big formicarium (80x30x40cm) with a large Lasius niger colony (about 4 000 workers)

[ERuBI13]

did it take long to make it ?

[ERuBI13]

i do tht

[sanzenkoan111]

THATS F'IN MINT!lmao  :D

I want one!!!!! :D

[polishkid666]

cześć jak się masz, do you think you could give me advice on how to build an ant tank like that? I have a tank very similar to the size you have there, but I do not know how u keep the ants towards the glass like that. If i put a piece of glass an inch from the front, what will keep my ants from digging behind it somewhere else in the tank?

[warofthewalruses]

how do you make one of these?

[nartron3000]

this foo got a song to match the video! lmao and its rap

[theoryg]

Now that is a showcase on many levels.

[StrayFire]

what is that hole in the left for? how did you build that formicarium? do you have a report with pictures of how you crafted this?

[Treefrogbc1]

lol a load of ants :p btw awesome formicarium. You give your ants a lot of space which is nice ^_^

[Samaflame]

jw, does that get you any pussy? cause girl love my lizard, im wondering if a fat tank of ants is pretty useful too

[12HENSON12]

what do ya feed all them lil buggers ?

[jesseomar2]

HOLY SHIT



[UnseenEntityMetal]

mad educational yo!!!....dat shit make a nigga smart

[crzy2u]

"Mom! I want ants for Christmas!"

[mrgangster69]

some ppl have pet dogs and cats, others are a little more odd with snakes and lizards, but this guys has a pet ant colony. i thought id seen it all

[froggy10145]

how long did it talk you to make that??

[OanaTheMeerkat]

if i had an ant farm i would have never slept nest to my ants. I don't think them as pets and to say it clearly, they give me the creeps

[ChicagoFan32]

The symmetry is amazing.

[SaltusEtiam]

What was the thing in the left corner that you pulled out and how does it work?

[SuperBisop]

Ej a jak zrobic żeby mrowki wykopały sobie gniazda przy szybie??

[donkriegnaszojcze]

@SuperBisop to jest formikarium gipsowe, wiec korytarze juz sa gotowe. W korkowym lub ziemnym, ograniczasz je dwoma szybami, tak, że mają tylko ok 1 cm przestrzeni między nim.

[Obot112]

did you make it or buy it?

[mrcattleman9001]

do u have a queen ant in there

[Praumax]

Thats awesome, i got a small aquarium, not so small, but i am thinking of the same thing like you did on yours, will it work if im just grabbing some ants from my backyard?

[147Andrus]

I have an idea for summer ::D

[TriggerHappyBum]

Jesus how long did it take you to bulid this and get 4,000 ants?

[rjc34]

@TriggerHappyBum You only need to start with a few. They breed to 4000 :)

[Spuddsishere]

now...to add... an AADVARK!

[arturro1271]

Aż dziwne że tego filmiku nie przejęli polacy.

[RoPEK123xd]

@arturro1271

wstawil go Polak wiec nie ma sensu przejmowac :) pozwolmy obcokrajowcom ogladac to arcydzielo

[jamalking90]

BORING



[drewski4144]

song really sucks

[talonbeymaster]

the ants didnt dig its a plaster mold

[Thrallsbuddy]

are these platforms created by you or the ants? and the holes... did they choose where to dig or was it the only digable place?

[Barricade]

dude, if you had an earthquake, you would be so, so, screwed.

[DrewPicklesOgre]

how many ants were there when u just got them?

[DrewPicklesOgre]

can you do more ant videos?

[mac10071993]

Gratulacje :) Wspaniałe formikarium :)

[MrCaRealtor]

what happens if they dig in the middle? lol

[rougeshadow246]

you are an ant rapist

[TheGaleGert]

how long did it take the ants to build that thing ? and how many did you put there ?

[keyofdavid888]

INSTA MUTE

[sebbeas123]

lol "niger colony" xD-

[TheGaleGert]

That is just brutal ! its like "why didnt i get that idea" Awsome dude props from Denmark !

[xXPye]

umm...

[Carterr555]

your music sucks ass hole

[sleepymasterthe1]

wow your ant farm is the best I seen .

Nice .

[combatcurtful]

THUMBS UP FOR ANT RAP!!!!!

[TheSurferdude38]

while i was watching this video is was bit by a fire ant :/

[glenshepard]

Did ever have that weird phenomenon happen that the ants just disappear. I read that ant colonies have a life span that after a while they disappear.

[samymasta]

@glenshepard Nothing disappear in life bro,it only converts...

