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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:37:57 GMT 1
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:39:32 GMT 1
Depends on the size of the colony, You don't want it to big , or to small , also depends on the spieces.
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Post by Myrm on Mar 27, 2012 22:41:48 GMT 1
how big dose a ant farm need to be to hold a queen and her colony? As Poortea correctly says, it depends on the size of the colony. It doesn't need to be too big for a small colony at first. You can always add to it as h colony grows.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:45:59 GMT 1
My colony of Lasius niger has around 20 workers, I am keeping them in a xs, starter kit. That way I can see tunnels really well.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:46:47 GMT 1
It's kind of like kid's clothing; just the right size won't be perfect forever. If you're going for a soil nest, then your ants will adjust their living space whenever they need to; with stone/plaster, you may need to provide additional/larger nests in the future. Keep in mind that ants are very space-efficient.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:52:45 GMT 1
so can i have a large 1 and let the colony grow into it? or should it be just the right size for the ants there atm
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:58:50 GMT 1
so can i have a large 1 and let the colony grow into it? or should it be just the right size for the ants there atm With soil, the ants will always create the perfect amount of space for themselves until the nest is at maximum capacity. With soil-less setups, it's best to start small and work your way up as the colony grows.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 23:02:39 GMT 1
Couldnt you fill up a couple of chambers in a pumice stone nest and when therye ready they remove the sand?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 23:14:06 GMT 1
Some people do that, but it could just as well be a slim-line nest.
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Post by Myrm on Mar 27, 2012 23:31:44 GMT 1
so can i have a large 1 and let the colony grow into it? or should it be just the right size for the ants there atm As far as I am concerned there's no such thing as "is this too big for my ants?" Ants don't look at a prospective ant nest site in the wild and say to themselves "nah, we won't live here, it's too big!". The only reason you should be concerned if its too big is because you don't have the space to keep it. If its too big for the ants then they'll just nest in the amount of space they want to. They can always expand if needs be. It's best to give them too much room than too little.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 23:43:22 GMT 1
With American ant-keepers, stone and plaster nests are very popular. Having such a nest that is too large often encourages ants to create garbage dumps within their nest, rather than their foraging arena. Soil nests don't have that problem.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2012 1:18:41 GMT 1
I am with Batspiderfish here and I have personal experience with that. There is a point where too much space makes them uncomfortable. This isn't true with dirt/tank nests, but with ones such as plaster and stone, being too large can be counter-productive.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2012 13:40:55 GMT 1
People say that if you give them to much space, they will dump there rubbish in a chamber, and make lots of mold. But wild colonies seem fine, and you never see piles of dead insects outside their nests.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2012 23:38:51 GMT 1
I'd say a 25x40 with 1-2cm thickness is good. That's mine. 2/3 of it for soil, 1/3 to place the soil. Connected to a foraging container soon too. I'd say That would last a colony lot's of years with lasius niger.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2012 17:48:38 GMT 1
I agree with myrm,ants can probably never have too much space, just like in the wild! And extra foraging space can never be a bad thing And if it is to big too confuse the ants, you could decorate the nest with stones and mabye some 'landmarks' Ants are very clever!
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