Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

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Shawry21
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:31 pm
Location: Aylesbury

Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50295Post Shawry21
Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:47 pm

Hi All,

I am currently attempting to move my Lasius Niger colony into a gypsum formicarium as they have outgrown the test tube setup currently in place. Some ants have entered the gypsum nest and have begun to act strangely with some dying. These are actually the first deaths i have had in my colony so im a little concerned as to if something is wrong with the formicarium such as it emitting a toxic fume etc.

Any advice?

MorbidBugg
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:11 pm
Location: Orangeville

Re: Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50379Post MorbidBugg
Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:22 am

Can we get a picture of the new setup.
Ants are life's most successful invaders. Understand and respect that power.

MorbidBugg
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:11 pm
Location: Orangeville

Re: Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50381Post MorbidBugg
Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:30 am

Can we get a picture of the new setup. And did it come with a label? I'd kinda want to see the back. Gypsum is calcium sulfate dihydrate. It's just plaster essentially... so it SHOULDN'T do anything... however if there was any added chemicals we would need to see them to be able to say what it is. (Maybe a hydrophilic compound may have been added and hydrophilic are dangerous to ants. Or a harmless chemical to humans but a pesticide to insects)
Ants are life's most successful invaders. Understand and respect that power.

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50383Post AntsDakota
Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:56 am

That sounds logical, and what I was just about to say (well, not exactly, but similarly).
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

Shawry21
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:31 pm
Location: Aylesbury

Re: Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50423Post Shawry21
Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:56 pm

Here is a photo of the setup. Unfortunately there is no label of what the plaster is composed of. The technique for hydration is just to add water to the plaster. I work in construction so know that plaster is naturally water absorbent so i dont think any hydrophilic compound has been added but i cant be 100% sure.

Shawry21
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:31 pm
Location: Aylesbury

Re: Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50425Post Shawry21
Sat Sep 15, 2018 3:05 pm

I cant seem to attach any photos on here even though ive got the image size down to 25kb!!!

Boomdale
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:49 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50478Post Boomdale
Sun Sep 16, 2018 8:46 am

How big is your colony? I just recently attempted to move my Nylanderia colony into a formicarium and all 15 of my workers died. They were in the test tube supplied with the formicarium with water, normal set that they grew in fine. The day after they were attached to the formicarium they moved into the tube connecting the nest itself to the outworld, which I was fine with, wherever they feel is best I’m good with. A day or two later they started acting funny, just laying around not doing much. Wouldn’t eat protien source, didn’t seem to be able to find their way around. They seemed super confused and lost. As the first 3 died, I cut off the outworld and moved them into the nest itself and allowed them to move around in a Tupperware container, the continued to die and stopped caring for the brood, I had one that was coming to adulthood that day and they left it to die. I moved the remaining 5 workers and the queen into their old test tube setup, they left the brood behind. I got what I could out of the nest and put it in the tube. The rest of the workers died soon after. Queen seems okay, she’s tending to the larva that’s left. I’m worried about her laying more eggs.

TL;DR - Is there possibly material that absorbs pheromones from the ants so they seem to be perpetually lost? Could they die of thirst? I did not seem them searching that much for anything, they kinda just gave up.
Nylanderia Sp.
Pheidole Sp.

Founding - Cremagastor & Solonopsis Invicta

MorbidBugg
Posts: 284
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:11 pm
Location: Orangeville

Re: Gypsum ant setup killing my ants??

Post: # 50486Post MorbidBugg
Sun Sep 16, 2018 10:29 am

Another question: did you make it yourself? What glue did you use if so?

And to post an image upload it to an img hosting site like imgur.com deviant art then copy the url don't worry about embedding I don't mind copy and paste.
Ants are life's most successful invaders. Understand and respect that power.

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