[PTHinata2606]

hii :D im planing to do one lik yours so i was wondering how u keep them in the ground? not going up the glass D: plss awnser :)

[idemSOUL]

how did u make it?



[peaceablerook]

so do you have to feed the ants or what. just wondered how you keep them alive

[ThePromoSkill]

Imagine if that thing broke...HOLY CRAP

[Cyc0de]

@ThePromoSkill lol i have think the same :D!

[DestructoMonkey]

I initially read this as "Big Fornicarium"...

[nikko4913]

how do you keep ants inside. I can see there is a hole in the top

[cikuuzis]

What is that white material you are using for those ant chambers? Alabaster?

[c4rizz]

Thats way more interesting than a fishtank!

[987EAC]

fukin sick great job

[MirmecolismoBrasil]

Hey, can you please make a tutorial or at least how did you carve it? I wonder if the ytong powder don't stick in the ant's leg... Cause I made one with plaster and that white powder sticks in their legs... Have you used varnish or what?

[breakingdownthewalls]

that would suck if it broke somehow

[mandrade711m]

oh what and how do you feed them?

[mandrade711m]

You should make a tutorial, I got an empty 50 fish tank and I think ants are cooler and easier to take care of instead of fish. What kind of sand you use, where and how can I get that many ants. You ever throw in other bugs to mess with them?

[AnneAulisRobin]

sooo cooool *-*

[golasalle190]

You'll be screwed if the glass breaks

[gabriel75350]

Ja PIERDOLE ALE WYJEBISTE TY TO MASZ TESZ MAM ALE MNIEJSZE TROSZEKE

[101stairborneparatro]

Holy crap that's a lot of ants

[CapaciousCore]

@socolovsky co to za nuta bo widze, wiele osob sie pytalo ale nie uzyskalo odpowiedzi.

[socolovsky]

@CapaciousCore Ten kawałek to Army Ants autorstwa Phonetic Composition.

[CapaciousCore]

@socolovsky Dziekuje slicznie i mam taka sugestie. Jak publikujez jakis film z nuta, ktorej nie da sie rozpozac szybko to podawaj autora/track ;-) Probowalem znalezc po liryce ale nie moglem jakos trafic :/

[itzNicholasLe]

how many gallons it that tank?

[socolovsky]

@itzNicholasLe It's 25 gallons.

[PunkStar6661]

That's awesome, I'd come over everyday just to see your ant farm :P

[hobosrfunny]

lol niger callony

[TheSovietBears]

song name lol? nice fornicarium thingy lol 

[socolovsky]

@TheSovietBears Army Ants by Phonetic Composition

[eyeoftiger101]

What if you get a crack in the tank and they swarm your bed? That's what'd I'd be scared of D:

[Kerokittycat]

The video is cool once you mute it

[kartonburn]

robi wrażenie tylko żeby ci nie wylazły z akwarium bo bedzie problem. Bardzo ładne

[0thRside]

Definetly large ;)

[DemonsLite]

Can u tell me how you got this the entire tanks and nests?

[socolovsky]

@DemonsLite I built it myself:).

[Ripped4lyfe]

@socolovsky the ants are separate from the rest of the tank right? How did you get them to nest right next to the glass?

[adrianchen19888]

What wil happen when the mating season comes? cos there will be lots of queens born right? and they will cly everywhere in ur box?

[BobyChanMan]

Song?



[8SQ]

how many gallons is this

[Mumford094]

song???

[FoGames1]

Hey man please what is the name of this song ??? thx----great work ;)

[ertesdfds]

How often do you fed them, and have they had their nuptial flight yet? :)

[exohItsLAUREN]

 you cant even see the back wall

[crangesJ]

i wish i could have one of those thanks :(

[lobsterfork]

I think this is very cool. i aspire to have one of these.

[BradySayre]

Whats that thing you pulled out then put back in?!?!

[GhillieRaider]

... i can build one in a coka-cola bottle ...

[crangesJ]

@GhillieRaider Can you really? thats cool how?

[GhillieRaider]

@crangesJ are you taking the mick or do you realy want to know how?

[crangesJ]

@GhillieRaider i would kinda like too know a little bit about how you did it. if you dont mind

[GhillieRaider]

@crangesJ theres a usefull vid,

type in how make a ant farm, there should be a vid at the top from howcast

hope it helps, send ma a vid of the finished farm :)

[crangesJ]

@GhillieRaider k thanks, if i am able to do it i will show you it. so accept my freind request, thanks again so much.

[GhillieRaider]

@crangesJ no problam

[uJackMeHoff2]

What did you use for the ground?? is that sand

[voldigar777]

k wapo!!

