How to make a Formicarium | DIY Ant Farm for Pet Ant Colony
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ส.ค. 2024
- A Video Tutorial on How to make a Formicarium for Ant Keeping Enthusiasts. This homemade DIY Ant Farm from Ytong will allow your Pet Ant Colony to dig Tunnels and forage in an Acrylic Terrarium. Add Sand or Dirt and make sure to take care of your Pet Ant Nest regularly!
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✅ ANT KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS: • Ant Life Cycle - Queen...
✅ ANT FARM BUILD TUTORILAS: • How to Build an Ant Fa...
✅ ANT SPECIES GUIDES: • Lasius Flavus, The Yel...
Have fun watching or discover the joys of keeping ants yourself!
MATERIALS & TOOLS
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_SAFETY FIRST_
Protective Glasses / Schutzbrille: amzn.to/2KWCi5O
Dual Filter Mask / Schutzmaske: amzn.to/37bllB1
_MATERIALS & TOOLS_
Digital Measure / Messschieber: amzn.to/3nPSesP
Acrilic Box / Acrylbox: amzn.to/2GIQm4t
Steel Mesh / Drahtgewebe: amzn.to/2WtpkCs
Step drill bit (set) / Stufenbohrer Set: amzn.to/3bCwnys
Drill / Akkubohrmaschine: amzn.to/2VB996c
Proxxon Cutter/ Dekupiersäge: amzn.to/2FnHDDQ
Glue gun / Heißkleberpistole: amzn.to/2VBOLBU
Chisel / Stemmeisen: amzn.to/2VU6kfv
Metric measure / Maßband: amzn.to/3nHIdh9
Iron saw / Eisensäge: amzn.to/2VB5bKY
Ytong saw / Ytongsäge: amzn.to/3bNFdJy
Piece of wood / Holzring: amzn.to/2IraFUx
Plexiglas / Hobbyglas: amzn.to/352t7Kc
Acrylic paint set / Acrylfarben Set: amzn.to/2yFpeyH
Decor plant / Dekopflanze: amzn.to/3bCtVI7
Decor stone / Dekosteine: amzn.to/2VBaE4v
Sandpaper / Schleifpapier: amzn.to/3bDKH9J
Sandpaper holder / Schleifpapierhalter: amzn.to/2GTzmsb
Spatula set / Spachtelset: amzn.to/3bA3Jhi
Aquarium gravel / Aquariumkies: amzn.to/2VV8Dz1
Pencil / Bleistift: amzn.to/3eOy7Xh
Edding / Permanentmarker: amzn.to/2KvM6TZ
Brush set / Pinsel Set: amzn.to/357QOAL
Work bench / Werktisch: amzn.to/3azUYT9
Teelight transparent / Teelichter transparent: amzn.to/310veNR
Ytong plates / Ytong Steine: amzn.to/3jTzdTU
Magnets / Magneten: amzn.to/2ypUDFF
Liquid Ant Feeders Set (from ByFormica): amzn.to/2SLsqzY
Smooth Metal Plyers / Federstahlpinzette: amzn.to/3pj2daS
Protein Jelly / Jelly Futter: amzn.to/3juQpy5
PVC Tubing / PVC Schlauch: amzn.to/2GIxhPS
Test Tubes / Reagenzgläser: amzn.to/3n44yV4
TIME_STAMPS
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00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - Presentation
02:22 - Housekeeping
03:14 - Materials & Tools
04:40 - Carving Ytong
07:07 - Wooden Base
08:02 - Cleaning & Painting
09:37 - Plexiglas Cover
10:55 - Acrylic Outworld
12:12 - Progress Overview
12:36 - Installing Magnets
12:55 - Assembling all the Pieces
14:51 - Decoration
16:15 - What a pleasant SURPRISE!
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#ants #antkeeping #antfarm #pets
Hope you guys find this Build Tutorial useful! Let me know 💬
🐜 More ANT FARM BUILDS: th-cam.com/video/5iXODep-DFM/w-d-xo.html
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Another AWESOME Vid AV !!👍💯
I am from India
Hello I'm watching from Nigeria
I caught a camponotus Queen last week which is currently in a test tube setup.
Please is there an alternative material I can use for the nesting space in the future
this guy is underated, only 585 likes and 13k views, it needs at least 2M views! You seem to care for your ants!
Hello there and THANKS! I truly love my ants and making nice housing for them fills me with joy 😊
How do you always manage to make such beautiful and functional nests it is truly amazing i love you DIY videos because they always inspire me. great job :)
Thank you! Well, I do my best every time - and I get better it seems :)
I want you I'm coming to your house one day
A nice tutorial the nest looks great. I like the entire system.
