How to Make Your Own Formicarium: AntsCanada Tutorial #30
Summary
TLDRIn this informative video, Mikey Buos from Ants Canada shares creative ideas for homemade ant farms, suitable for hobbyists and beginners on a budget. He discusses various materials like cork, white Tong (autoclaved aerated concrete), plaster, and even wood, showcasing different designs sent by viewers. Mikey emphasizes the importance of moisture gradients and nest cycling for healthy ant colonies, while also highlighting the benefits of natural nests for mimicking ants' natural behaviors.
Takeaways
- 🐜 Mikey Buos from AntsCanada is discussing homemade ant farms as an alternative to purchasing pre-built formicaria.
- 🌐 Many viewers, especially young ones, are catching ants during the nuptial flight season and starting to get into the hobby.
- 📚 Mikey appreciates the feedback from viewers whose tutorials have helped them and feels encouraged to create more content.
- 🏡 The video covers various DIY ant farm ideas, including cork nests, white Tong blocks, and plaster nests, highlighting their benefits and considerations.
- 🔩 Cork nests are suggested for carpenter ants due to their wood-loving nature and the need for drier nests, with a caution about potential rot and mold.
- 💧 White Tong blocks, made from autoclaved aerated concrete, are praised for their water retention properties and ease of tunnel drilling.
- 🌱 Plaster nests are noted for their water absorption and long history of use in ant keeping, but caution is advised due to potential mold issues.
- 🏺 The video showcases creative designs like attaching white Tong nests inside aquariums and using cement to create formicaria with water ducts.
- 🌳 Natural nests are presented as an option, allowing ants to behave naturally and manage their waste, with the added benefit of being an attractive display piece.
- 🌐 The video mentions the availability of formicaria on AntsCanada's website, including the flagship Omni nests, which are fully disassemblable and designed for practical ant keeping.
- 👍 Mikey encourages viewers to experiment with different designs and learn from others' experiences in ant keeping.
Q & A
Who is the speaker in the video script?
-The speaker in the video script is Mikey Buos from AntsCanada.
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is about creating homemade ant farms or formicaria for ant keeping as an alternative to purchasing pre-built nests.
Why might young viewers be interested in the video?
-Young viewers might be interested because the script mentions that many of the viewers are young, even as young as 12, who are getting into the hobby of ant keeping and may not be able to afford purchased nests.
What is a 'formicarium'?
-A formicarium is a type of ant farm or artificial nest for keeping ants, which can be homemade or purchased.
What material is mentioned for creating a homemade formicarium that is water retentive?
-White Tong, also known as autoclaved aerated concrete, is mentioned for its water retentive properties and ease of drilling tunnels.
What are the concerns with using a cork-based nest for ants?
-The concerns with using a cork-based nest include the possibility of it rotting and potentially developing mold if not properly maintained.
What kind of ants does Mikey suggest keeping in a cork-based nest?
-Mikey suggests keeping kongus, which are a type of carpenter ant, in a cork-based nest due to their preference for drier nests.
What is a 'natural nest' as described in the video?
-A 'natural nest' is a setup where ants are given a digging medium like cork bark and allowed to behave as they would in nature, including creating their own chambers and waste disposal systems.
What is the 'Omn Nest' mentioned in the video?
-The 'Omn Nest' is a flagship formicarium product from AntsCanada that is fully disassemblable, cleanable, and allows for full visibility of the ants' activities.
What advice does Mikey give for beginners interested in creating their own formicaria?
-Mikey advises beginners to review the video for ideas, choose a design that suits their tastes and their ants' needs, and to experiment and learn from others' experiences.
What is the website viewers are directed to for purchasing formicaria?
-Viewers are directed to antscanada.com for purchasing formicaria from AntsCanada.
