)This is the starts of a work in progress "guide" for setting up/maintaining a YTong nest. Please do not use this guide as fact yet - this is here with the intention of other experienced members of these forums to comment on - to add to it, to correct any erroneous data etc. The ultimate aim is to create a relatively detailed "how to" on YTong nests (and covering some basics of colony keeping in general too - eg tips that might apply to any colonies, not just YTong), perhaps to be stickied here later.
I would appreciate any constructive criticism here - things that I have missed out, things I have got wrong, any additional info you can provide, comments on the setup/nature of the guide (eg the steps/order of the steps, how I have segmented the guide etc.).
WORK IN PROGRESS! FIRST DRAFT GUIDE STARTS BELOW:
* 1: Types Of Nest
There are many different materials and methods you can use to keep an ant colony, and the type can depend on many factors - money, species of ant, whether you want to view your ants in their nest or allow them to tunnel. Common setup types would be;
* A single large 'basin', with a good depth of suitable ground/material (dependant on species type) kept moist. The ants would nest and feed here. You would be unable to see their tunnels/nests except any tunnels they happen to build up against the sides.
* A single 'basin' as an exploration/feeding area (if there is ground material, such as sand, inside then it must be kept dry so they do not nest in the basin), connected to a separate nest/living area which is kept moist. This may be the 'display' type which is tall but narrow, making it more likely that you will see all of their constructions, but they sometimes 'block' the sides out and tunnel right in the centre for privacy/darkness.
* A "pre-built" living area nest (constructed from materials such as beton, plaster, YTong etc.), connected to a basin. Usually you would make all of the tunnels and chambers at 'surface level', and then seal with glass or perspex, so that you may always look inside their nest area. This guide will cover this type of colony, using YTong as the living area material.
* 2: What is YTong?
YTong is a type, or brand, of "aerated concrete", which is used in real world construction as a building material, usually for partition walls. Is it essentially a softer than normal concrete block which is full of millions of very small air bubbles/pockets. YTong is the common name for this in most of Europe. In the UK it may be referred to as a "Celcon Block" (Celcon is a well known manufacturer of aerated concrete in the UK). Other parts of the world may have other common names referring to a specific manufacturer, but "aerated concrete" is the general term.
YTong blocks can be bought extremely cheaply, and can be found in most major DIY suppliers, and many builders merchants or suppliers of building/construction material (some of these companies will only sell as trade or in bulk. In the UK, the B&Q website sells Celcon aerated concrete blocks online, and some of their larger stores will have it in stock, though the smaller stores do not hold them in stock). The AntStore website sells a few different sizes;
20*20*5 & glass sheet - €3.49
20*20*10 & glass sheet - €4,29
20*10, 30*20 and 60*20, *5cm thickness, no glass - €0.60, €1.20, €3.00.
20*10, 30*20 and 60*20, *10cm thickness, no glass - €0.80, €1.60, €4.00.
YTong is incredibly easy to carve/shape (it is so soft you can push your fingernail in to it a little), but is still too hard for ants to cut in to.
YTong is also very porous, and will soak water up very efficiently without flooding.
* 3: What do I need?
To build a successful YTong nest, you will need;
* A YTong block of a suitable size (size dependant on ant species, colony size, and personal preference!).
* Glass or acrylic/perspex plates to seal on top of the YTong block after carving.
* A basin for the feeding/open exploration area for the ants.
* Plastic tubing for connecting the basin to the YTong nest.
* Silicone sealer (and a 'silicone gun') to seal & secure the glass/acrylic to the YTong, and seal & secure the tube connecting to the basin.
* Tools for carving in to the YTong block. You can use almost anything for this - a small wood chisel would be fine. Ideally, a small powertool designed for such "craftwork" such as a Dremel (available in almost any DIY shop, and probably can be found not too expensively on ebay!).
* A small tub (like an ice-cream tub) for maintaining moisture in the YTong.
* Some ground/substrate for the basin (such as sand), plus any optional 'decorations'.
* A suitable, 'ant proof' lid for the basin, or PTFE (the ideal "breakout" substance).
* ... other stuff I can't think of right now as it's nearing 2 AM ...
* An ant colony!
* 4: Carving the YTong
Preparation
Firstly go outside, or in to your shed if you have your own workspace. Carving in to aerated concrete makes a lot of mess - everything nearby will likely end up coated in fine white powder.