Thank you! Since nobody had done this before I thought I'll give it a try :)
I would like to see one of these with an established ant colony. It is all well and good to build a pretty box, but it would be nice to see it in action.
Valid point. I keep my Lasius Niger in a similar DIY ant farm. You can check hoe the ants do in it here: th-cam.com/video/s95A_vZpMts/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=AntsVienna
It looks great! Carving the nest out must have taken a lot of time with the chissel!
From start to finish this was a 5-Day Build. Thanks for appreciating😅👍
Very nice, and thoroughly explained
thanks, always glad when I can help :)
@@AntsVienna Hi, I just did 3 plaster ones and a ytong water tower, following ur guides. It's been fun, thanks. Could you tell me what kind of plaster you use because I couldn't get mine quite the same?
watching from HongKong🙋♂️🙋♂️🙋♂️
Hello there! Greeting to HongKong!👋
Comment for algorithm 😄 im watching you from Slovakia
Thanks a lot! Hope you are enjoying my videos from Slovakia fellow ant keeper!🐜
@@AntsVienna can u do me a favor? !??!??!???????!???!! Sing a song?!???
Im watching from the Netherlands
Hello there and welcome. I love the NL, I plan to visit Amsterdam one day :)
I am watching from India
Great video! Followed your plaster ant farm tutorial recently - looks great so thank you!
Thanks! Always glad when my Tutorials prove useful to you :)
Ur Ferraro boxes are always so much clearer than mine 😂
I always inspect the boxes when buying my Ferrero, for the ones with the least scratches😂
I actually used that very same box to make an out world in preparation for some semi claustral ants I’m hoping to catch next year, you can actually cut it using a box cutter relatively easily! You just score the plastic over and over until you’re eventually through (if you try to cut/saw it’ll develop breaks) I had a square opening on the top (for food and ventilation and so I can apply the ant barrier to the curved part, and don’t need to ever take the lid off), the round connection to the founding tube was a lot harder to cut with this method since I needed to cut out a precise circle, but with it actually has enough flexibility to fit a tube slightly bigger so it worked out in the end.
Hello Julia! Thank you for the tips. I have also noticed that the newer ferrero Rocher boxes are softer and much easier to work with😃
Q: where are you watching from ?
A: I'm watching in Vietnam, which is the home of green weaver ants, Pheidole Yeensis and Pheidole Parva, and the good ol' Camponotus
Cool! Sounds like many interesting ant species live in Vietnam😃🐜👍
Hey AntsVienna! I love your channel! And Im watching you from Scotland! :P Genuine im from Poland ;PP
Im sure ill be trying to make one of these Nests soon!! :P
Hello Pawel! So which country do actually represent?! 😜
Patience is key in ant keeping AND crafting nests.
@@AntsVienna I was born in Poland and now I'm living in the UK Scotland ;)
Now this is what I needed for my ants. Thanks!
You're welcome! If you do it the same way with silicon, then you can out any ants in there, no matter how small they are :)
Great tutorial i will definitely use this
Go ahead - Let me know what ant species you put in it!
Wow it so nicee!!😍
This content is my favorite!
You work so well and perfect!
Thank you! Trying to get better with every Build I do :)
I'm watching in south Africa
Nice - You sure have a lot of cool native ant species over there! :)
Great tutorial!
Thank you! Anything you like particularly well about this Build?
@@AntsVienna I really like the all in one design
New intro 🔥🔥🔥
Yes, gave it a touch of spring instead of winter
Very very useful. Thank you. Great video.
And I'm from Indonesia.
Glad when I can help out :)
Greetings to Indonesia! 👋
Greetings. I'm waiting your new update. 👍
Nice video. I’ve used those choc containers as well. They are nice
Hello Novo, nice to hear from you! Yes, I use pretty much anything I can find around the house for my little ones🐜
You are doing an awesome job on getting those videos out - keep it up😉👍
nice vid dude
Thanks! :)
A ferrero Rocher box😆😂
I use them too from time to time. Not the strongest box for an outworks but good shape. Video was helpful🤩 as I only make plaster nest, I live in britain
Hello Basso! Yes, despite not being the strongest box, with the support of the wooden plate on the bottom it is pretty stable. 🙂
If you browse through my build tutorials I've got some plaster builds for you😉🐜 th-cam.com/video/71b5G59N9Yc/w-d-xo.html
Great video! Very informal! Keep up the good work!😀
Thank you! You're welcome :) You can check more of my ant farm builds here: th-cam.com/video/5iXODep-DFM/w-d-xo.html
@@AntsVienna np, thanks for the links!
