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Do tworzenia naszych gniazd używamy jedynie dobrze wysezonowanego materiału z twardych gatunków tj. dąb, buk, robinia (akacja), grab, jesion, orzech, czereśnia, grusza, jabłoń, a także gatunków nie występujących w Polsce, takich jak oliwki, migdałowce, orzechy amerykańskie, paduk, iroko, meranti czy wenge.
Jeżeli zapewnimy mrówkom odpowiednio dużo przestrzeni, dostęp do wody oraz pożywienie, mrówki nie będą nawet próbowały się wydostać. W żadnym z wykonanych przez nas do tej pory gniazd, nie zdarzyło się jeszcze aby mrówki przegryzły się przez lite drewno.
Tak, wysyłamy paczki do odbiorców na całym świecie. Cena wysyłki różni się w zależności od kraju - w celu określenia kosztów prosimy o korzystanie z kalkulatora kosztów wysyłki.
Please notice that we offer free world-wide shipping for orders above 150€
Standard wooden nests are not irrigated directly – they do not have any hydration chamber into which water is poured. The best way is to attach a test tube with water directly to one of the entry holes. For larger colonies, a test tube with water or a liquid feeder placed in the arena will suffice. Some time ago we introduced to our offer nests with water reservoir. It allows to increase the humidity in the nest without direct contact of water with the wood.
Just the nest itself won’t be enough. The nest is where the queen lives and lays eggs, and where workers live and care for queen’s brood. Ants also need a space on which they forage, obtain the necessary nutrients, materials for building or sealing the nest – the outworld/arena. Just like in nature, ants take out trash and dead companions into the outworld. You need an outworld environment connected with a hose. Alternatively, you can place a nest in the outworld directly.
As standard, each of the nests has 2 holes for a hose with an outer diameter of 10 mm. Sometimes, in smaller nests, with more shallow corridors/chambers, we provide 8mm entrance holes. If You are using bigger connections in Your setup You can write to us or order a nest in the “custom nests” section.
Do produkcji naszych gniazd wykorzystujemy jedynie naturalne, ekologiczne materiały, które nie wpływają negatywnie na środowisko ani nie krzywdzą mrówek. Z tej racji gniazda zaimpregnowane są jedynie z zewnątrz naturalnym olejem lnianym. Wnętrze gniazd pozostaje surowe.
Przede wszystkim mrówki w naturze gniazdujące w drewnie czyli gatunki z rodzajów: Camponotus, Colobopsis, Tetraponera, Crematogaster, Dolychoderus, Daceton; some species of the genus Lasius, and many other species that do not require high humidity in the nest. With the introduction of nests with an hydration system to our offer, the possibility of choosing the species that you can grow in our nests has increased significantly. In fact, most of the species popular in this hobby will do well in our nests with an irrigation system. However we do not recommend species that require very specific conditions, such as Harpegnathos venator, Atta sp. or those that build specific nests themselves, such as ants of the genus Polyrhachis or Oecophylla.
Yes, but it depends on the size of the species and the nest size. Ants like limited space, so it is important to choose the right nest for the size of the colony. If the nest is too big it usually has undesirable results. The ants may feel distressed and the colony may stop growing. If there is too much space, they will probably want to limit or separate it. Then they might use everything they find in the arena, littering the nest in that way. They can also use organic debris – which may cause mold or mite growth. We do recommend to wait for your colony to “grow” out of the test tube and reach the size of a few or a dozen workers. In our offer You can find a nest with one or two chambers though that can be used for a starting colony. Please remember that it is crucial to provide your ants with a water source.
During transport, ants may have been exposed to stress due to shocks and changing weather conditions such as temperature. For a start, carefully take them out of the box and put them in a quiet, dark place. Let them acclimatize to room temperature for several hours. After this time, you can introduce the ants to your set, connect them to a new nest, or connect them to the arena at first, so that you can freely provide them with food.
If the journey has been long, your ants may be hungry or thirsty in addition to being stressed. Remember to provide them with a water source at the beginning. Then you can feed them with sunburst ant nectar, honey or agave syrup and a source of protein (cockroaches, crickets, mealworms). If you only have a queen, a tiny drop of honey will do. Your colony may not want to eat at all at first. This is perfectly normal, especially if the colony is small. Give them time to settle in. There are species that will not want sugar at all. So let’s do some research on the specific species you intend to breed.
Tak, to absolutnie normalne zachowanie. W każdej kolonii wygląda to inaczej. Mogą wprowadzić się po 5 minutach, 5 godzinach, 5 dniach czy 5 tygodniach.