Outlines
🐜 Introduction to Homemade Ant Farms
Mikey Buos from AntsCanada kicks off the tutorial by addressing the ant-keeping community, particularly the young enthusiasts who are starting their ant-keeping hobby. He acknowledges the viewers' interest in creating their own ant farms, especially those who can't afford to buy ready-made formicaria. The tutorial aims to provide ideas and examples of homemade ant farms, showcasing creativity and resourcefulness in ant care.
🏡 Creative DIY Ant Farm Designs
The paragraph delves into various DIY ant farm designs, starting with a cork nest that maintains a moisture gradient, suitable for wood-loving ants like carpenter ants. It also discusses the use of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC or white Tong) for its water retention properties, and how it can be drilled to create tunnels. The tutorial includes examples of flat white Tong nests, white Tong integrated into an aquarium setup, and cement-based formicaria with innovative water management systems.
🌱 Combining Formicarium and Outworld in a Single Unit
This section explores designs that integrate the formicarium and outworld into one unit, such as plaster nests within an outworld environment. It highlights the importance of monitoring temperature and hydration levels and the potential risks of mold due to moisture. The paragraph also features a plaster nest made of Paris plaster, which is easy to mold and dye, and a wooden nest that mimics termite-created tunnels for a cylindro Merm colony.
🎨 Unusual and Natural Ant Farm Options
The paragraph presents unconventional ant farm setups, including a simple container with ants, a test tube setup that serves as satellite nests, and a natural nest that allows ants to behave as they would in the wild. It emphasizes the benefits of natural nests, such as the ants' natural waste disposal system and the ability to plant real plants for an attractive display.
🛒 AntsCanada's OMN Nests and Encouragement to Experiment
Mikey concludes the tutorial by promoting AntsCanada's OMN nests, which are designed for practical ant keeping, allowing for easy disassembly, cleaning, and observation. He encourages viewers to subscribe, learn from experimentation, and seek advice from experienced ant keepers. He also invites viewers to check out the website for a variety of formicarium options and to consider the OMN nests for their ant-keeping needs.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ant Keepers
💡Formicaria
💡Nuptial Flights
💡Cork Nest
💡White Tongue
💡Capillary Action
💡Plaster Nest
💡Natural Nest
💡Moisture Gradient
💡Test Tube Setups
💡Omn Nests
Highlights
Introduction to homemade ant farms as an alternative to purchasing formicaria for young hobbyists and those on a budget.
Discussion on the importance of moisture gradients in ant nests for the ants' comfort and choice.
Presentation of a cork nest design with a moisture gradient, suitable for wood-loving ant species like carpenter ants.
Exploration of using white Tong (autoclaved aerated concrete) for creating water-retentive ant nests.
Description of a white Tong nest setup with a glass top and silicone sealing for an upright nest design.
Innovative flat white Tong nest design from the Netherlands with an attached outworld tube.
Use of cement and creative design for an ant nest within an aquarium by a hobbyist from New York.
Mention of the challenges of cleaning white Tong nests due to their sponge-like properties.
Introduction of a cement formicarium with a water duct system for capillary action hydration.
Creative formicarium design from the Philippines with cement, sand, gravel, and fake plants for an attractive outworld.
Discussion on the benefits of natural nests for ants, including natural behaviors and reduced need for cleaning.
Showcasing of a plaster nest design within a well, with real plants and soil for a realistic environment.
Presentation of a plaster nest made of plaster of Paris, a cost-effective and water-absorbent material.
Highlight of a wood nest design for termite-loving ants, created with artificial tunnels and chambers.
Humorous inclusion of a simple container with ants, possibly as a joke, from a viewer in South Africa.
Introduction of a formicarium setup using test tubes as satellite nests for a Lasius colony.
Showcasing of a natural nest housing an Aphaenogaster queen, allowing for natural digging and behaviors.
Promotion of AntsCanada's website for formicariums and the flagship Omni-Nest designed for practical ant keeping.
Encouragement for viewers to subscribe, experiment, and learn from trying new things in ant keeping.