Nice vid, and a tip fot cutting the holes in the plastic Box, I usa a cutter knife heat the tip and burn a square into the box. It helps me a lot and its another easy alternativ to drilling or burning in with the hot glue gun👍
Thank you for the tip! That sounds good for square cuts, but probably hard to make a round cut for tubing this way😅
@@AntsVienna ye thats true round cuts will be nearly impossible to make👍
Hello.
Thank you for this vídeo.Very nice
Your welcome. I love doing these DIY ant famrs :)
This tutorial is very helpful PS big fan
Thanks - always glad when I can help you guys out!
PS: Working on more build tutorials right now😉
Watching from pa usa
Cool! Greeting from Vienna :)
This is a beautiful nest/outworld. Great video 👍🏻😃🐜🇬🇧 if you kept that queen you should use her in it it’s almost like it’s supposed to be.
Thank you! Yes, I also thought of that like it is some sort of message to keep her in this setup. For now she is in a test tube and I'm waiting for her to lay some eggs ...soon hopefully😃
I'm whatching from Italy in Veneto, Im your close :)
Hello Riccardo! Greeting from Vienna👋😃
Wow! that's an usual but cool use of ytong 🤩
Thanks! As said in the Video: Always trying out new stuff! :)
The way you pronounce ytong is really funny... the way to pronounce it is y like the letter and then tounge.
haha - guess I can't get entirely rid off my accent. hope you enjoyed the video despite that 😉
Love from INDIA
Thank you fellow Ant keeper! Best wishes from Austria
@@AntsVienna bro i don't have budget so i make test tube from pens 😂😂😂
haha - Pens are more expensive than test tubes here tbh 😂
Nice video
Thanks!🐜
Q: where are you watching from ?
A: Malta and a new subscriber! Looking into getting my first colony, Camponotus nicobarensis as its my birthday soon. Nuptial flights are happening soon, mostly carpenter and harvesting ants. Will keep a look out for queens, got a whole testube setup and everything haha
Greetings to Malta! Nice to see newcomers in the hobby :)
Camp. Nicobarensis are ants that I can only recommend! You can watch how my colony does here: th-cam.com/video/d4KGJm55kQQ/w-d-xo.html
Welcome to the awesome hobby of ant keeping! 😊👍🏼
Nice nest.
Thanks! What do you like most about it though? :)
Simple....yet clean
@@californiaantkeeper Thanks for the feedback! 👍
I am watching from india
Greetings to India my fellow ant enthusiast! Feel free to join our Discord chat 🐜💬 discord.gg/PBw6BvU
I am whaching from Latvijā!
Hello there! Nice to have you - hope you enjoyed the video🙂
i sucks at catching ants so i brought two test tube Messor Aciculatus, the seller said they only have small no worker colonies. i'll also try black light catching if i got my hands on one
I also want to try black light this year - will make a video for you guys 😉
I don't like peeling protective plastic because I usually messup xD
it looks amazing btw, was already wondering why it had such a huge space in the middle, now I now :)
haha - Yes, I had that Idea in my mind :)
Muito bom projecto e bem explicado, obrigado 🐜🐜🐜🐜🇵🇹🇵🇹💪
Thanks! Always trying my best with new projects :)
From Belgium
Cool! Greeting to Belgium then😃👋
Very nice and neat looking :) 👍. Which of your colonies are enlisted for voting to move in this nest? As to the nest, how do you hydrate it? Just adding water from the top into building substrate? Thanks
Good Question! I think I'll do a poll about which ant colony to inhabit this.
And YES, the plan is to water the substrate from the top :)
@@AntsVienna no risk the ants escape when opening the top and watering? I think your Formica cunicularia could soon enjoy this bigger space. I have Lasius brunneus in "sandwich" type formicarium and they excavate most of the digging substrate material into loads of tunnels and chambers, very nice to watch over time. My Formica will soon go back into their Ytong nest (I move them in test tubes for the winter in the fridge) unless I try to make another one based on this tutorial or on the one about water tower nests (👏 amazing job).
Thanks! Yes, I definetely want to choose a species that naturally likes digging :)
The water tower build has a more spacy nest part - so that is a better choice for bigger ants.
I like your video. You did ask what colony should live in the ant farm, I think Monomorium subopacum or Tetramorium bicarinatum would fit the ant farm very well.
Machst du eigentlich auch Videos auf deutsch
Have a great day!
Hello there! Thank you for the ant species suggestions! I was thinking to introduce my Tetramorium Caespitum in it, but with 11 workers they are still too small of a colony for that size formicarium.
