awesome insulating material like ytong was never allowed to take root... after much research i discovered that there are some places that sell ytong, but theyre either across the country or halfway across the country...

so ya... any experience with foam anyone?

[Sced]

Prehaps you should try a plaster nest, they have similar properties of ytong and it is easy to mould chambers to your satisfaction.

tehre is a tutorial on this site

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[JimmyVe]

Hi Charles17,
i don't have experience with Foam, so i can't help you with that. Most of my nest are made of Y-tong.
Can't you order it from the stores 'across' your country, are maybe that is to expensive.

Hope you find someone who can help you are even better, someone with y-tong in your country

Greets

[NuEM]

I've posted this in some other thread before. Ytong® is a brand name that might not be well known, everywhere, and especially not in the United States. Asking for Autoclaved Aerated concrete (AAC) or Autoclave Cellular Concrete (ACC) might be more successful. I hope you eventually get what you want.

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[charles17]

thats actually what i researched... i know ytong is a german company, so i looked up the material here, and like i said, it's only available from very far away. but thanks though...

[NuEM]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Apparently globalization hasn't gone as far as some people think. Still wish you good luck.