Formicarium

An ant nest is called a Formicary. This is taken from old Latin language which is used along with ancient Greek for classification and identification of all species of animals, insects, plants and etc. Any type of set up made for ant that you may choose to use is referred as "Formicarium". Formicarium can be a readymade one or something you have made it by yourself.

If you are interested in invertebrates, few are more fascinating to keep than ants, and it is very simple to construct a formicarium. You will need a piece of glass - the size is not critical, but about30 cm (1 ft) square is ideal. Make a wooden frame to fit around this and tack it very lightly to a plywood baseboard with the same outside dimensions.

Drill a hole in the middle of one of the side sand plugs into it a cork from an old bottle. Place the sheet of glass inside the frame so that it is resting on the baseboard and press some long plasticine, or modeling clay snakes to the glass so that they will eventually form a network of tunnels and chambers when the plasticine is removed. Make sure that a big chamber is adjacent to the plug hole so that you can insert ants and food into it Now mix up some plaster of Paris to the consistency of cream and pour it into the frame until it is filled just to the top and leave it to set.

When it is, carefully pull out the tacks holding the frame to the baseboard and lift the whole thing free. Apply glue liberally to the top edge of the frame, put the baseboard on to it and turn the whole lot over. Ease out the glass and remove all the plasticine from it and from the plaster. Clean the glass carefully, replace it and tape it to the wood using broad adhesive tape. All you need to do now is to introduce your ants, and periodically some food, through the plughole, but do keep the formicarium covered except when you want to watch what is happening as ants do not like light in their nests.

There are many kinds of container that can be used to house your ants in. The most important thing is that the Formicarium must be a transparent and escape proof one. This can help you to monitor the ants without disturbing them. It can be a double glazed window with two clear sides that are made of plastic or glass. Some people like keeping their ants in a larger space area. But this can disturb as ants are habitual to roam around and can bite too. So it’s better to keep the ants in a close confinement.

Try to keep the Formicarium away from direct sunlight. This is done to avoid the heating of Formicarium. This can increase the temperature, and ants might get restless and they will try to escape out of their house. When you are not observing the Formicarium, cover it with something. This does not mean that they are not fine with light, but excessive light can harm them. In forests, Formicarium are always observed in the dark side covered with stones and vegetations vegetation.

As discussed, a Formicarium is an ant colony that is enclosed in a transparent box made of plastic or glass. The best-known formicaries are examples of "Uncle Milton's Ant Farm", The educational toy is also one of them and is made by Uncle Milton Industries which is located in Westlake village, California. And it has been sold over 20 million ant farms since 1956. It owns the brand name "Ant Farm". These types of Formicarium are used for observing worker ants.

These ant farms and Formicarium are made thin so the cavities and tunnels made by ants can be observed and their behavior can too be studied. These Formicarium can be filled with sand, soil, vermiculite sawdust and other mineral fragments. Newer Formicarium are filled with semi-transparent gel that provides moisture, nutrition and a medium for ants to nest. But it does not supply a source of protein that is essential for the queen and larvae.

Other types of Formicarium are the ones that are made with plaster, or simply with no medium. The plaster nests are made by placing modeling clay on a glass panel in the form chambers and tunnels. The plaster is then poured on mold and when it is dried the clay is removed. The remaining structure can be used for housing ants. The ants in these types of Formicarium are easily seen.

A Formicarium can be designed whether ants dig or not so that it is a free Formicarium and not an enclosed or lidded. A Formicarium which is a free standing does not require lid and high walls. It takes support of the barriers to secure ants within their habitat. The barriers include a moat of vegetable oil, petroleum jelly. They are applied on sides of the container to prevent from escape. These substances are too slippery for the ants to walk on.