I spreche Deutsch, mache meine Videos aber auf English, sodass mich mehrere verstehen... Hoffentlich du auch? 😉🐜
Kentucky here
Greetings to Kentucky! 👋
thank you for all this awesome information, brand new ant keeper here from Athens Greece, are you Greek?
Geia sou file mou! Yes, I am a greek man that lives in austria 😃
Since you are new to ant keeping I suggest you have a look at this playlist: th-cam.com/video/H_gUXQhSyPM/w-d-xo.html
Another great vidio, I realy enjoy watching your build vid's.
You are very gifted at diy.
PS what nuts do you put in the ytong?
Den, from the UK
Thank you Den! Well, I try to get better with every Build I do. :)
Regarding the nuts: Hard to explain, but they are metal and you screw them in with a flat screwdriver. Hope this helps you out!
@@AntsVienna I have looked into them, and in the UK they are called "insert nuts".
Thanks for your help.
Den.
I think you should deside what colony moves into the nest, since you know the colonies best.
I will give it some thought, but wanted to know your suggestions too :)
I’m from Sweden
Greetings to Sweden! Thanks for sharing🐜👍
Super video, +1 subscriber
Q: where are you watching from?
A: I'm from France
Hello there! Glad if my video helped you out :)
Greetings to France👋
I'm wondering how did you fixated the screws into the Ytong block, because that's something I struggle with when creating my own nests. Also, it looks beautiful GJ :3 and if you are so curious I'm watching from Czech Republic so we are basically neighbors xD
Greetings to Czech Republic then! :)
I am using metal nut inserts that keep the screws in place.
@@AntsVienna Thank you, kind sir :)
Hi I am watching from California US.
I have a question of where can I get the main nesting material for my ant farm. thanks
Hello there Pedro from California! You should be able to find Ytong or Fire Brick in stores that specialise in construction.
It is a nice ant farm.
How about making a formicarium from grout
Thanks! Grout ant farm is on my to-do list, will be making one😉🐜
Hi, what are the metal threaded inserts called that you fixed in to the ytong for the screws to fit?
Ps in Australia we call ytong, AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) or hebel
Hello there. Not sure if they have a specific name, we just call them threaded insert nuts of metal
Thanks for the AAC mention!👍
I'm from Iraq ❤
Hello there. Greetings! 👋🐜
Hello i am a new future ant keeper! and i only have the option of getting a camponautus queen ant and i figured out that it takes very long for them to get at least 20 ants.
how can i possible speed up the process?
Hello Mike! If you go for Camponotus Ants you need patience... No real way to speed up the process without harming your colony(Queen) in the long run. E.g. My Camp. Ligniperdus are still at 4 workers after 2 years... I suggest going for a Lasius or Tetramorium sp. instead.
Camponotus: th-cam.com/video/NeX7i-z2XBg/w-d-xo.html
Lasius: th-cam.com/video/88ej1eBpC18/w-d-xo.html
I am from syria, and i want to make like this soon, i just wondering how can i get the queen because here in syria no one sell ants, another question how can ants drink water can i just put cotton or spong is that enough?
Another question, how many ants can i put for such like this ant farm size?
Hello there. Glad you like my ant farm design. I can't give you ant seller advice in Syria. Regarding the Nest: You fill the Ytong part with sand and then periodically water the sand. Alternatively you place a liquid ant feeder in the outworld. If you use it for small-medium ant species it can fit 1000-2000 ants
What kind of nest would you recommend for about 20 workers strong lasius niger colony?
Test tube setup. I only move Lasius species to a formicarium when they reach 40 workers
Thanks! I was not sure because did not remember the number. Have a great day!
Btw do you want to get any american sp. like Camponotus sansabeanus ?
I am thinking about some exotics in the future. For now I try to get the hang on all the native species we have here :)
@@AntsVienna oh and i definetly recommend barbaricus . Super looking sp. like ligni but boosted . Bit like australian campo .
Hey AntsVienna I recently bought a block called “xkalibre light weight AAC block” is that the same as ytong?
hello there. AAC stands for Aeriated Concrete, which is technically very similar to Ytong. The variant you got seems to be light weight, but I'm sure the material you bought will be fine for the ant farm build tutorials i create here on the channel👍
@@AntsVienna thanks so much!
what do the screws screw into and what makes that part stay in the hole?
hello there. I use "screw-in" mothers for fixing the screws. This is how they look like www.rvsland.nl//Files/3/2000/2660/ProductPhotos/Source/1650308157.jpg
@@AntsVienna Thanks, you secure them with apoxy or hot glue or calking?
