The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

Hello, just running into a bit of an issue with my Brachymryrmex Patagonicus colony. They're so small they can squeeze through the millimeter spacing in between the glass. I'm wondering how I can secure the formicarium so they can't get out. I also don't think the queen can get out so they won't be inclined to move out. It's mostly just a pain finding scouts on my desk all the time.

I'm thinking about taking the glass off and putting a Elmers glue seal seal around it, but there is more ants in that formicarium everyday, wouldn't want to cause them to panic and run out while removing the glass, open to any suggestions!

Here's a link to the formicairum I have from TarHeel Ants:

https://tarheelants.com/collections/founding-formicaria-1/products/mini-hearth

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If you have another location you can move them to, I would connect it up and keep it well hydrated and let their current nest dry out.

I wouldn't use glue to seal it though. I would just put a coating of silicone between the formicarium and the glass.

You could also get silicone caulking from home depot or lowes, runs about 4 or $5 per tube, and just put a coating all around the edge of the formicarium to prevent them from getting through the crack between the mini-hearth and the glass. At least until you can move them into a new environment. As far as keeping them while removing the glass, I can't really think of anything too efficient.

Consider placing their formicarium into a large tupperware bowl lined with a slip of some kind and let them flee into the tupperware bowl. This would be easier if you preemptively connected a tube to the tupperware bowl that would connect up to your formicarium and plug it with cotton. Afterward, all you'd have to do is connect the formicarium into the tupperware and wait for them to return. You'd want to use heat or light to get them to return to the mini-hearth and make sure you cover it to encourage the ants in the tupperware to go inside.