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How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:33 pm
by idahoantgirl
Ok, So I would consider myself an intermediate ant keeper (I've been keeping ants for 2 years) and I'm thinking about making my hobby look prettier. I have a lasius hybrid nest housing a colony of tetramorium which I think is very beautiful in its own way, but lately I have been really drawn to the idea of a wooden formicarium, specifically a log one. I found a few designs i really like, but I have no idea how they are hydrated.
http://antclub.org/node/3171 (all in russian, but some really nice photos of the nest)
http://antclub.org/node/3171 (scroll down a bit to see the photo)
Also if anyone has ideas on how to sterilize the log or even if I need to sterilize the log.
Thnx!
Idahoantgirl
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:08 am
by idahoantgirl
bump
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:56 am
by Batspiderfish
you can't really hydrate wood formicariums directly without them swelling.
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 10:02 am
by idahoantgirl
oh... so its not possible?
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:12 am
by AntsSA
I keep my lepisiota colony in a log nest I haven't had swelling problems. Just use a very hard wood. To hydrate it just drill a 1 cm wide hole into the log then use a pipet or syringe to hydrate it.
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:59 am
by idahoantgirl
AntsSA wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:12 am
I keep my lepisiota colony in a log nest I haven't had swelling problems. Just use a very hard wood. To hydrate it just drill a 1 cm wide hole into the log then use a pipet or syringe to hydrate it.
do you drill the hole into one of the chambers?
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:37 pm
by Will230145
No, I’m the wood part NOT in the chambers otherwise the ants could escape
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:43 pm
by idahoantgirl
Will230145 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2017 8:37 pm
No, I’m the wood part NOT in the chambers otherwise the ants could escape
So the hole would be horizontally alongside the chambers but not in? Or vertically.
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:41 pm
by Will230145
You would leave a chunk of wood like a circle piece in a big chamber and drill a hole on the top of it and you can hydrate from there, you can also put a small sponge in the hole to keep moisture.
Re: How would you hydrate log formicarium?
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 1:49 am
by AntsSA
I have the hydration hole next to one chamber. I can post a picture later of you like