Quick question, if they are in a small enclosure would the colony out grow it?
And btw I’m watching from Australia mate
Hey there. Yes, eventually an ant colony will outgrow every entclosure when given enough food and time. You will notice when it's time for an upgrade though. Greetings to Australia!👋🐜
Nice build dont have any of the materials lol wish i could have one though
Im from Cali !
Thanks! Try Firestone maybe?
What about Plaster? Got some Tutorials on that too😉
Greetings to Cali!
Just one thing I would mention. It doesn’t have an exit, a connection to a future set or solution if needed.
It is a great job anyway, I just suggest to do it before moving a colony
Hello Carlos! Thanks for the mention👍 I purposely left that out for now, because I don't know what ants will be moving in.
I may do an exit later or place the test tube directly inside the outworld. When the colony outgrows this setup the next one will be multiple times bigger, so I would then place this build in their next Formicarium outworld. I guess what I am trying to say is that sometimes you don't need tubing connections. 😉🐜
@@AntsVienna true, it is actually same plans I have with mines, but it’s like the CO2 bottles for fire, you don’t want to have to use them, but you want one always on place in case you may have to.
How do provide food
Hello there! Do you mean what to feed your ants? Check this out😉 th-cam.com/video/VsnlZWMjG7Y/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=AntsVienna
i from poland
Hello and greeting to Poland! 😃👋
Jo wohnst du in Wien? Kannst du Deutsch? Wenn nicht dann: great Video
Hallo Mr. Insect! Natürlich spreche ich Deutsch :)
Der Kanal läuft auf Englisch sodass mich mehr Leute verstehen😉
@@AntsVienna hab ich mir auch schon gedacht, geiles Video btw.
The lasuis flavis
I have a good candidate colony for this :)
I m from the Nederlandse
Cool! Greetings from Vienna! 👋
Early gang
Ti ennoeis? 😅
People who are watching early the video
Sure! Nice to have have you here right on video launch! 😃👍
I'm from Iran
Hello there. Greetings to Iran then! 😃👋
@@AntsVienna thanks
Where are you watching from: 21 Bezirk Wien. 🇦🇹
Nice! A Wiener :)
@@AntsVienna 🎿
It is a Myrmica or Myrmecina queen
I am going to make a seperate video on her and other Queen I find in these days ;)
The discord server is not working.
Hello there! Sorry to hear that - please try out this link: discord.gg/PBw6BvU
@@AntsVienna no it says vertification level is too high on I have READ and ACCEPT the RULES of this Discord (above) - and understand that I can be muted, banned or permanently kicked from the server if I act against them.
Yeet
Glad you like😁
Hi
Hello there. Did you enjoy the build? :)
Here are more ant farm ideas: th-cam.com/video/bpFLpoq0x18/w-d-xo.html
my discolor colonies just got workers
That sounds nice Phil!
@@AntsVienna yeah! I just put them in a mini hearth
I randomly abducted around 200 pavement ant workers and put them in a container with some dirt, bow im interested in keeping ants but formicariums are very expensive so this tutorial should help, also do you know if i stole a queen would i be able to immediately put her with the workers?
Hey there! Well, it would be best if you can find a queen and let her found her own colony. Just putting a random Queen with some random workers will result into the workers killing the queen 99% of times! That being said here are a few more DIY formicarium build tutorials if you are looking for inspiration 😉 th-cam.com/video/bpFLpoq0x18/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=AntsVienna
@@AntsVienna well i know they are pavement ants, and i was thinking of getting the queen in the same nest
I am in India
Hello there. Greetings to India!👋
Somebody from the Netherlands?
Yes, we've got people watching from netherlands😃 - you can also chat with them on our discord server: discord.gg/PBw6BvU
Let me know if you need someone to eat the Ferrero Rocher for you :P
Sadly I do manage to eat all of them by myself every time😅😂
i am in the us
India
Greeting to India then! 👋😃
camponotus
Thanks for the feedback👍
@@AntsVienna anytime
and I with an anthill of paper
Anthill of paper sounds cool! How did you make that? Note that ants should be able to bite through paper in the long run!
I hope i have saw😢
You could also try carving it, but that takes some time
I’m watching for Syria, ants are cool but the rockets I see are better.
I can totally understand - stay safe from the rockets!
do us a
please complete your sentence, then i may be able to help you out 😉
India
Cool! Greetings from Austria!
❤️ your tutorials
Can u please tell me can I feed my black ants fruit flies and mango
India
Hey there - Greetings to India👋🐜
@@AntsVienna thank you