Using a Dremel
If you are using a Dremel, you can use almost any Dremel bit - a carving, routing or cutting tool would be good (it does not have to be a special one for carving stone - YTong is incredibly soft, any bit will dig in to it). I personally used Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar, labelled as a "High Speed Cutter", which worked perfectly and is of a near perfect size.
The chambers & tunnels
You can either try to mark out in soft pencil the tunnels/chambers, or just "freestyle" it and make it up as you go along (as I did). Just bear in mind that you do not want to go too close to the edges of the YTong (as it may wear/chip away), that you do not want hugely long tunnels or huge chambers (depending on species of course - large species you may require larger chambers), and that you should have a chamber very close and easy to access from where the exit/entrance to the basin will be (for them to drag food into).
If you are using a large YTong block to start with, remember that until an ant colony gets large (many hundreds of workers), they will not require much space at all - if they have many chambers and tunnels and not many workers, they will be unable to keep their nest completely clean. Ideally, you should design the YTong nest in such a way that you can expand it easily later on (two possible techniques for doing this are below).
You will want to ensure you carve deep enough in to the YTong that the ants (including the queen) have enough room to move around in/drag food in, but not too much open space that they do not feel safe. For more common smaller species (Lasius Niger, Myrmica Rubra etc.), a depth of 10mm to 15mm (1.0 to 1.5cm) is fine. Here are two different images of possible tunnel/chamber layouts;
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=2940
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=2900
Connecting to a Basin
For the basin connection, try to carve a hole in to the side of the YTong around 2 CM down - drill straight in to the side (a hole just big enough for the tube you will be using to connect to the basin) around 2 to 3 CM in length, and then from the topside (where you are carving the tunnels/chambers), drill down at an angle in the direction of the connecting hole, so that it creates a slope down to the hole.
Image of a tube/YTong connection complete;
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=2903
Note: Alternatively, you may construct the nest such that the basin sits directly on top of the YTong, with a hole at the bottom of the basin leading into the YTong. This setup type will usually take up less space, and will be easier to move around should you need to move it once established.
Image of this alternative setup type;
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=2937
Moisture Mechanism
There are two methods in which you may give moisture to the nest. One is the "table leg" approach - this involves carving the underside of the YTong block in such a way that you leave a "leg" of the YTong (like a table leg or chair leg), in a shape that allows this leg to stand in a tub (like an ice-cream tub). You keep this tub full of water, and the water will soak up in to the YTong nest in the surrounding area (the entire nest does not remain moist, just a relatively large area around and above the leg - allowing the ants to have both dry and moist areas to nest in as they choose).
An image of one such setup is here;
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=2899
The second method is to carve a trough in to the top of the block, and to keep this filled with water, which will soak down in to the YTong block, ensuring that this trough does not connect with the tunnels/chambers of the nest. The downside of this technique is it may be more difficult to suitably seal the top of the nest with glass/perspex afterwards, as obviously you will be unable to cover this trough (else you would be unable to pour water into it/top it up).
[image required for this setup type]
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=5303
* 5: Making a YTong nest "expandable"
A common difficulty/worry with YTong, is how to make it "expandable". The reason for making it expandable is you should not start off with a huge living/nest area for a new or small colony - you should start off with just two or three chambers and a couple of tunnels, and then only expand much further down the line when there are hundreds of workers and they are already filling all of their nest space. But how do you expand a YTong nest without completely disturbing the ants?
There are two methods for doing this. One is to carve multiple "pipe connections" in to the edges of the YTong (constructed in the same way as the tube to connect to the basin) - these only need to be a few inches long, and basically come out of the YTong and back in again, acting as tunnels between different sections of the YTong. Keep these pipes sealed up until the ants are ready to expand, and you can simply remove the seal and secure the pipe with seal when they are ready.
The second (and possibly preferable) method, is to not seal glass on the entire YTong at first. Instead, you leave most of the YTong "uncovered" (no glass on top), but ensure that the only way of the ants getting to this area is sealed, such as with firmly packed cotton wool). When you are ready to expand, you simply remove this seal and (quite quickly) seal a new piece of glass down on to the area they are expanding in to. Here is an image of JimmeVE's colony "pre-expansion" - you can see the cotton wool blocking the way to the expansion area highlighted with a red circle;
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=2938
* 6: Give It A Wash
When you have finished carving everything out, you should give the YTong a thorough wash all over, washing all of the white powder (created from all of your carving) off from all sides and from inside the nest. Allow the YTong block to dry out again for a few hours (place it on some paper towels to speed this up, or out in the sun). You do not want any white powder on the YTong, as this will interfere with any silicone sealant, and the ants will be incredibly unhappy with it (they will get covered in it).
