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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 17:58:50 GMT
I've decided that these are probably the ants I want to get next. I'm a great fan of slim ant nests attached to a foraging arena like the starter sets you see on antstore. Just wondering if this is a suitable set up for this species as they are quite large. Will the slim nest be too narrow for the queen and majors?
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Post by Wood~Ant on Sept 29, 2013 20:16:08 GMT
The glass panes are set wide enough apart to accommodate this species on the one I bought from Ant Store, and some UK sites now sell them over here.
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Post by Asiletto on Sept 29, 2013 20:37:16 GMT
I am not a big fan of vertical glass nests I'm afraid the ants would hide themselves with the dirt.
For my small colony, next year, when they'll come out of hibernation, I will build a small ytong nest. Maybe the vertical nest is a good choice if you have a big colony with hundreds of ants.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 21:59:17 GMT
Thanks Wood-Ant. I've always found that the ants dig right against the sides of the glass if they're covered so I get to see pretty much everything that's going on inside. I like to give the ants the chance to dig out their own chambers so it's a little more natural for them than, say a ytong. Will probably wait till next year to get the ants though as it's getting so close to the hibernation period.
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Eva
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Post by Eva on Sept 29, 2013 22:33:40 GMT
would sticking red film to glass work as well? I have read somewhere that ants can't see red color and it don't let a lot of light to go through. I just thought that it would be brilliant to watch ants 24/7 without disturbing them.
just need someone more experienced to confirm it~
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Post by Yanitch on Sept 30, 2013 6:56:44 GMT
I think it depends on the species. My Myrmica rubra will move their brood behind red acetate, indicating they probably can't see through it. On the other hand, I have shone red light on my Messor barbarus queen and occasionally she seems to notice it and move away from it.
I think there was an article written somewhere about it.
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Post by Yanitch on Sept 30, 2013 7:02:50 GMT
I found this, {click}, but it only relates to Lasius niger. |
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Post by Wood~Ant on Sept 30, 2013 7:18:11 GMT
would sticking red film to glass work as well? I have read somewhere that ants can't see red color and it don't let a lot of light to go through. I just thought that it would be brilliant to watch ants 24/7 without disturbing them. just need someone more experienced to confirm it~ Check out this topic here Can ants see red? |
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Post by Yanitch on Sept 30, 2013 7:57:05 GMT
would sticking red film to glass work as well? I have read somewhere that ants can't see red color and it don't let a lot of light to go through. I just thought that it would be brilliant to watch ants 24/7 without disturbing them. just need someone more experienced to confirm it~ Check out this topic here Can ants see red? was the article I was looking for! |
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Eva
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Post by Eva on Sept 30, 2013 11:19:16 GMT
thanks wood, that explains a lot  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2013 12:27:48 GMT
Just going back to my original question I read somewhere that though the ants can fit in between the 2 panes of glass the queen might not be able to turn around easily/at all. Is that important? And how does the queen compare in size to that of a Messor barbarus queen?
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Post by Wood~Ant on Sept 30, 2013 13:08:47 GMT
Just going back to my original question I read somewhere that though the ants can fit in between the 2 panes of glass the queen might not be able to turn around easily/at all. Is that important? And how does the queen compare in size to that of a Messor barbarus queen? They are big in size and almost twice the size of a Messor queen, but the gap in these glass uprights is wider and as even a large queen may look a bit big they can contort their body. If you want to use a cheaper and much wider gap, then go for a Worm World as you can convert them to fit some tubing and foraging area. Worm World Link |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2013 14:05:57 GMT
Ok, thanks. I wasn't banking on the queen being that big! That's exciting! That leads me to think that they wouldn't fit in the connector tubing very easily, if at all. That would lead to the queen and larger majors being confined to the vertical nest...
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Post by Black Ant on Sept 30, 2013 14:13:07 GMT
This is Wood Ants converted worm world set up as this might help Woods Worm World |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2013 14:31:40 GMT
Cool, thanks
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