Jeżeli trwa to na tyle długo, że nie chcesz już czekać, możesz delikatnie im pomóc. Nie każda metoda zawsze działa, ale możesz spróbować kilku sposobów:
a) Nie nawadniaj starego gniazda lub poczekaj aż skończy się woda w probówce. Wtedy mrówki powinny przeprowadzić się same, jeżeli źródło wody będzie podpięte bezpośrednio do nowego gniazda.
b) Skieruj mocne światło lampki na probówkę z mrówkami lub na stare gniazdo. Stosuj lampki z żarówką LED (lub takiej, która nie wytwarza ciepła). Jednocześnie zaciemnij ich nowy „dom” by zachęcić je do przeprowadzki.
W przypadku zwykłych lampek pamiętaj, aby nie zbliżać za blisko żarówki do probówki/starego gniazda, ponieważ może to spowodować niebezpieczny wzrost temperatury wewnątrz.
c). Slowly approach the old nest with a cold, frozen object. Be especially careful with this method and check how the ants react often – especially exotic species. In some cases, very cold temperatures can even kill the queen.
Hibernation is the period during which the colony goes into a state of rest. it has a positive effect on the condition of the queen and the development of the entire colony. Thanks to hibernation, we do not disturb the natural life cycle of a colony as it occurs in nature. If the species you are breeding comes from an area where winter occurs, hibernate it at 5-8 degrees Celsius. For example, in a refrigerator or an unheated garage. We are talking then about deep hibernation. Ants living in regions with a slightly milder climate, such as southern Europe, can spend the winter on a cold window sill or attic, where the temperature drops to 14-15 degrees Celsius.
Tak, możesz. Szczególnie jeżeli hibernujesz mrówki w garażu, na strychu, w komórce. Jeżeli hibernujesz w lodówce – rekomendujemy wykorzystywać do tego nowoczesne lodówki typu „no frost” aby ograniczyć dostęp wilgoci i lodu.
Pamiętaj o podpięciu źródła wody na cały okres hibernacji. Sprawdzaj je regularnie co kilka tygodni.
NO!
Don’t do this, especially if you are not an experienced antkeeper! There are species whose several or a dozen queens can start a colony together. They call it polyginism. However such situations are much rarer than colonies with one queen. There are species, such as Lasius niger, whose queens tolerate each other at first, lay their eggs and look after their brood together. But usually after a few weeks or months, the strongest queen kills the rest. The workers can also do this, choosing the one they deem the strongest. It is impossible to predict exactly whether or not this will happen, so we strongly do not recommend this type of experiment. There is no point in exposing your ants to unnecessary danger.
Different species of ants will immediately recognize each other as potential threats to their colonies and will instinctively react aggressively to each other.
Carbohydrates and protein – this is, in short, an answer to the question of what ants need to successfully develop their colony. They need protein food primarily for the proper growth of their offspring and the transition to the next stages of development (egg – larva – pupa – imago), as well as the queen in order to stimulate her to lay eggs. Adult workers need carbohydrates so that they have enough energy to do all the work for the colony.
For carbohydrate sources, you can include honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, sunburst ant nectar rich in electrolytes, and pieces of fruit. Crickets, cockroaches, fruit flies, mealworms will be suitable as sources of protein.
Remember that it all depends on the species you breed. Not all species will be interested in every type of food, so it is worth checking at the beginning what will be the favorite delicacy of your colony. Remember that constant access to water is crucial for the proper development of your colony!
We take great care that the package is well protected against possible crushing and that the ants are best protected against temperature changes. Long journeys are well tolerated by most species. In winter, packages containing ants are additionally secured with a heatpack.
Making a wooden ant nest yourself is possible, but it requires having at least a few carpentry tools and basic skills in using them. The wood can be pre-sized using a table saw or handsaw. However, the most important tool for cutting out chambers is a top-spindle milling machine, which requires some strength and skill to be able to work safely. Various types of grinders, a dremel multi-grinder, a jigsaw and sandpaper of various gradations are very useful. If you like tinkering and DIY projects, you can try making such a nest at home or in the garage. Remember about basic safety issues such as safety goggles and hearing protectors.
However, making an aesthetic, beautiful nest for ants requires experience and many attempts. At the beginning, you will not avoid mistakes. You also need to know what wood to use and how to prepare it. That’s why we encourage you to take advantage of our offer. We have come a long way and have already developed our own working methods. For several years we have learned how to search, select and process wood. Our artistic approach and attention to finishing details guarantee that the nests in our offer will give you a lot of satisfaction from their use and will certainly decorate any interior.