The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

snakemanvet wrote:I might try them then,if they haven't already had their nuptial flight.What would be the best formacarium for them.

oh, well, flights for solenopsis sp. will be happening all summer, literally. as for the nest, i use a grout made nest with an acrylic outworld. check out mikeys fire ants he used to have here. he kept his in the AntsCanada nests.>>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgJFqLDn6go

I'm in alabama and found 12 queen fire ants around my driveway in the past two days. Very easy to find here.

I think I found a queen lastnight,it was flying around a light fixture.It is really small.About 2mm,I am not sure what species.Looks like what people call sugar ants.

TheT

The ant must have been a male,it died last night.Had it in a test tube with water to drink and tiny drop of honey on aluminum foil.

Went and checked on the fire ants today and see none with wings around the entrance.

Oh you'll know when Solenopsis are getting ready for a nuptial flight! They will swarm the mound at least 3' or more around it (checking to make sure it's clear and safe for the males and queens to come out) and you see a lot of males around it waiting to take off, then the queens will follow.

Thanks


Thanks Madvampy.

Was wondering if I could make a formacarium out of styro foam,and heat it to melt the styro foam to keep it from falling apart,and using acrylic paint to seal it.This thought ran through my mind.

snakemanvet wrote:Was wondering if I could make a formacarium out of styro foam,and heat it to melt the styro foam to keep it from falling apart,and using acrylic paint to seal it.This thought ran through my mind.

Using plain Styrofoam nests leach chemicals in the conditions ants favor, do not take in moisture well, fall apart very quickly, is down write hard to work with, and will decompose when exposed to mild solvents. As for sealed Styrofoam I do not know, but if it was me I would stay away from it completely. Un-sanded grout nests are very easy to make if you are looking to make one homemade. Hope that helps!

Thanks antsrule.