Domestic insects and arachnids. Domestic anthill: insect life up close

Have you ever watched the life of ants? This is an extraordinary world with its own orders, laws, relationships. In order not to go to the forest to the anthill, we suggest that you create your own ant farm. Having settled small inhabitants in it, you will be able to observe how paths and tunnels are being built, and how important it is these small hardworking creatures scurry back and forth, as if performing someone's task. How to make an ant farm with your own hands, we will tell you in this article.

What do you need for a farm?

You need two jars with lids - one larger and one smaller (so the second can fit inside the first). Ants and land will be housed in the space between the small and large containers. A smaller jar is needed so that there is space in the center.

The ants will be able to lay their eggs at the top edge and build tunnels, and you will be able to observe this process. Sealed containers are great for "building". You will be able to create with their help right size farms. Keep in mind that the jars should be free of drawings, cracks, scratches, etc. If you want your ant farm (with ants) to be flat, buy a small, narrow aquarium at your nearest pet store.

What are ant farms?

An ant farm can be of several types. The differences lie in the composition of the filler. The most common are the following:

soil-sand;
gypsum;
gel.

Let's consider each of these types in more detail.

Soil and sand farm

First, you should prepare a mixture of sand and soil. Ants need a moist environment. This will allow small residents to dig tunnels and paths. If you will collect ants in your country house or yard, use the same land so that they move to new house, found themselves in a familiar habitat. It will take so much land to fill the space in the bank. Loosen it well.

Mix two parts soil with one part sand. You can buy fertilized soil and sand from your horticultural department and mix them well. If you buy special ants from a farm at a pet store, then they come with the necessary mixture.

We are looking for an anthill

Now you need to find "tenants" for your farm. The easiest way to find ants is outside. You will not have any difficulties with this, especially if you involve your child in this process. Small anthills are often found in yards. You can find them if you trace where the little workers are in such a hurry with their finds. When going to collect ants, bring gloves, a jar with a tight lid and a scoop.

Punch a few holes in the lid with a needle (to allow air to enter). They must be very small so that insects cannot get out. Drop honey or jam on the bottom of the jar. In this case, the ants will gather around the sweet treat and will not try to get out. Dig out the inhabitants of the anthill very carefully and move them to the jar.

Try to find the uterus. You will immediately recognize her - she is much larger than the rest of the inhabitants of the anthill. An ant farm, which is inhabited only by working insects that live on the surface, will last no more than four weeks. That is how long these insects live in natural conditions. which is ready to lay eggs, can be found near anthills in early autumn, immediately after mating between males and females has taken place. Alternatively, the uterus can be purchased from professional breeders. Your ant farm can host 30-40 insects to start with.

Building a farm

Now you can start building the farm. Cover the smaller jar and place it in the larger one. You can glue it to the bottom to keep it centered. Fill in the earth. Make sure the cover is closed securely. Cover the space between the jars with soil-sand mixture. This composition should not be tamped tightly - the ants will not be able to move inside.

The soil should not reach the top of the jar by about 1.5 cm. This is necessary so that insects cannot get out when you open the lid. Place the ants in a jar and close it. Do this very carefully. Use a needle to make air holes in the lid.

Farm care

We figured out how to make an ant farm. Now you need to know how to care for her.

It is necessary to regularly moisten the soil and feed the inhabitants of the farm. Every 3-4 days, throw small pieces of fresh fruit into a jar, a few drops of jam or honey - ants have a sweet tooth, they are very fond of sugar.
Ants should not be fed meat or any other cooked foods. Otherwise, your ant farm will attract unwanted insects.
When not observing insects, cover the jar with a light, dark cloth. The fact is that ants dig their tunnels at night, in complete darkness. If this is not done, the insects will be under constant stress and may lose activity.
Ants are fragile creatures, rough treatment can destroy them due to the collapse of the tunnels. Therefore, the jar should not be shaken.
The ant farm (you see the photo in this article) should be located in warm room(at constant temperature.
Keep the farm out of direct sunlight. The walls of the jar can become hot and the ants will die.