* 7: Sealing with Silicone
Silicone is extremely easy to use, especially if you have an appropriate silicone "gun" to use (such as Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar).
First, you should seal & secure the tube that will lead to the basin in to the YTong. To do this, first put a small amount of silicone around the outside of the tube (not too close to the opening), and insert the tube in to the hole you have carved (insert it the full 2 to 3 CM length you carved). Ensure that the slope leading down still has plenty of room for ants to enter the tube. Next put some silicone seal on the "inside" of the nest all around the edges of the tube, so that there are no gaps where an ant could walk down the outside of the tube in the hole (and thus escape!). You can use your finger (or a small tool/piece of wood/pencil etc.) to push the silicone in to the gaps and shape it a little while it is still wet. Apply silicone on the outside edge of the YTong all around the plastic tubing (and ensuring you fill any gaps between the tube and the YTong you see). Apply fairly liberally. Ensure the tube is kept in place while the seal dries. You should give this a few hours to dry/harden before continuing, as the next step will involve sealing the insides, which may slow down how long the seal on the inside of the YTong takes to dry around the tube.
Next, you should (carefully) position your glass/perspex down on top of the YTong, and make any changes necessary (eg if the glass/perspex needs to be cut anywhere, use a glass cutting tool to do this carefully). once you are happy, lift the glass up, and apply a single, constant line of silicone around all of the edges of the YTong block until you have completed a full "circle". If you wish, you could place a few extra 'blobs' of silicone in any larger surface areas of YTong where there are no tunnels/chambers. Do not put the silicone too close to any edges, as when you place the glass on top and push it down, the silicone will of course spread out. When you have all edges siliconed, carefully position the glass, and place it on top of the YTong block. Push down firmly everywhere, and ensure that the silicone is "squeezed out" a bit in every location, which will indicate an air-tight seal has been made all the way round. If you are needing multiple plates of glass to cover the entire YTong block, apply a thin layer of silicone to both edges of the glass that will be touching, and push them together firmly (slide one glass plate in to the other a little after placing it down), to ensure there is a firm and airtight seal between both plates of glass (with no gaps).
You should leave this for at least 8 hours to dry before doing anything else with this (and certainly before thinking about letting your ants inside!). Glaziers would recommend allowing 24 hours for silicone sealant to harden properly, so I would advise this too.
* 8: Making the basin escape proof with PTFE
If you are not using a (secure & ant-proof) lid on the basin (which many of us do not), then you should be using PTFE. PTFE is a form of liquid Teflon - you buy it in a liquid form, and use a brush to apply a relatively thin coating around the inside-top of all edges of the basin - it will dry out within an hour or so, leaving a surface which ants cannot get any purchase on, preventing them from climbing up. You can buy small tubs (which have a brush for applying it built in to the lid) on the AntStore website here;
http://www.antstore.net/shop/product_info.php/info/p397_Fluid-PTFE-GP1-10ml.html
You should only need 1 of these to last quite some time (eg to apply around a basin and for a couple of future reapplications - people recommend re-applying it once a year).
First, you should note - PTFE does not work on silicone, it will only really work on smooth surfaces. Most glass basins, aquariums etc. have had their sides stuck & sealed together with silicone, and this silicone will "bulge out" a little on all 4 corners. You should get a stanley knife or razor blade, and very carefully trim the silicone away down to a depth of around 2 inches (5cm), from the inside of your basin on all 4 edges. You are trying to remove as much silicone as you possibly can, so that it is purely glass-to-glass in all corners. Give it a quick wash and dry afterwards to remove all of the tiny pieces of silicone that will be left 'clinging' to the sides after carving it away.
Give the PTFE bottle a shake before starting.