[uJackMeHoff2]

send me a messge how you made that? please

[mindfuqq]

Could you make two colonies fight?

[bob474100]

you should so do a tutorial for how you did this

[ableite]

imagine this shit breaking while you are on a travel and theres no one at home.

[socolovsky]

@ableite Tanks usually don't break spontaneously:P.

[Cesaritismo]

@ableite hahaha

[93Gamerz]

cool, how big can the colony be?

whats that food in the blue plastic thing?

[BradySayre]

@93Gamerz thats water

[MrWilsonres5]

this could be a infenet food supply for a pet lizerd

[gojlad]

gratuluję ci takiego formikarium i szczerze zazdroszczę. chyba też sobie takie zrobię:p

[socolovsky]

@gojlad Dzięki:-)

[Trimlabu]

Wow!, could you make a video on how you made this? :)

[socolovsky]

@Trimlabu If I build simmilar formicarium one more time, than I will think about making a tutorial video :-).

[togethergutlesss]

@socolovsky you should do vids of a new tank like that and show a new ant qween from day one and make the vids 30mins long :p i could watch these guys for hrs

[Shavenhamster]

How do you hybernate that big setup

[MrNollKoll]

Very beautiful, I was inspired try to built a small one myself but I´m totaly a beginner into this.

My question is! As I understod, the water you add into that hole

is not for drinking but to maintain an correct humidity ?

Is the water from that watercontainer just drained into the Ytong then

by itself, how does it work? Does all Ytong need to be wet or just some parts of it to keep the right humidity ? Hope you understand what I try to ask :)

[socolovsky]

@MrNollKoll You are correct, the water added through this hole is to maintain proper humidity. However, when the temperature slightly decreases, during the night for example, some of the water in the air inside of the nest becomes liquid and forms tiny droplets on the glass, so that ants can drink it. This amount of drinking water is not enough though, so I place some water sources on the arena.

[socolovsky]

The Ytong absorbs water from the container by itself thanks to its porous structure. The entire Ytong shouldn't be wet, becouse ants need some wet and dry chambers as well. The capillary forces that allow the water to go upwards the Ytong are reduced by gravity forces. Thanks to this, the lower parts of Ytong are more wet than the upper parts.

[socolovsky]

In order to maintain a perfect humidity gradient, you may cut Ytong in 2 parts, than bind them together using a special glue. If you do so, only this half of the nest that has contact with water in the container will absorb water.

[mierenboy20]

put your hand inside that

[Criocrater]

about 4000???, never... there are about 10000!!!

[Nymphe73]

Wow! That's a great setup. How old is the colony? And do you let them hibernate in winter? (I'd figure that tank isn't easy to carry outside or into a cool room.)

[gtariman03]

@SPOOKWAFFLE2 not really.. unless if their carpenter ants you really do need so burn it or theyll damage your house

[kinghazelnuts]

Bro ur ant farm is bad ass. I want to make one like that.. do u have any tips?

[socolovsky]

@kinghazelnuts What exactly would you like to konow?

[gtariman03]

@socolovsky where did you get the whole thing?

[socolovsky]

@gtariman03 I built it myself :-)

[gtariman03]

@socolovsky nice very nice.. check mine out. it really sucks but im going to improvi it as soon as i get more money

[OakOsuv]

@socolovsky How

[MyStrangeAnimals]

@socolovsky not your nest, i mean your substrate. is that sand?

[socolovsky]

@MyStrangeAnimals Yes, it's normal terrarium sand which you can buy in any petshop. It's called "Gobi Desert", but I suppose, that the name refers to its coluor rather than to its orgin:P.

[MyStrangeAnimals]

@socolovsky Ah... and another question, why are just 20-30 workers in the arena searching for food, and the rest above 3900 worker in the nest?? Oo

[socolovsky]

@MyStrangeAnimals Recently quiet a lot of larvae are rising in the nest, so the colony needs a lot of food to feed them. That's why the number of workers foraging on the arena is now bigger than you can see in my video. However, it's still just about 5-10% of colony's population, rest of the workers stay in the nest.

[MyStrangeAnimals]

@socolovsky what for a substrate do you use??

[socolovsky]

@MyStrangeAnimals 

I used YTONG.

[MyStrangeAnimals]

@socolovsky not your nest, i mean your substrate (the ground)

[MyStrangeAnimals]

LOL... at 0:00 - 0:11 i just thoughed you painted your y-tong in black so that you can better watch the eggs . but att 0:12 i saw that the black colour the ants are :D

[jtlol619]

AWESOME !!