Farm with gel filler

The gel ant farm is now sold in stores as a complete set. Of course, such a farm does not include its inhabitants. They must be bought separately or collected in the yard or in the forest. You can make such a house for ants with your own hands. We assure you that it will be interesting not only for children, but also for adult naturalists to watch how insects dig tunnels, pulling pieces of gel to the surface.

To do this, you will need:

flat container with a lid and transparent walls;
gelatin.

Preparing the gel

Pour 0.5 liters of hot water into three bags of gelatin (15 g each), stir well to completely dissolve the gelatin. Then add another 0.5 liters of water. Pour the finished composition into a container and put it in the refrigerator. When it hardens, take it out and wait until the gel mass reaches room temperature.

Aquarium gel can be purchased at the store in finished form, but it's more interesting to do it yourself. You should know that such a filler for an ant house is not only a habitat, but also food. As soon as you make a small depression in the gel and plant ants in it, they will immediately begin to "eat" their passages and build tunnels. Let us remind you once again that ants living on a gel farm do not need to be watered or fed. The gel is a source of moisture and food for them.

Gypsum ant farm

Such a formicaria (also called an ant farm) is attractive in that it is completely open to observing insects.

To create it, you need a transparent container. We dilute gypsum to the consistency of sour cream. The resulting composition is poured into a container, having previously placed in it (at the side) an ordinary plastic tube. It should reach the bottom of the container. This is necessary in order to later add water to the formicaria, which will maintain the humidity level.

After pouring the composition, the workpiece sets very quickly, but dries up completely in about a week. On the third or fourth day, remove it from the mold. If it won't come out easily, soak it in hot (but not boiling) water for thirty seconds. After that, the workpiece will easily come out of the mold.

Now the time has come to show your design skills, that is, to "draw" "rooms and corridors" on the blank. At this time, the composition is still raw, so you can easily scratch out any tunnels on it - it depends on your imagination. Although amateurs who already have an ant farm, it is recommended to study the device of a real anthill so that the moves are as close to natural ones as possible.

The two entrances for the inhabitants of Formicaria can be drilled with a drill. Now take any handy tool screwdriver, etc.) and start, according to your drawing applied to the workpiece, make tunnels, choosing gypsum from them. Do this carefully so that the composition that has not yet dried completely does not crumble.

Several indentations should be made at the bottom of the workpiece for better water distribution and moistening of the formicaria. They need to be connected by a small channel to a cocktail tube. Such indentations significantly reduce the weight of the formicaria. Remember to make ventilation holes in the top cover and sides. For this, you can use a 0.5 mm drill.

Your farm is almost complete. It remains to dry it well and place it in a container. Here again you may face a problem - the dried workpiece will not want to go back into the mold. Do not be discouraged, but again place it for 30 seconds in hot water and it fits easily into the container.

It remains to find ants for formicaria. There are many types of them, so before purchasing it is advisable to look through the special literature in order to choose the most unpretentious of them. After settling in the farm, you will be able to study the life of these insects.

As you can see, a do-it-yourself ant farm is quite easy to do from any material. In conclusion, I would like to give a few tips that will be useful to you.

Ants can be fed on dead insects, but only if you are sure they are not poisonous.
Plant one type of insect on your farm. Two colonies do not get along, they can fight to the death. Therefore, even if you yourself catch ants, try to collect them from one anthill.
All ants bite. Some - less often, others - more often. For example, they bite and sting very painfully. Therefore, use gloves.

An ant farm, or as it is also called, formicarium, is an anthill under glass, a space where one or more colonies of insects live. The owner gets the opportunity to observe life different types ants, as if under a microscope: how they make a tunnel, collect food, grow larvae. Workers, soldiers, womb - it's literally a whole city under the control of one person! In everyday life, formicaria are unpretentious, they do not walk ants at 5 in the morning, do not bathe, do not take them for vaccinations.

