I love working up designs for nests.  From the simple to the convoluted, it’s just interesting to see what works and what doesn’t.  Struggling to find the right balance of moisture, airflow and access to foraging areas, etc.

Here is the latest incarnation of the acrylic/plaster combination design.  This model is much more slim the previous boxes and a bit taller.  In effect, it is a more economical use of space and more appropriate for smaller species and colonies.  The chambers and tunnels are smaller, though could be smaller still for the species I currently have in there.

This shot shows you the tower itself and the flexible tubing I used to connect a foraging area.  Out the right side you see the water tube.

In this shot you can see the nature of the lid.  I had to make sure there was a way for the moisture rising from the water basin below to escape efficiently.  Therefore I used the same mesh mesh covering sealed with crazy glue and lined with tape.  All in the design is much the same as my prior post just smaller. 

Below you can see a shot of the inhabitants.  If anyone has any ideas on the species, please chime in.  I haven’t had a chance to get a good shot of them yet.

 
Sony A-100, Sigma 50mm 1:2.8 Macro Lens, cropped & resized in PSP8

My Pogo queen’s brood are starting to hatch!  It’s a wonder to see the majesty of nature at work, right here in the garage.  This is just such a great hobby.

Sony A-100, Sigma 50mm 1:2.8 Macro Lens, cropped in PSP8

At Lake Tahoe this week and discovered it is an ant lover’s paradise.  You literally cannot walk across the street without coming across dozens of ant hills.  And there are some species here you just don’t see in such abundance back home and some you don’t see at all.  Such as this lovely lady we captured during lunch one day.  We were at the top of Heavenly village’s gondola ride about 9000 feet up and there she was on the patio.  Had to take her.  Not sure if she’ll survive as it’s REALLY hard to take proper care on vacation, but I am hopeful.   So we called her Heavenly based on where we found her.  Here she is:

I’ve been really unlucky for a few years finding a fertile Harvester Ant queen.  It is primarily due to the fact that I just don’t have either the time or maybe the passion to commit to driving out to areas where they are plentiful.  Or it may be since they are fairly common right here in the LA basin that it seems ridiculous to go out to the desert searching for them. 

Well that misfortune has been interrupted for the time being.  My oldest son stumbled across such a queen a few weeks ago in where else but my mom’s drive way.  Low and behold, there she was one hot day, just excavating a newly found nest in a crack in the drive.

We quickly, though patiently scooped her up and brought her home.  I’ve always felt odd about gathering ants from their natural habitats and bringing them into captivity, though I am fairly certain, a colony in that location had a very minimal chance of survival.

However, her chances may not be much improved as captive ants require a lot of patience, attention and luck just the same.  So, without further ado, here is the lovely lady we brought home.  I’ll detail her setup another time.

This has turned into a tough project, like all things that seem simple at first. 

The design is basically a three dimensional plaster nest encased in an acrylic box.  Pretty simple.  However, I wanted to make the creation of the plaster piece easy and repeatable.  That meant creating a mold.  I found some helpful instructions here.  The hard part was tracking down the silicone rubber that was available nearby and in quantities I could afford.  None of the local art supply stores had this.  I didn’t want to purchase it online because it’s hard to ask questions and get advice, etc.  

I finally located a place about 30 miles from my house and made the drive down one day and picked it up.  Silicone Rubber is MESSY!  Wow.  I was kinda surprised how difficult it is to work with without making a huge mess.  It comes in two parts that you mix together; the rubber and a catalyst.  The catalyst is just liquid consistency and easy to manage.  I, of course, spilled it on my driveway and now have to figure out how to get rid of it.     The rubber is like warmed up taffy or that marshmallow whip stuff you buy at the grocery store.  Actually, that’s exactly what it’s like.  It’s almost impossible to measure, which you have to do and TOTALLY impossible to clean up afterwards.  My measuring cup is wasted.

ANYWAY, I struggled through and completed my first mold.   It is based on an original model that I created by pouring plaster into a plastic/acrylic box that had clay tunnels laid out in it.  The product I used is RTV 500 and it works exactly as described.  It does an incredible job of completely seeping into every nook and cranny and making an exact replica of your original.

Here is the finished product:

I actually poured Hydrostone into the mould instead of plaster.  I’ve read on the Antfarm message board that it is more mould resistant than plaster.  It certainly sets up much harder and is less porous.  The design is slightly modified from the first one I posted here.  You notice there is a small Fluon-lined chamber for foraging, feeding, etc.  Also, the original had trouble with moisture build-up so on top there is a large hole that I have covered with a fine mesh to allow evaporation.

Also, the design is now multisided.  So as you see in this shot, it’s got chambers for all four sides of the box.  Also, you’ll note there is a  funnel-topped tube for adding water once evaporation happens.

Underneath we retain the saturation plate separating the Hydrostone block from the water and gravel below.

So, does it work?  I know one thing, right off the bat.  The chambers and tunnels I’ve created are way too large for smaller species.  Also, I’ve heard that in some cases, ants think when they have a large number of chambers available that some chambers are outside the nest and so they deposit waste there.  I don’t know what the long term impact of this might be. 

Consequently, I’ve decided to go smaller.  The Container Store has a smaller sized box that is a bit taller but much slimmer.  The problem is, it’s impossible to get your fingers in there to place clay tunnels and chambers on the walls and then pour plaster/Hydrostone into it.  So, I am gambling a bit by creating a model from clay to start and will use it to create another mold. The gamble is with spacing.  There’s no easy way to make sure the model is the exact size of the internal dimensions of the box.  So I am getting as close as possible.  It will fit, but won’t be as snug.  That could lead to too much moisture exposure or even smaller species drowning.  Drowned queens are something I experienced early on it’s a major drag.  You always feel responsible. 

