ANTSTORE World of Ants

[fernando_regio]

Another newbie question, is it necessary to renew the PTFE with the brush for how many times a month a week a year? if someone understands the question lol. And another one for the most experience guys, waht about the cleaning of the arena, how do they do it and how many times a year? Im thinking in the time of the cold when the ants are hibernating that shoul be a good time for cleaning the arena without disturbing them.

[ANToine]

Oi! Pelo k percebo não é necessário mudar “enquanto se mantiver limpo”! Ou seja enquanto não tiver acumulado pó suficiente… ou detritos das meninas (+ no caso de superfícies horizontais). Penso k seis meses ou + aguenta na boa (o PTFE! os outos mto -) … Isto por aquilo k tenho lido sobre o produto por curiosidade (pessoalmente nunca xperimentei)….mas uma coisa é certa .. não ia dormir sem tapar o bicho… .....
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[JimmyVe]

Antoine that Portuguese is a little difficult for us.

O refresh the PTFE once a year. but it depends on the humidity you keep your ants in, higer humidity more refreshing of the PTFE.

You can clean the arena with a small wet cotton that you hold with a tweezer. (hibernation time is in deed a good option to do that)

[fernando_regio]

Claro amigo Antoine, nem eu, uso os dois a tampinha com o produto, mas a tampinha só sem algumas modificações não resulta tive algumas fora, assim que comecei a utilizar o PTFE foi remedio santo nem se aproximam do topo.
Thanks Jimmy, i used a litle spoon yesterday and got the dirt even more in the sand than out . I will defently use the hibernation period to do cleaning of the arena, in my messor barbarus colony i putted lots of seeds in the arena and it will be quit difficult to retrev all now without disturbing the test tube where they are. Thanks!

[ANToine]

Óptimo.

…já agora p manutenção.. a hibernação p mim é o melhor momento p fazer seja o k for. Apesar das rainhas messor serem mto assustadiças (pelo - as k conheço » structor e barbarus)
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[ANToine]

Sorry ..it was meant to answer fernando_regio I didn’t read the other posts… but nevertheless here goes…

translating :
[ …For what I understand it’s not necessary to change it “while it’s clean”! That is while it hasn’t accumulated enough dust… or debris from the ‘girls’ (worse in horizontal surfaces). I think it’s effective for six or + months (the PTFE! the other kinds r much less)… This is based in what I’ve read by curiosity about the product (personally I've never tried it)….but a thing is certain.. I wouldn’t go to sleep without covering the ‘formicarium’… ]

[JimmyVe]

No problem, nice that you translated it for us.

[fernando_regio]

After a while in the test tube and it was a surprise, by night my ants and queen and all the staff just did the way to the farm and are know instaled and tunneling in the farm. For me this is quit exciting news. I hoped to see the queen making the way to there, but it wasn't possible, im happy all the same for them to just realise the task of the set so well. Lasius niger colony are on their way.

[JimmyVe]

Good news Fernando. if you can place some pictures of your ants in there new home.

[fernando_regio]

Just lost an ant, they are still breacking out, i think this time its not form the arena but from the farm, she fell to the floor and i could not see her, its lost. . Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar

This is the set. But the lid on the farm isnt sor perfect on the corners as that one in the pictures.

[JimmyVe]

Okay nice, As long as they don't escape (any more) it is a good farm.

[fernando_regio]

Yeh its the lid again, i dont now how but they menage to walk through the PTFE and ritch out the top of the lid, i had to put the strips more tighter and i will Put more PTFE a litle more down to make a third barrear.

[JimmyVe]

i always apply PTFE like this: if your biggest ant (in the colony) is 1cm i put a barrier of 3cm PTFE (more like 3.5 - 4).
And you need to be sure to cut away the silicone (if there is silicone) in the corners. PTFE don't work on silicone.

[fernando_regio]

Well its like this for the ones who will have in the future problems with the lid i found a way after some experiences that makes the lid 100% small ants safe of out breacking like the lasius niger, first put the tape like the pictures inside, than put the lid on top off the glass and press it a litle hard so it becomes tighter with the glass, and for finishing with the lid put on and tighter use the same tape outside below the lid end and all around the arena. With the PTFE it becomes three barrears for them and its 100%.

[Azzer]

The tape (glazing tape) was originally a solution from my friend (a glazier) on showing him my farm/telling him the problem with the non-escape proof lid... being a glazier he already had a good solution for making nice air-tight gaps (for fitting patio doors/windows) which were resistant to UV/humidity etc.!;
http://www.antstore.net/viewtopic.php?t ... light=tape

As long as you apply it correctly to the lid, and then push the lid down/put some weight on it for a while (put some heavy books on the edges for 12 hours!) so that the lid/edges of the basin presses it in to the tape a bit, it will shape it to the degree it makes an extremely snug/tight seal.

But, at a push - cling film makes an excellent air-tight seal. Air-tight being the only problem, just have to be sure to open it up for 5 minutes a day or make sure they are getting ventilation from somewhere