What is an ant farm

Formicaria originate from the 19th century. At first they were used exclusively for scientific research... The surge in popularity with naturalists led to the commercialization of the project. Since 1929, formicaria began to be made for sale, and in 1931 the inventor Frank Austin patented his design. The most famous formicaria in the world are created by the Ant Farm brand, sending ants by mail, AntKing and AntPlanet.

An ant farm is a home anthill for a child. It will be interesting for him to have a whole "kingdom" in his management. Observing the unique processes, he will be closer to nature, learn to be responsible for those whom he has tamed. Adults like it too: in the office it entertains visitors and inspires employees, at home it helps to relax, clear thoughts and recharge. There are small models in stores that are convenient to place on the table, and large ones, like aquariums.

Formicaria for ants

The farm looks like a neat aquarium or showcase with filler inside. There are simple and complex systems where lighting, an acceptable level of humidity and temperature are automatically maintained. Designer farms are very popular. They have unusual shape, bright colors, the function of connecting the arena (space where insects walk and hunt), lighting. Sizes - from small to large: there are desktop, for the living room or office. As a filler, gel, gypsum, a mixture of soil and sand are used.

Soil-sandy

Popular examples have the form of a display, a cube or a cylinder with double walls (the so-called "Cubus", "Colosseum" models). The containers are filled with colored sand, in which the ant family develops and builds passages. It is expensive, but the set immediately includes sand, insect food and other useful things. The sand-soil farm is very visual and fascinating.

Gel anthill

A gel filled farm is similar to an aquarium, but filled not with water, but with a clear blue gel. It is non-toxic, safe for insects, and at the same time serves as a living environment and food. Gel ant farm is sealed, convenient. It does not require maintenance, once every 5-7 days, the lid must be opened for a couple of minutes, for airing, and dead insects that have already become obsolete are removed.

With gypsum filler

The gypsum ant farm is not so spectacular, but insects are comfortable there, and the price is affordable. Gypsum is a practical, affordable material. This is the most common formicaria species. Among the models there are both compact, for a desktop, and large. The surface of the gypsum is often brightly colored, making the nest a stylish and unusual addition to any décor.

How to choose an ant farm with ants

Artificial ant farms are only becoming popular among domestic buyers, while in the West they have been selling well for a long time. It is convenient to order a farm in the online store, where there are models of all types, designs and sizes. Sellers offer to visit the showroom and select a product there or place a purchase remotely with delivery. Among the assortment of an ordinary pet store, especially in the outback, it is usually impossible to buy a formicaria with ants.

Formicaria price

In Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia, a popular ant farm from Antking or Antplanet firms can be bought separately or together with a family of ants, food, and accessories. Average price - 3-6 thousand rubles, models self made, with additional modules are more expensive. You can save a lot by using promotions, discounts, sales, gift coupons.

How much does an ant farm cost in Moscow - an overview of online stores:

How to make an ant farm with your own hands

An anthill at home can be created even from improvised means. For the price, it will be cheap, and in appearance it will be no worse than the store one. You can save on everything - containers, mixtures, ants. Get a farm with ants original form different from typical mass production models. Alternatively, you can buy finished form, fill it yourself with the mixture and insects.

What you need for a home anthill

An ant farm at home is made from two cans with wide necks, flat bottom, tight lids. One should freely enter the other so that there is a gap between the walls and necks. A soil-sand mixture (or a special gel, which is sold in the same place as the formicaria), a family of ants, is also bought for the ant house.

Where to get ants

There are two ways to provide formicaria with hardworking residents:

Buy ants for an ant farm at the pet store (where ant farms are sold). This is convenient, since you can immediately buy ants with a queen, plus special soil for them. The disadvantages are obvious - the rise in price, the risk of damaging its inhabitants during shipment.
Find it near the house or in the forest. In the second case, you need to take the land nearby so that the insects do not experience stress. In order for the colony to multiply, dig up the uterus, that is, destroy the nest. Ant catching - only with gloves to avoid bites.