Put the basin down on one side (so it is flat, which will prevent the PTFE from dripping when wet), and apply a fairly thin coating of PTFE all along the inside-top of the basin - start about 1CM down, and apply a band all the way along down to a depth of about 1.5 inches (4cm or so). Ensure you apply it all the way to both edges/corners. Allow this to dry (it will take around 30 minutes), and you should be left with a white coating (that feels very very smooth to the touch). Now turn the basin on to the next side, and repeat, until you have coated the top-inside of all 4 sides of your basin. Double check the corners, as the PTFE may have "pooled" a little in the gaps between the glass (created from the razor blade cutting earlier) rather than coating the glass correctly close to the corners. Re-apply any PTFE as necessary until you are confident there is a white coating of it all the way around. An image of a (slightly messy, but fully functional) PTFE coating is here - you can see the PTFE is applied right in to the far corner visible;
http://www.antstore.net/download/file.php?id=2901
* 9: Setting the basin up
Now you can attach the tube that is siliconed in to the YTong to the basin - thread it through the hole of the basin (if you purchased a basin with pre-drilled holes, and got tubing of that exact diameter, it should be an incredibly tight fit and will not need you to silicone in). Pull enough slack of tubing in to the basin such that the tube will rest on the basin floor, with minimal risk of it wobbling around.
You can now decorate the basin as you wish - some "permanent landmarks" are good, as many ant species also use landmarks to help navigate. The species of ant will likely affect how you set this basin up. A common setup would be a layer of sand (say an inch or two depth - 4 or 5cm depth is fine), a couple of flattish stones/pieces of terracotta pot (ensure these are clean - a quick blast in a microwave, or placed in an oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes to kill anything off inside them - but do be careful with them and let them cool after doing this, and remember placing stones inside a microwave can be dangerous! The oven is a safer bet), and for aesthetics (and landmark purposes) a few (very small) plastic plants would not go amiss! There should also be a small dish for food, and a suitable feeder for the honey/sugar water (a small bird feeder is extremely good for this to place in the basin).
* 10: Moving the ants in!
You can now place the test-tube with your ants inside the basin, and remove the seal/cap from it. Do not cover the test-tube up - let light go inside. You should cover the YTong nest (at least temporarily), so that the YTong nest offers a dark, moist area compared to the open & exposed test-tube. Leave the test-tube in for as long as it takes - the ants will move when they are ready. Also remember that different species move with different speeds (eg Lasius Niger can be incredibly slow to move, and may take weeks and possibly months... Myrmica Rubra can move incredibly fast, for me they had moved in to the YTong nest within 1 hour of placing the test tube in to the basin).
* 11: Keep it moist
This is basically a reminder - keep the tub (or trough, depending on your moisture method for the YTong) topped up with water regularly so that it stays moist.
* 12: Feeding your colony
You should keep your colony well fed at all times (except of course during hibernation, when it is just water that is essential). You should change their food (and thoroughly clean any dishes used) every few days at least, and at worst once a week. Any 'wet' foods (or insects placed in) should not be left to fester or rot - you do not want bacteria or mould building up in your colony. Likewise for the honey or sugar water - this water should be changed every few days too with a fresh honey/sugar water mix (a ratio of around 30% honey, 70% water, and an extra spoonful of sugar work well - if you use warm/hot water first the honey & sugar will dissolve in to it more easily, just be sure to let this completely cool before giving it to your ants).
What your ants eat depends a lot on the species, requirements of the colony at the time, and sometimes even "personal preference" of the colony!
Good foods can be types of goldfish/fish food (such as the fish flakes - but get the higher quality stuff for preference), pieces of fresh fruit (satsuma segments and apple slices are commonly used... but you can experiment with other fruit types now and again such as banana, mangos etc.). Some people have success with the wet/meaty types of cat/dog food. You should also feed them with fresh insects (either caught out in nature by yourself, bred yourself, or bought from a suitable pet store which often deal in live insects as food for fish/tarantulas/snakes/lizards/frogs etc.). Some good insects commonly used by many of us (especially as these are common in such pet stores), are mealworms, wax worms, and crickets. You should kill these before giving them to your ant colony, and in the case of mealworms particularly (which can have a very tough exterior), cutting it up in to smaller segments is preferable. You may wish to very quickly boil them or place them in a microwave for a couple of seconds to ensure they are completely dead (and the microwave method will also help in ensuring they are mite-free - some pet shops do not keep their insects well at all and they may be covered in small mites!).