Transcripts
hello everyone all of you ant lovers out
there this is Mikey buos from ants
Canada thank you guys for watching my
videos and welcome to the ants Canada
ant Channel where we talk about ants you
know a lot of you guys have been writing
in saying ah I've caught a queen you
know all of you in North America are hot
into your anting season you know the
ants there are having nuptial flights
and you guys are catching your ants and
a lot of you guys are starting to get
into the hobby um and I think that's
great a lot of you are saying that my
tutorials have helped you a lot um I
think it's awesome so I thought it was
time to create another ant tutorial to
talk about homemade ant farms it's
basically an alternative to purchasing
fully built formicaria your own nests a
lot of you who've been writing in to me
are young kids and you know as young as
12 who are watching my videos so hello
out there thank you guys so much for
watching um with your parents and thank
you to your parents for supporting your
ant love um and a lot of you are teens
as well and your students and you know
some of you guys don't have jobs so of
course you can't afford any Nest that
you buy online or anything like that so
you need to essentially create it
yourself um a lot of you guys out there
are just as crafty and um you know
resourceful as the ants that you care
for a lot of you ant Keepers out there
like to create you you want to create
the homes um of your ants and that's
kind of the fun part of being a ant
keeper and an ant hobbyist you get to
create the nests yourself um it's a very
satisfying feeling so I totally get that
so for those of you who need ideas in
terms of how to create your own
formicaria here are some great ideas
pictures that you guys have sent into me
of your homemade formicaria and of some
that I found online all right the first
one here is a photo that I found online
of someone who is keeping it looks like
campones or formica in a cork nest for
those of you who have access to sheets
of cork where crafty you can essentially
have two layers of cork you have the
back layer and then a second layer to
create the walls for this cork Nest you
can see that um this person has
established a gradient where the upper
part of the nest is more moist and the
lower part in this picture is drier um
and that's always good you don't want to
soak an entire Nest you want to have
some kind of moisture gradient there so
the ants can choose uh where to go it
looks to me like these two Cor sheets
are screwed together the glasses placed
on top uh sandwiching the cut cork sheet
there I've seen nests like this before
um I don't know how long it takes before
a nest like this would rot um and
perhaps mold but it looks to me like
this Nest would last at least a year for
me I would probably try to keep konus in
a nest like this um carpenter ants
because you know carpenter ants are wood
loving but also so they appreciate drier
nests you know so you don't really have
to soak this cork Nest which might cause
it to rot quicker so uh yeah it's a
great idea if you have access to sheets
of cork now if you look at this Nest
this here is a big block of white Tong
also known as autoclaved erated concrete
and what it is is it's created in an
autoclave pressurized while it while the
cement hardens so that there are
minuscule air bubbles in the cement
which causes it to have um water
retentive properties what that means is
it's a brick that absorbs water those
tunnels there are drilled using a drill
bit or a Dremel and from my
understanding it's pretty easy to drill
tunnels into this brick it looks to me
like this person has the white tongue
block sitting in a a long pan Which I
suppose is used to hold the water um and
it's a all around a very beautiful and
practical Nest uh I see a piece of glass
uh fastened there uh onto the block I
see that this person has used uh some
silicone cocking uh to do that and uh
yeah so they've chosen for this white
Tong Nest to be an upright Nest you can
also create a white tongue Nest that is
flat uh for those of you North America
finding white Tong in autoclaved irated
concrete is kind of hard um to come
across I know in Europe you guys there
and in Australia have a lot of access to
AC as they call it or white Tong or
hebble brick it's got a lot of names um
and you might it might be easier for you
guys to find that the thing about white
Tong is uh once the ants completely soil
it it's kind of hard to clean I mean you
can scrub it but because of all those
little bubbles in there uh some of the
waste gets trapped into those micro
bubbles it's the nest kind of becomes
becomes a big sponge for um microbes if
you uh don't control moisture like for
those of ants that are moisture loving