Farm device

The blank of the ant house - two jars, which were placed one in the other. It is important to close the inner lid tightly. A mixture of soil and sand is poured into the opening between them (proportion 2 to 1). The farm is ready. It remains to create a recess with a stick and launch 20-25 ants so that they begin to dig tunnels. The structure is tightly closed with a lid with small holes so that air can enter inside. You cannot use cloth or paper for this, the ants will gnaw them and run away.

A real colony is a self-regulating system. How to care for the inhabitants of the farm, tells the instructions for the ant farm with a photo, as well as the video below. In order for insects to live long and comfortable, it is important to observe simple rules:

feed with sweet formulations or special feed;
moisten the soil - it's enough to put a piece of wet cotton wool on the lid once a week;
make sure that the temperature in the room is not lower than +15 degrees;
close the jar from sunlight (ants live in the dark);
remove dead individuals with a cotton swab or disc.

What you can't do with the farm:

Close the jar tightly - the insects will suffocate. Make only small holes so that the pets do not run away.
Leaving the farm in the cold - the ants will hibernate. They also do not tolerate extreme heat, so it is better to keep the jar away from direct rays of light.
Shake, drop the container - insects are under severe stress.
Pouring water - the ants will die. It is also impossible to forget to moisturize, this leads to the death of the colony.

Feeding the ants

The best food for ants is honey, sugar syrup, jam, or pieces of sweet fruit, or you can make a glucose solution. It is allowed to feed insects, if they are definitely not poisonous. Food intake - no more than 1 time in several days, the amount of food is small, otherwise the entire colony will cease to develop. If the litter is gel, there is no need to worry about the feed at all. For a small family, the reserves of the gel are enough to eat for 3-6 months, then they buy it in addition.

Video

Did you know that all the ants in the nest are girls? Even the stern, belligerent-looking soldiers are, in fact, soldiers. Ants need boys only at the time of breeding and only once! (And if this time is unsuccessful?) During the breeding season, winged princes and princesses leave the anthill in search of a partner. After mating, the princesses throw off their wings, and the princes ... skates: (And after that, once the female lays eggs for about twenty years !!! By the way, no other insect on Earth lives as long as the queen ant. True, worker ants live from one up to five years.

The fertilized uterus, which has discarded its wings, begins to look for a suitable secluded place for itself. If you find it, pick it up and put it in a test tube with wet cotton wool, you will become a myrmikiper;)
Soldier

So, in the test tube, it became a little cramped for us. Camponotus fellah ants are quite large. The workers are about a centimeter in length, and the mother and the soldiers are twice as large. More than forty workers with offspring could hardly fit in a test tube and I decided to build a formicarium (an artificial anthill). The principle is simple - pour and drink, you need to cast a block with ready-made passages and rooms from plaster or alabaster, which will have access to the arena, ventilation and the ability to moisten the structure. There is a sea of information on the Internet! And, with all this, the first time is always an act.
The candy box will become the arena. The top has been cut off so that the arena is well ventilated. The edges will be smeared with lip gloss so that the ants can't get out of it.

Cut off the partitions in the bead box, cut out holes for ventilation, humidification and entry. Made a sketch of the interior.

According to the sketch put under the glass, molded on the glass indoor spaces so that they make the most of the depth of the box without reaching the back wall. One chamber stands separately - this is a humidification chamber. A cocktail tube is inserted into it from above (two chambers above it have a corresponding shape for the tube to pass).

Assembled model without plaster.

To simplify the process of removing the casting from the box and to prevent the plaster from flowing through the holes already made, I laid out the bottom of the box with cling film.

