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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2012 22:43:31 GMT 1
I am creating a plywood (ext grade) formicaria 3 x 9 = 27 mm thick with 2 x 5 parallel galleries cut out by machine either side of a vertica walkway from top to bottom. Whilst perpex creates the roof and floor of each chamber the central area is just plywood. I am concerned that over time the wood will become damaged by various molds and stained by ant droppings.
Q. Is there any preservative agent I can apply to the wood to prolong its life and not repel the ants, or worse still, injure them in any way? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks. H
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Post by Myrm on Mar 27, 2012 9:46:11 GMT 1
Hi heffalinus, and welcome to the forum. Thank you for supporting us by joining.
I have to be honest and say that I do not know the answer to this one, but hopefully some of our other members may.
The only thing I can suggest in the meantime is to look at the packaging of various brands/types of coating and see if it has any warning labels regarding it being harmful to animals.
Sorry that it's not the answer you are looking for, but hopefully somebody here will be able to shed more light on the subject.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 18:53:49 GMT 1
I think what it boils down to is that if you're going to use an organic material for a nest which must be constantly exposed to water, it's going to decay. Most of the mixtures which inhibit decay are hydrophobic, which is counterproductive to the action of a good formicarium.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:41:05 GMT 1
Someone has mentioned something called "Mod Pudge" which is sold by Calico Crafts. It can be used in woodworking. It is described as non-toxic.
But I'm going to have to think carefully about administering moisture within the nest for reasons already given. H.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2012 22:51:35 GMT 1
Why this choice of materials?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2012 14:57:15 GMT 1
Why not this material? Wood is a naturally occuring material, safe, cheap and is fairly easy to work. Made one like it in the mid 1980's and it worked well with Myrmica rubra. Back then there was nothing like forums or the internet to share ideas of this kind so had to rely on one's own ingenuity.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2012 18:02:33 GMT 1
It's just that it might be a good material when applied to other projects, but a formicarium is generally supposed to be very water-absorbent. With a little ingenuity, I'm sure you can get your setup to work out, but it seems inconvenient.
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