Omni nest vs. Hybrid nest

[ShadowAnts86]

Hi, AC FORUM!
(I´m housing a CAMPONOTUS spp.)

The time in which i must change my ants to a formicarium it´s coming!I make a list of the pros of owning a Hybrid Nest or an Omni Nest for being able to decide, but after a time of doing my thinking i decided to make this post!

THE INTENTION IS TO HELP ME TO CHOOSE THE MOST SUITABLE NEST FOR MY ANTS

The list:

HYBRID NEST (PROS):

-BIG OUTWORLD (Good for the Camponotus spp. because the love to travel far distances for food and they prefer large outworlds)
- A PERFECT HYDRATION SYSTEM (or at least, the one i prefer the most between the 2 hydration systems)
- MORE NATURAL and SPACIOUS

OMNI NEST (PROS):

-CHEAPER than the Hybrid Nest (147 us dollars Vs. 189 us dollars
- Perfect for ants that love the dry nests
- MORE ACCESIBLE
- A LARGE OMNI NEST CAN HOUSE MORE ANTS THAN A HYBRID NEST

QUESTION: How often i should water the OMNI NEST and how often i should water the HYBRID NEST? and HOW MUCH I SHOULD WATER THE OMNI NEST?

I await your response,
Shadow Ants.

[MichiganAnts]

i use an omni nest for my Campo Nove species

I water 1 side just until the sponge is fully moist and the other side i water the sponge until i can push down and water will come out. that way they have a full moisture gradient. I also water the nest roughly every 3-5 days

[Cale3459]

I have a hybrid nest for my Camponotus penn. I just keep water in the tray. The nest is designed with more or less mesh based on the species. I just check it daily to make sure water is in it and then top it off every few days.

[ShadowAnts86]

Thanks for your help! I have one more question: Do you think that the size of the Omni Nest´s Outworld is suitable for Camponotus spp.?

I know that they love to travel far distances for food and i think that the Omni Nest´s Outworld it´s not very suitable for their needs... of course i can be wrong, but that´s my opinion...

[ShadowAnts86]

And... do you think that it´s OK to water the HYBRID NEST once every 5-7 days? That´s waht Mikey reccomended in the Camponotus care video that he made

[Cale3459]

I'm probably adding water every 4 days. I believe I am losing a lot to evaporation and even though I may not have water in the open reservoir my cotton media is still wet so I know the nest is still hydrated.

[Serafine]

Thanks for your help! I have one more question: Do you think that the size of the Omni Nest´s Outworld is suitable for Camponotus spp.?

I know that they love to travel far distances for food and i think that the Omni Nest´s Outworld it´s not very suitable for their needs... of course i can be wrong, but that´s my opinion...

Depends on the Camponotus species. The northern-european (herculeanus, ligniperdus) seem to be pretty lazy while the mediterranean/african (barbaricus, vestitus) have a reputation for being restless wanderers. No idea about american Camponotus but I'd add a separate outworld anyway (preferably a large one).

Remember though that Camponotus grow super slow and will most likely live for a year in test tubes anyway.

[Cale3459]

Thanks for your help! I have one more question: Do you think that the size of the Omni Nest´s Outworld is suitable for Camponotus spp.?

I know that they love to travel far distances for food and i think that the Omni Nest´s Outworld it´s not very suitable for their needs... of course i can be wrong, but that´s my opinion...

Depends on the Camponotus species. The northern-european (herculeanus, ligniperdus) seem to be pretty lazy while the mediterranean/african (barbaricus, vestitus) have a reputation for being restless wanderers. No idea about american Camponotus but I'd add a separate outworld anyway (preferably a large one).

Remember though that Camponotus grow super slow and will most likely live for a year in test tubes anyway.

Agreed. My Camponotus penn. don't seem to want to travel very far for food (at least I'm not comfortable putting their food far from the nest due to low numbers). Once the nest grows to a considerable size I will add in my outworlds. Right now I'm just using one of the test tube portals on a short piece of tube outside the nest.

[Serafine]

My Camponotus barbaricus found a drop of honey that was accidentally left at the wall of their container a good 10cm away from their nest with a single worker. So it really depends on the species.

[Cale3459]

My Camponotus barbaricus found a drop of honey that was accidentally left at the wall of their container a good 10cm away from their nest with a single worker. So it really depends on the species.

How large is your colony? I worry about putting food too far away from them right now since I'm sitting at 20 workers. I think want the colony to be larger before I start making them work for it haha