I suggested pouring gypsum into the box and cover with glass with a plasticine mold, squeezing out the excess gypsum. In fact, this is not the most good idea... At least it didn't work for me. True, I have almost zero experience with plaster. The first and last time I cast a plaster mold was when I was working as a polisher in a dental clinic almost twenty years ago. I then cut out a skull from wax, about five centimeters in size, and immortalized it in dental plastic. Lost it when moving, it's a pity :(

So, the first batch began to freeze before I put in the mold. For me this was a complete surprise and, in an attempt to bring the matter to the end, I crushed the glass: (... but still, we are not used to retreating ... (c) Using a piece of plastic cut from a box of chocolates and the remains of gypsum as glass , roughly representing the time frame allotted to me, I nevertheless made a casting. There was not enough gypsum. To make the front part look normal, I turned the mold onto the glass. back wall the plaster sagged, holes formed in a couple of places, but the front side was molded perfectly.
I cleaned out the plasticine.
I dug up some alabaster in the bins: I covered up the holes and built up the sagging areas. When the casting froze, but not yet dry: he smoothed out irregularities and burrs with a knife, cut through the passages to the ventilation.

Soaked the casting in water with detergent for dishes to wash the fat absorbed from the plasticine from the plaster.

Thoroughly rinsed the casting and left to dry for several days.

I got hold of a new piece of glass, collected the formic and glued it with silicone.

To cover the ventilation, my daughter offered a nylon mesh. The mesh turned out to be very thin, strong and, thanks to a special weaving, had non-expanding cells. Tanya glued the nets with hot glue.

Pre-assembly

Entering the arena

Well, you can connect.

I cut a hole in the old arena and connected a new formic, pre-moistening.

I read a lot about the fact that ants are not very willing to move to a new home. To encourage relocation, many keepers are darkening the new formic. I decided to give my ants some time and leave everything as it is. They didn't make me wait long :)

The scout examined the new dwelling for a long time and carefully, constantly stopping, moving his antennae and cleaning them.

Are your nets strong? And then we have a cat :)))

Quite quickly, there were two scouts, then four. Then about six workers wandered aimlessly around the uniform for about an hour, scanning the space with their antennae and imitating daily life: they cleaned each other, tried to gnaw the nets and walls ... In the end, a military expert of the soldier was invited for examination, and then - it began! They dragged the eggs, larvae and cocoons left in a test tube. They transfer them from place to place, look for eggs and drag them to the formik. About 15 workers and one soldier are sitting with a uterus in a test tube.

Notice of the migrants: proceed with your belongings to the blue corridor

They dragged .... eeee ... robotic nannies :))) The workers dragged the twisted workers, I thought they were dragging the newly hatched, but as soon as the twisted ones were released, they jumped to their feet and started running. I think they were dragging nannies who never came out of the test tube.

I have not seen where their activation button is. Most often, after releasing, the transported got up and started to run.

But it happened that they forgot to press the activation button and the ant lay for half an hour in the same position

There are three in the arena: one soldier and two workers. The rest are all in form. In one place they try to gnaw on the wall. It turned out that they were gnawing at the wall to get building materials for laying ventilation. I missed how my mother was transferred. After she left, only the larvae, cocoons, one soldier and a group of workers remained in the test tube.

The soldier met and fed each porter who entered.

Drag cocoons

The hardest part is to drag a larva larger than an ant

They dragged away the last maggot. Three workers are sitting in a test tube - they are finishing something, and a half-soldier is sitting at the entrance. There is a soldier and one worker in the arena, the rest are all in uniform :) I covered up the two lower ventilation holes. The ants took in fresh alabaster and reduced the remaining two ventilation holes by a factor of four. All pupae and larvae were carried into a tube, only eggs were left inside. They themselves also sit inside. The passages between the chambers are quite large. Hope two holes are enough for them. At least they stopped digging :)

They gnawed fresh alabaster ...

... and sealed the top holes

I thought that all the participants in the construction would remain with their mouths sealed.

But, no - with the help of comrades, almost everyone got rid of the "seals" in the very first hours after the end of the work

All pupae were returned to formic. There is no one in the arena ... at all. One sits in a test tube. A group of 3-4 workers sometimes drops in to see him. They clean themselves there, "kiss" and leave, leaving alone.