there's a higher risk there of like
bacteria overtaking the entire Nest now
as I said before white Tong nests can be
created to lie flat as in this picture
uh which is from Roy UT from Netherlands
um now he essentially has the white
tongue flat and a glass placed on top
and of course a tube which attaches to
the outworld there on the right very
neat design me personally I prefer nests
that lay flat um only because you know
you can I find the the view of the ants
better The Brood sits on the floor and
you know rarely will you see ants
hanging from the ceiling um unless the
room is really really packed so for me I
prefer having flat nests and I like to
kind of look from the top uh from a
bird's eye view but that's all Personal
Taste that's completely up to you now
another thing you can do is uh you can
do what Lawrence here from New York did
which was attach a white Tong carved out
Nest uh into the inside of an aquarium
so what he did here was he took a white
Tong block carved a nest and then stuck
it to the side of an aquarium then
filled the rest of the space with uh
some sand and it looks like dry sand um
now the way this works is if you keep
the sand relatively dry the ants will
choose not to burrow in it and they will
make use of the white Tong brick now
some people instead of using sand like
to use um cement or grout and then that
way the ants for sure don't dig into the
medium that they're not supposed to um
and you see here that he has a little
opening for the ants to enter the white
tongue nest
uh some of you guys have sent in some
really cool formicariums not made of AAC
but made of actual cement if you look at
this formicarium created by Art Perez
from Anaheim California you can see that
he created uh a formicarium piece which
is made of cement and he siliconed that
to the glass and then on top of that he
filled all of that space with some more
cement and then added decorations on the
top while it dried that to me is a heavy
Nest but he says he filled um the most
of the space behind that big block of
cement with um a filler I believe it was
styrofoam so the whole aquarium isn't
heavy uh this is a great design um and
he says that the way he Waters The Nest
is there's like a sort of water duct
over there to the right you can see it
it runs from top to bottom and water
goes in there and essentially there's a
space between the nest and the glass so
water spreads through capillary re
action through that that really tight
space really kind of clever similarly
here is Rox solar malite from
Philippines he sent in this formicarium
design um and it's really neat you can
see the top of the earth portion he's
even got a um man-made I it looks like a
a puddle or a lake I think that's great
I think it's very creative uh so he used
here uh cement as well and he sprinkled
some sand and gravel on the top while
cement was drying and also added twigs
and fake plants you can buy fake plants
from anywhere for those of you in the US
and Canada Dollarama has tons of great
great fake plants um so you can look uh
for that stuff there um and as for Twigs
you can find lots of Twigs outside or
wherever uh so he made his out outworld
very attractive very nice um easy to
make you got to remember though you
don't want to make it too complex and
too decorated because remember you got
to clean this space when the ants leave
their garbage and create cemeteries now
if you look here these are his ants I
believe he's keeping solenopsis geminata
and they are loving this cement
formicarium now I assume this
formicarium is also hydrated by way of
capillary action you know when you pour
water into the outworld it eventually
just kind of spreads throughout the
entire formicarium uh between the many
spaces uh between the glass and the
formicarium all right so moving on now
to entire units uh which contain
formicarium and outworld in the same
unit I saw this really neat picture um
online it's essentially a plaster Nest
inside a well an outworld and instead of
the nest portion facing the glass The
Nest actually faces the inside of the
formicarium and this also creates a cool
option um you can see here this person
has decided to plant some plants there
uh I see real soil a shallow layer of
real soil there um and they've just
stuck it there looks really really nice
really attractive they've got a
hygrometer there and thermometer there
as well to monitor temperature and
hydration really cool uh design and uh
the thing is the thing I'm concerned
about here though is if the ground is
kept really moist then I imagine the
plaster as well would be moist and might
possibly rot faster um now it as a rule
I say if you add uh a thin layer of soil
you should keep it dry but I see real
plants there so that's the problem you
got to wet you got to water the plants I