So, here’s shot of the progress I’ve made.  This only has 3 sides of chambers, the 4th side is just one long entrance tunnel.  Hopefully this design works and because they are small, they can be easily and quickly expanded by adding another one. 

Ha!  If only there were actually a field or business in formicarium (artificial ant nest) design.  Never the less, over the years, I’ve seen people try a lot of different things; plaster with glass coverings, acrylic boxes and most recently someone combined two ideas using plaster inside an acrylic box. (http://antfarm.yuku.com/topic/885)

My problem with plaster nests is that it always seems like you have to manually water them using a spray bottle or drip, whatever.  Coinciding with the recent acrylic/plaster combinations I came across an article on the naturalistic display of the M. Mendax colony at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden insectarium (http://www.sasionline.org/antsfiles/pages/mendax/mendax.html).  It is an incredible display and very ambitious.  The director informed me that it took over 100 hours to build.  Anyway, within the article it mentions the idea of moisture being at the bottom of the case and being allowed to flow up naturally during evaporation.  This is much like the real conditions in the earth’s soil where so many ant species thrive.

So I put all this together and came up with this design.  As you can see it has a plaster interior with chambers molded from clay during the casting process and resides in a plastic/acrylic box.  No innovation there really.  However, what I have added is the gravel/moisture basin and externally controlled water supply.

The plaster block actually sits on top of a cut piece of acrylic about 1mm thick with multiple holes drilled into it to allow moisture to pass directly into the plaster.  I call this the saturation plate because its there to prevent the plaster from becoming over saturated with water if it were to sit directly on the gravel below.  Beneath the plate is a gravel layer which is used to prevent drowning but allow the ants access to the water for drinking, etc.  The jar to the left has a 1/4″ outside diameter tube running from it to the case into the gravel layer and below the saturation plate.  When I need to add water, I just pop the top and pour.  My hope is that I will not have to do this regularly, perhaps a few times per month.

The top of the case is removable which allows easy feeding and cleaning.  Ideally there would be more space between the top of the plaster block and the lid, but hey this is the first one I’ve done. 

I hope to have a small colony in there shortly.  I plan to test with the overabundant and invasive argentine ant by transplanting a queen, her brood and several workers in here within the next week.

Close up of tubing, gravel and saturation plate:

These little ladies were hiding under a chunk of cement that was laying next to the water fountain at the trail head next to the Stough Cyn Nature Center.  I was caught off guard when I raised the chunk actually.  I was expecting a smaller colony and was surprised by a large group that scattered quickly and moved to relocate the brood that had been exposed.  I had collection containers with me, but nothing for a whole colony and the queen quickly disappeared.  So, I put the block back and let them get back to their business without too much distress I hope.

This ant is pretty small and commonly found in the California household looking for sweets.  You may have seen them, though they won’t look like the picture below which is pretty crappy.  I’m still looking for a good macro photography solution and will post on that later.  This ant is pretty dark color, basically black. It’s called the Odorous House Ant because they frequent homes and stink when squished; not something I can speak to firsthand cause I’m not into squishing ants.    There’s a simple article about this species here if you’ve seen one and want to know more:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/ANTKEY/odorous.html

SUBJECT 2

Date:	4/20/2008
Location:	Stough Canyon, CA
Habitat:	Chaparral in foothills
Capture:	Midday under paver near water fountain
Size:	3mm
Color:	black
images:full body,
Species:	Tapinoma sessile
Photo:	Intel Play Qx3 Microscope, 60x magnification

Stough Canyon in located in the Verdugo Mountain range in Southern California.  These mountains are located about 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles and separate the San Fernando Valley from La Canada/Flintridge and the much  larger San Gabriel Mountains beyond.   They are foothills basically and abut the cities of Burbank and Glendale.

I’ve lived near them since about 1999.  In that time, I’ve hardly had much opportunity to frequent in search of ants, but I do get up there every Spring and have a look around, hoping to catch a queen and start a colony in captivity.  This year my oldest son of 9 has expressed some interest in joining me on these excursions and that gives me hope that we’ll be up there more regularly.

My son and I made a trip this weekend, actually after I dropped the idea early in the morning and then decided not to go since it was windy, we made it up there upon his insistence and enthusiasm.  I was skeptical we’d find much given the conditions and that fact that it was only 65F.  But we did in fact capture a total of 6 specimens, 5 of which we were able to retain and catalogue.  One escaped.  And two are of the same species.

Here is the first we caught on the main trail leading up from the Stough Canyon Nature Center.

SUBJECT 1

Date	4/20/2008
Location	Stough Canyon, CA
Habitat	Chaparral in foothills
Capture	Midday at nest opening
Size	4mm
Color	Orange/Red Head & Thorax w/ darker ferruginous gaster
images: 10 segment antenna, petiole & gaster, mandibles, petiole, full body
species:	Some kind of Myrmecocystus, but I am not sure which; Colei, Mimicus, Romaini, or Wheeleri (not sure color is right for Wheerleri which seems pretty uniform where as ours has darker gaster).
photos:	Intel Play Qx3 Microscope, 60x magnification; last shot with makeshift digital zoom microscope (Logitech pro 9000 HD webcam and ??X loop taped on w/ QX3 stage!)