I removed the test tube, changed the arena, and put on a large drinking bowl. The ant farm is ready :)

It is much better to observe and photograph ants through a flat glass. I was finally able to photograph the process of unpacking a newborn

Home anthill

The largest formicaria on my ant table is a three-liter jar filled almost to the top with earth. Lazius live here. Through the glass, one can see inclined passages along which streams of ants are streaming; in separate cozy closets, heaps of eggs, larvae, separately small and separately larger, piles of cocoons with pupae whiten. These are ant children of different ages, the subject of constant and touching care of the nanny ants. All the internal affairs of ants are constantly in front of my eyes, and I sit for a long time with a magnifying glass at this jar.

Books about ants usually describe a laboratory nest enclosed in a flat box with glass walls and connected by a tube with a special walk. Not everyone can make a formicarium of this design: you need to be able to do carpentry, cut glass, and not all necessary materials are at hand. And a simple bank can go into business.

For those readers who wish to keep lazius at home - these smart and funny ants, I will describe the device of the simplest indoor formicaria. The design has paid off, and I have been using it for several years now.

So, an ordinary three-liter glass jar with a plastic lid, punctured by numerous holes for ventilation of the nest (a splint for this can be made from an ordinary needle). There are also two larger holes in the lid. One serves to moisten the anthill and is plugged with a stick; a glass tube is inserted into the second (I jokingly call it an ant-chute). For this purpose, a tube made of fusible glass (sold in pharmacies), which bends easily in a flame, is best suited. gas stove or a spirit lamp. The ant pipe is bent in the shape of the letter P. The segment of this P entering the jar is short (five centimeters); at the end it is equipped with a sleeve made of a rubber tube cut obliquely from the outer end - this is the entrance to the ant pipe. It is located on the surface of the earth inside the jar. Having learned about the purpose of the entrance, the ants will not lay it. The horizontal section of the tube is 8–10 centimeters long. The same length is the descending segment P. It is also equipped with a rubber sleeve, at which the end is plugged, but a hole is cut out on the side - the exit from the glass tunnel. However, if there is no rubber tube, you can glue the nozzles from several layers of paper. Just below side hole(exit) horizontal cardboard circle with a diameter of 6 centimeters; it has a hole in the center, which is inserted into the bottom of the sleeve, just below the entrance. The glass P is inserted with its short end into the lid of the jar so that the cardboard disc is placed on the finger from the outer wall of the formicaria, otherwise the ants will climb onto the jar and scatter around the room. To prevent the lazius from slipping and falling inside the glass ant-pipe, you should breathe into the tube and immediately pour a pinch of flour. Its particles will stick to the walls and dry up - quite sufficient support for the ant's tenacious legs.

But so that they do not run away along outside tubes, I had to smash my head: neither slippery nor sticky ointments, nor odorous substances, nor "hedgehogs" made of wool and fiber stopped the ants. But a way out was found.

Above the cardboard pad, I placed three aluminum foil disks on the tube at a distance of 1–2 centimeters from each other and fixed them on the tube with glue droplets. The foil is carefully smoothed, wiped dry, so that no wrinkles or even fingerprints are left on it. There is not a single crack between the foil and the tube for an ant to crawl into; if holes do appear, they must be carefully filled with glue. After the discs are put on the tube and the glue dries, it is necessary to sprinkle each of them with talcum powder, talmanine or, at worst, powder on both sides with a soft brush.