mean they plants they need water so the
soil will be relatively wet which also
means the ants might be encouraged to
dig and move into that soil and create a
nest nesting site there
um and as well it also means that all of
that moist soil will be touching the
bottom of that plaster
formicarium which causes a risk for mold
outbreak but hey it looks like it's
working I see some ants there um and
they're really
inhabiting uh that plaster nest and it
doesn't look like they're digging into
that moist soil so hey if it works it
works great this is a kind of cute
formicarium this photo was sent in from
Stacy Watson from Bristol United Kingdom
it's a 3inch nest made of plaster kind
of neat so she has this small little
container um and she uh created a
plaster nest and when I say plaster this
is plaster of Paris by the way um and I
believe they also have this substance
which is more Hardy called hydr
Stone um and plaster of Paris is very
easy to buy it's cheap you can get it
from any arts and craft store um and
essentially you just need uh some kind
of cast and mold thing where you can use
Play-Doh she used Play-Doh I guess to
create a tunnel and then you pour that
plaster into that container let it dry
pull that mold out remove the um clay
the Play-Doh and then you have that
design and it looks like also she used
um some brown dyes now in terms of dyes
and that sort of thing in formicariums
I'm kind of I I'm kind of chemical
phobic when it comes to the living space
of my Ants um even the silicone that I
use for my formicariums and for creating
your formicariums for those of you who
have purchased um my formicariums in the
past I always use uh aquarium safe
silicone for those of you in Canada you
can buy this in a Canadian Tire Home
Depot it says safe for
aquariums um and I believe you in the
states as well have access to this uh
it's just uh ants a lot of times
depending on the species are very
chemical sensitive so I'm just afraid of
using dyes even though they might be
organic dyes or whatever I just I prefer
to keep things as raw I guess as
possible but nevertheless this is a cute
Nest uh for a starting Colony I think it
would be great and if you could connect
many of these it uh makes an attractive
piece for for anyone all right here's
another example of a plaster Nest from
Casper and Sophie from Poland this time
in a round container and it looks to me
like they are keeping formica in this uh
plaster Nest really cool again the thing
with plaster is it's great it absorbs
water well and has proven to raise
colonies over decades now it's been an
option for a lot of end Keepers for many
many decades but it also can mold you
know when there's food sitting around it
molds and so it needs to be changed the
great thing about plaster nests is it
forces you to keep changing the nests
eventually when the you know all the
bacteria and mold builds up you're just
forced to move the colony to a new Nest
which is great uh I've talked about Nest
cycling in previous videos which is very
important you know ants live in soil and
the soil is always moving it's always
circulating ants are bringing soil from
the bottom up and just creatures are
moving the soil around so they're never
in stag stagnant media whereas in a
captive for merium the ants have to stay
in the same stuff that you give them you
know and it's it gets kind of gross so
um for those of you with plaster nests
it forces you guys to Nest cycle which
in my books is great now this Nest is a
really cool Nest from Josh Richards um
and it's a wood Nest I rarely see these
but when I saw this picture I thought it
was kind of neat this Colony housed in
this formicarium is a cylindro Merm and
they live in Wood they live in tunnels
that are created by termites so what
this guy's done is he's created um well
an
artificial wooden termite eaten
formicarium I guess uh it's it's really
neat he's used tools to create tunnels
and um Chambers and he's moved the
colony in there and if you look at this
picture to the upper left there are tiny
termites in there and that's what he's
feeding these ants and the Ants are
doing really really well if you see
there's you've got Pupi and larva and
eggs and it's just a really cool thing
um for those of you with camponotus I'm
sure this would work um again to hydrate
the nest I'm sure all you need to do is
just wet one portion of the nest um and
not too much so that it does so you know
you keep it from rotting um but uh most
campanadas prefer medium to to dry nests
so this actually would work uh for you
if you have kutus the only thing though
is you would need to line the
outside uh with some maybe metal or
plastic or I don't know perhaps even
silicone cocking something that
carpenter ants cannot chew through
