Anthill at home

Did you know that all the ants in an anthill - girls? Even harsh, militant-looking men, in fact, the soldier's wife. Boys ants are only required at the time of reproduction and only once! (And if this time will be a failure?) During the breeding season the winged princes and princesses leave the anthill in search of a partner. After mating, the princess cast the wings, and the princes of skates ... :( And then once the female carries the eggs for about twenty years !!! By the way, no other insect in the world does not live as long as the queen ant. True worker ants live one to five years.

Fertilized, throwing wings uterus begins to look for a suitable hiding place. If you find, will pick up and plant it in a test tube with a wet cotton swab, you will become mirmikiperom;)

Soldatka

Thus, in vitro, we became a bit crowded. Camponotus fellah ants are quite large. Working around a centimeter in length, and mamashka and soldiers twice larger. More than forty workers from already struggling offspring were placed in a test tube, and I decided to build ant farm (artificial anthill). The principle is simple - pour drink so you need to cast from plaster or plaster block with ready passages and rooms that will have access to the arena, and the ability to humidify the ventilation design. Information on the Internet sea! And with all this, the first time always act.

A box of chocolates will be at the scene. The top is cut to the arena is well ventilated. The edges will be missed the mark lip gloss to the ants could not get out of it.

Cut off walls in a box for beads, cut holes for ventilation, humidification and input. He made a sketch of the interior.

According to the sketch position under the glass, the glass molded interior so they made the most of the depth of the box, but did not reach the back wall. One camera stands alone - a humidification chamber. At the top it is inserted into the tube for cocktails (two cameras on it have the appropriate form for the passage of the tube).

Model assembly without plaster.

To simplify the process of taking out the casting out of the box and to prevent leakage through the plaster already made holes, put the bottom of the box with cling film.

I assumed pour plaster into the box and cover glass to form clay squeeze excess plaster. In fact it is not a good idea. At least I did not succeed. However, experience with the cast I have almost zero. The first and last time I cast a plaster mold when he worked in the polisher stomatpoliklinike almost twenty years ago. I then cut a wax skull, the size of five centimeters, and immortalized it in the dental plastic. I lost it when moving, really sorry :(

So, the first batch began to harden sooner than I stuck shape. For me it was a complete surprise, and in trying to pursue the case, I crushed glass: (... but still, we are not accustomed to retreat ... © Using as a glass piece of plastic cut from a box of chocolates and the remains of plaster, about presenting the allotted me time frame, I still did the casting. Gypsum had not enough. To the front part turned out okay I turned the form on the glass. The rear wall plaster dipped in a couple of places formed a hole, but the front side otlilas great.

Scrub clay.

I dig in a little bins alabaster: smeared holes and boosted sagging areas. When the casting is frozen, but still is not dry: the knife completely level uneven parts and hangnails, cut through the ventilation passages.

Soak the cast in water and detergent for dishes to wash the gypsum soak plasticine fat.

Thoroughly rinsed casting and left for a few days to dry out.

Get hold of a new piece of glass, Formica collected and glued with silicone.

To cover the ventilation daughter offered nylon mesh. The grid was very thin, and durable, thanks to its special weaving, had not slidding cell. Tanya also taped grid and hot glue.

Pre-assembly

Entering the arena

Well, you can connect.

He cuts in the old arena hole and connect the new Formica, pre-moistened.

I read a lot about what the ants are not very willing to move into a new home. To stimulate the migration of many keepers obscure new Formica. I decided to give her a little time to ants leaving everything as it is. The long wait, they can not make me :)

Scout long and carefully examined the new home, constantly stopping, moving and cleaning their antennae.

A grid you strong? And then we have a cat :)))

Pretty soon the scouts became two, then four. Then, about six workers about an hour roamed the Formica scanning antennae space and simulating everyday life: clean each other, we tried to gnaw the grid and wall ... In the end, he was invited to inspect the soldiers and military expert here - has begun! Drag and drop the eggs, larvae and cocoons left in the tube. To shift them from place to place, looking for eggs and drag in Formica. Pieces 15 workers and one soldier sitting in a test tube to the uterus.

Attention migrating: to follow things in blue corridor

Drag ... eeee ... robot nannies :))) Workers dragged crooked working, I thought that they dragged the newly hatched, but as soon as the gnarled released, they jumped to their feet and began to run. I think that they dragged nurses who never came out of the tube.

I did not see where they activate the button. Most often, after releasing transported got up and started running

But it happens that the activation button and press the forgotten ant with half an hour lying in the same position

On stage three: one soldier and two workers. The rest are in Formica. At one point, trying to chew on the wall. It turned out that the wall they bite to obtain building materials for laying ventilation. I missed both transferred Mothers. After her departure in the tube were only larvae, cocoons, one of the soldiers and the small group of workers.

Soldier meet and feed each incoming porter.

Drag cocoons

The hardest part - to drag ant larva larger than

Dragged the last larva. In vitro sit three workers - eats something and half-soldiers sitting at the entrance. In the arena of soldiers and one worker, the rest are in Formica :) close up the bottom two ventilation holes. Ants fresh plaster and scored four times reduced the remaining two ventilation holes. All pupae and larvae are carried into the tube, just inside the left egg. Sami also sit inside. The passages between the chambers are quite large. I hope that they have enough of the two holes. At least stop digging :)

Vygryzli fresh plaster ...

... And closed up the top holes

I thought that all the participants of construction will remain a lead-sealed mouths

But, no - with the help of his comrades got rid of almost all the "seal" in the first hours after the completion of

All the dolls back in Formica. At one stage ... in general. One sits in vitro. To it sometimes looks a group of 3-4 workers. They're clean, "kiss" and go left one.

Removed tube changed the arena and put a big water bottle. Ant Farm is ready :)

Through the smooth glass to observe and photograph the ants much better. Finally able to take a picture of the process of unpacking newborn

As well as packing ...

I noticed that the worker is busy with larva soldier, and that in a strange move ... inside tonyusenkoy cocoon!

Ants build air model of DNA from the eggs. Ventilate probably

Open water ants, for some reason, did not really know how to drink. Maybe it's just my? I had to put them in cotton wool trough. So they drink and drown themselves :)

For honey syrup, put them on the plastic cover of bottled water. He poured boiling water over her, pushing a finger recess and dipped in cold water. Get high saucer.