The ants that get to the first disc cannot resist on it and immediately fall off the slippery and at the same time dusty surface onto the cardboard. To make them fall on it, and not on the table, the foil mugs are made small. It is best to do this: the bottom circle is 2.5 centimeters across, the middle 3 and the top 4 centimeters. This is in case the rogue ant still ends up on the second disc: when falling from it, it can catch on the edge of the lower one, ricochet and fly outside the cardboard area, but if the upper discs are wider, the ant will fall directly onto the cardboard. The battery of such foil insulators weaned the Lasius from climbing outside tubes already on the second or third day after opening the opening of the ant pipe. I was afraid that the ants would fall from the cardboard, but my fears were completely in vain: there were almost no accidental falls, and the lazius are afraid of jumping down on purpose. On the cardboard site, my pets received food in the form of finely chopped meat and diluted honey, which was soaked in a cotton ball. For hygienic purposes (so as not to stain the cardboard), meals were dispensed in small sinks; however, you can use any other suitable vessels such as bowls or make saucers from plasticine. This dining room my lazius mastered immediately.

From the book Ant, family, colony the author Zakharov Anatoly Alexandrovich

1. ANT AND ANT NEST Speaking of ants, we almost always mean an anthill. And this is not surprising. There are no single ants in nature. The emergence of ants is inextricably linked with the emergence of a family (community, community) of these insects. Family * [Asterisk

From the book Escape from Loneliness the author Panov Evgeny Nikolaevich

ANTHOP COLUMN IN ANTHOP Reaching a certain size, the ant family begins to split into parts, each of which is completely autonomous and is able to fully or almost completely perform all the functions necessary for a full-fledged existence. Under one

From the book Little Workers of the Mountains [Ants] the author

3. ANT NEST AND A COLONY In the previous chapter, we came to a point in the life of an ant family when the internal possibilities of the community to regulate its composition and organizational structure exhausted. Family integrity is at stake. In this critical situation,

From the book Secrets of the world of insects the author Grebennikov Victor Stepanovich

Food warehouses, plantations and livestock The stocks of honey accumulated every day in the nest of bees is the result of truly titanic work of tens of thousands of tireless workers. The material for making honey is usually the nectar of flowers - a sugary liquid,

From the book The Traveler Ant the author Marikovsky Pavel Justinovich

Anthill in the spruce Once, perhaps more than half a century ago, a large gouge was made on a healthy Christmas tree with an ax. The tree healed the wound with resin, and a ridge of bark appeared around it - "an influx". The exposed wood first dried up, then cracked and it turned out that the foresters

From the author's book

An anthill in winter Well, what, after all, in winter, not in the city, of course, but in the forest, in a large, perennial anthill? ... Thaw - in December, this happens occasionally in our area. The low winter sun is shining brightly. Bullfinches whistle quietly on the tops of the trees. Occasionally

From the author's book

An anthill in a live spruce Once upon a time, perhaps more than half a century ago, a large gouge was made on a healthy Christmas tree with an ax. Perhaps it was some kind of conventional sign of the inhabitants of the mountains or the designation of the border between different possessions. The tree healed the wound with resin, and

August 25th, 2011, 08:35 pm

As I promised, I'm talking about the successful relocation of my ant family to a new anthill :)

The resettlement began the day after I summed up the results in the last post. Since then, ants have doubled their numbers and now number about a hundred Amazons :)

1. Soldier :)

The fertilized uterus, which has discarded its wings, begins to look for a suitable secluded place for itself. If you find it, pick it up and put it in a test tube with wet cotton wool, you will become a myrmikiper;)

2. Soldier's love;)

As always, before doing something new, I started by preparing the materials. Bought a box of Ferrero chocolates, a box for beads, a hose, plasticine and a pack of plaster of paris. I started with the fact that I ate candy - it really helps brain activity :)

3. The candy box will become the arena. The top has been cut off so that the arena is well ventilated. The edges will be smeared with lip gloss so that the ants can't get out of it.

4. Cut off the partitions in the bead box, cut out holes for ventilation, humidification and entry. Made a sketch of the interior.

5. According to the sketch laid under the glass, I sculpted the interior rooms on the glass so that they used the depth of the box to the maximum, but did not reach the back wall. One chamber stands separately - this is a humidification chamber. A cocktail tube is inserted into it from above (two chambers above it have a corresponding shape for the tube to pass).