because these ants that he's keeping in
here don't chew through wood they they
just inhabit the homes of um
termites which are the wants to board
the the tunnels and the chambers so yeah
wooden nests really cool really
neat now I really hope this is a joke
but we received this photo from Louis
Pimentel in South Africa saying that he
brings his ants
everywhere so uh I don't even see any
rooms or Chambers it just looks like a
container with ants in them but I
figured I'd include it in this video
just for some comic relief all right
this setup is from Michael Stewarts uh
and he he's keeping his laus Colony um
in a formicarium that basically is his
outworld along with several test tube
setups and it seems to be working for
him and uh for the species he says the
ants are using the test tubes as
satellite nests and several of the test
tubes have brood and other things in
there so it's uh it's great that this
setup works too if you don't have a
formicarum and finally my personal
favorite the natural nest this photo is
from Thomas um who posted in the uh an
and micology group on Facebook it's a
natural Nest which is housing a queen a
meria queen from Australia uh really
really neat he's opted to just provide
the ant some digging medium a piece of
cork bark and just allow the queen ant
to do what she does in nature people are
always looking for the most natural Nest
this here here is the most natural Nest
giving your ants the freedom to
completely dig if they want to dig away
from the glass which they probably will
they have that Liberty to do that and
you know some end Keepers don't want to
see the action that goes on in the nest
they're just completely happy with
seeing the ants that emerge um above the
nest when you have super super large
colonies anyways it's all the same you
just see ants Chambers with babies you
rarely ever see the queen so you know
you might as well make your ants happy
and give them a natural Nest it's a
great alternative in my opinion and the
great thing about natural nests is you
can actually plant real plants and make
it look really really attractive um as a
display piece say in a living room like
look at this picture really really
beautiful the great thing about a
natural Nest is the ants also behave
naturally in terms of garbage disposal
you know some ants will just create
rooms just for garbage and completely
block off those rooms and it in turn
causes you know microbiota in the soil
to come and break down the waste uh
naturally fungus bacteria all of that to
just naturally break down the ants
garbage you know and so you essentially
don't have to worry about cleaning as
much because the ants just have their
own uh compost system going on there
it's really cool all righty and there
you have it those are examples of some
nests that you guys have sent in to me
um and I wanted to share it with
everyone else for those of you who are
looking for ideas for creating for
marcaria um and I know a lot of you guys
are beginners so um yeah be sure to
review this video and choose a design
that you think best suits you your
tastes and best suits your ants
especially uh and of course to eliminate
any of that guess workor feel free to
check out our website antscanada.com we
have formicariums there for you guys uh
for any species that you guys have
except for some of the more specialized
species like Leaf Cutters and Weaver
ends and if you do check out our site
please do check out our Flagship for
Marium the omn nests which just released
in November last year you know it's a
fairly new product but more and more
people all over the world are ordering
them and discovering just how great they
are for keeping ants we had designed
them and engineered these for marcaria
uh with ant keeping practicality in mind
they're fully disassemblable they can be
cleaned they can be rearranged and you
see everything absolutely all things
that are happening in the nest it's a
really really cool concept the response
we've been getting from the mail just
from people sending in photos of their
ants uh in our omn nests it uh just has
been fantastic a great response and
definitely our number one selling for
Marium so if you can save up or ask your
parents uh to get you something for your
birthday or for Christmas or anything
like that be sure to pick up an omn Nest
I promise you guys will love it anyways
this video has gotten so long now thank
you guys for watching my videos be sure
to subscribe um and go go catch those
queens and experiment there's only one
way to learn about these ants and that's
trying new things experimenting and
learning from others who have kept ants
thank you guys for watching my videos
take care until next time
[Applause]
bye
oh
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