[DannyT994]

Man.. I have seen a lot of ants until now... And I think that this is the best looking formicarium yet. Keep up a good work. And let me ask... do you use chemicals, to maintain them inside the glass tank or you use mechanical obsticles? (I wanna start my own so I need some hints)

[socolovsky]

@DannyT994

The upper edges of the tank and the bottom of this horizontal shelf lieing on the top are covered with talcum in order to prevent ants from escaping. It is also very important to feed them well, than they do not try to escpae very often:).

[DannyT994]

@socolovsky thenks man, and one last think, can I make a horisontal formicarium (I mean chambers) for lasius niger?

[socolovsky]

@DannyT994 Yes:).

[Theethruth]

i have to say that is the best formicarium i have ever seen, (and i haven't seen many=p) i am not a fan of insects or pets all together but i wouldn't mind buying one identical to yours and starting with only a queen

[robertadamplant]

further more... and I would greatly appreciate a reply for this (r.a.plant@hotmail.com), what do you do around mating season, when the virgin queens and the males are ready for their nuptial flights? I have often wondered what to do when that time comes, and with a formicarium of this size, and with an open top, no less, I figured you will have first hand experience. Thank you in advance.

[robertadamplant]

what is that cone you pulled out of the front left of the basin area? I'm hugely impressed with your formicarium.

[socolovsky]

@robertadamplant

That thing is a plug closing the water container.

[Widowmaker991]

no no no... there aren't 4000 workers, there are 10000 at least!!! i have a colony with 800 workers of lasius niger, it is 3 years, and not even one fifth of your!!!

[Theethruth]

what happens when the colony gets very big and you can't take care of it anymore? 

[socolovsky]

@Theethruth

The number of ants that are born is more or less the same as the number of workers that die out, so the colony population doesn't grow really fast.

[formicarium]

how old is this colony?

[AAOCFORLIFE]

is your name by any chance lucas socolovsky

[AAOCFORLIFE]

is your name by any chance lucas solklavosky

[socolovsky]

@AAOCFORLIFE

You are almost right- it's Lukasz Sokolowski:). Why are you asking?

[AAOCFORLIFE]

@socolovsky Because on ants canada introducting a social parasite antscanada talked about you you live in polland im pretty sure?

[socolovsky]

@AAOCFORLIFE

Yes, you're right. I hope that my clues about starting a colony of social parasite were useful for you:).

[AAOCFORLIFE]

@socolovsky Yeah they were and I cant wait till it stops raining at my place to catch a social parasite queen but then i need host workers or else PROPAGANDA WAR bettwen queens!

[imsuretheresawayto]

@socolovsky At 1:00 what is that for?

[Y3R0CC0R3Y]

@imsuretheresawayto the ytong must be ''wet'' on some places

[Dimunic]

@socolovsky Question--- I just acquired to queen ants which have no wings-- found them u nder bricks. Looks to me like carpenter queen ants. What tank size is your terrarium right now? I have a 29g will that work? And how did you do that tunneling thing so that you can see all the workers and the queen? I'd love to do that...

[socolovsky]

@Dimunic The size of formicarium should be adjusted to the size of your colony. Ants don't feel good if their nest is too big, it may couse some problems to them, l for example difficulties with maintaining proprer humidity. If you start with a single queen, you should keep her in specially prepeared test tube (search the Internet, you will surely find some clues how to to that).

[DemonsLite]

peculiar decorations, pinecones with a desert backround?

[AllahuAlAhad]

To Ty byłeś wczoraj w Angorze??

[socolovsky]

@AllahuAlAhad Tak:).

[yoyopiemonk]

nice!!!! i want one but of all the ants why this paticular species?

[sneak305]

Siemka, wiesz co jestem amatorem a chciabym załozyc hodowle , mam formicarium i poczytałem o tym sporo w internecie nie wiem tylko jednego gdy w formicarium jest juz wszystko zrobione to jak wpuścic kolenie? wpuscic do niego kilka mrówek z królową czy sama królową i skad ja wziaśc. I czy trzeba drążyc mrówką jakies kanały czy raczej same zrobią. Czyli poprostu jak założyc hodowle w formikarium? z góry wielkie dzięki:):):):)

[ferrariace5]

hi what did u use to make the nesting area?

[socolovsky]

@ferrariace5

The nest is made of YTONG.

[antdude]

Wow. Nice. I would like to see more close up shots of the underground. I wonder how old that nest is. Imagine it getting moldy and stuff. Ugh.

[xizhenoob]

why do you need to keep the ytong wet?