6. Assembled model without plaster.

7. To simplify the process of removing the casting from the box and to prevent the plaster from flowing through the holes already made, I laid the bottom of the box with cling film.

I suggested pouring gypsum into the box and cover with glass with a plasticine mold, squeezing out the excess gypsum. This is actually not a good idea. At least it didn't work for me. True, I have almost zero experience with plaster. The first and last time I cast a plaster mold was when I was working as a polisher in a dental clinic almost twenty years ago. I then cut out a skull from wax, about five centimeters in size, and immortalized it in dental plastic. Lost it when moving, it's a pity :(

8. Cleaned out the plasticine.

I dug up some alabaster in the bins: I covered up the holes and built up the sagging areas. When the casting froze, but not yet dry: he smoothed out irregularities and burrs with a knife, cut through the passages to the ventilation.

9. Soaked the casting in water with dishwashing liquid to wash out the fat that had been absorbed from the plasticine from the plaster.

Thoroughly rinsed the casting and left to dry for several days.

10. I got hold of a new piece of glass, collected the formic and glued it with silicone.

11. To cover the ventilation, my daughter offered a nylon mesh. The mesh turned out to be very thin, strong and, thanks to a special weaving, had non-expanding cells. Tanya glued the nets with hot glue.

12. Pre-assembly

13. Entering the arena

Well, you can connect.

14. I cut a hole in the old arena and connected a new formic, pre-moistening.

15. The scout examined the new dwelling for a long time and carefully, constantly stopping, moving his antennae and cleaning them.

16. - Are your nets strong? And then we have a cat :)))

Drag the eggs, larvae and cocoons left in a test tube. They transfer them from place to place, look for eggs and drag them to the formik. About 15 workers and one soldier are sitting with a uterus in a test tube.

17. - To the attention of the migrants: proceed with the things into the blue corridor

18. They dragged .... uhhh ... robotic nannies :))) The workers dragged the crooked workers, I thought they were dragging the newly hatched, but as soon as the crooked ones were released, they jumped to their feet and started running. I think they were dragging nannies who never came out of the test tube.

19. I did not see where their activation button is. Most often, after releasing, the transported got up and started to run.

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21. But it happened that they forgot to press the activation button and the ant lay for half an hour in the same position

I missed how my mother was transferred. After she left, only the larvae, cocoons, one soldier and a group of workers remained in the test tube.

22. The soldier met and fed each porter who entered.

23. Drag cocoons

24. The hardest part is to drag a larva larger than an ant

I covered up the two lower ventilation holes. The ants took in fresh alabaster and reduced the remaining two ventilation holes by a factor of four. All pupae and larvae were carried into a tube, only eggs were left inside. They themselves also sit inside. The passages between the chambers are quite large. Hope two holes are enough for them. At least they stopped digging :)

25. Gnawed fresh alabaster ...

26. ... and sealed the upper holes

27. I thought that all the participants in the construction would remain with their mouths sealed :(

28. But, no - with the help of comrades, almost everyone got rid of the "seals" in the very first hours after the end of the work

29. I removed the test tube, changed the arena and put on a large drinking bowl. The ant farm is ready :)

It is much better to observe and photograph ants through a flat glass. I was finally able to photograph the process of unpacking a newborn

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As well as packaging ...

36. I noticed that the worker was busy with the soldier's larva, and that it somehow moved strangely ... inside a tiny cocoon!

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39. Ants build DNA models from eggs in the air. Probably ventilate

40. Open water ants, for some reason, do not really know how to drink. Maybe it's just mine? I had to put cotton wool in the drinking bowl. So they drink and don't heat themselves :)

41. For honey syrup I put them plastic cover from bottled water. I poured boiling water over it, pushed a recess with my finger and dipped it into cold water... It turned out to be a tall saucer.

42. It turns out that the larvae have such a red fluff :)

43. I am very pleased that my ants began to eat cat food. I think this is a very healthy diet :)

44. On social justice: The soldier is undermining the worker;)

45. - Until next time :)