INCLUSIONS:

• 1 Hybrid Nest including glass, upper and lower portions
• 1 AC Test Tube
• 1 AC Test Tube Adapter (small  hole)
• 1 AC Test Tube Adapter (large hole)
• 1 AC Test Tube Adapter (for tubing connection)
• 1 AC Plug Pack™ for plugging open entrances in your Hybrid Nest 2.0™ (3 plugs total)

New, improved, larger version of our flagship formicarium. It's an ant farm designed for professional ant colony keepers.  

General Features of the Hybrid Nest™

The brand new, state-of-the-art AntsCanada Hybrid Nest™ has many new and exciting features for the ant-keeping community.

1. Genus-Specific Nest Design – It is a known fact that different ants create different nests. With this key principle in mind, the designs of the Hybrid Nests™ are inspired by the natural architecture of several ant genera in the wild. Of course chambers and tunnels are the main design structures of all ant nests, but size, length, curvature, and other factors make each nest design unique and have specific functions for maintaining the ideal nest conditions.

We have also found that ants within the same genus have similar moisture requirements, so each genus-tailored design is perfectly designed to offer the approximate moisture amount fit to the particular genus. With extensive research and hands-on experience, we believe we have matched key nest elements in the Hybrid Nest designs with those of several popular ant genera.

Specs of the Tetramorium Hybrid Nest™ Design Description: A maze-like, linear network of rectangular tunnels connected by archways forming a network of spaces like those under sidewalk blocks and pavement.

Hydration Level: 30%-50% humidity

Also suitable for: All common small ant species, including but not limited to Lasius, Solenopsis, Crematogaster, Monomorium, Pheidole, Prenolepis, Iridomyrmex, and Temnothorax. Not suitable for large ants like Camponotus or Pogonomyrmex.

Nest Area Dimensions: 8″ L x 8″ W x 1″ H

Tetramorium sp E, also known as Pavement ants

2. Hydration System Customization – The hydration system is designed to lessen the maintenance. We feel that the less you have to worry about whether your formicarium is providing the proper amounts of moisture and humidity, the better. The greatest hydration feature is that the ant keeper can use any hydration medium they prefer or any that their ants prefer, e.g. cotton, soil, plaster of paris, ytong/AAC, perlite, etc.

Simply add your hydration medium into the main hydration basin beneath the formicarium, add water to the exposed hydration basin periodically and you’re all set. You can also add a thin layer of digging medium like sand to keep humidity levels high and give your ants the chance to customize their formicarium interior.

3. Connectivity – The Hybrid Nests™ can easily connect directly to our AC test tube adapters. Once your test tube colony is ready to be moved into your formicarium, simply remove the cotton plug from the test tube and insert the test tube into an entrance – DONE! This makes moving any ant colony into your formicarium smooth and easy, as the colony has virtually no distance to travel. The ingeniously crafted entrances of the Hybrid nest also connect to both sizes of AC-standard poly tubing, making it easy to connect to other formicaria and outworlds.

4. Mold-Resistant – Mold is among an ant keeper’s worst enemies. While it may be impossible to eliminate completely, the Hybrid Nest has been designed to greatly reduce mold and to also allow for its cleanup if it does occur. Mold-resistant materials have been chosen in the Hybrid Nest construction and the base can be removed from the nest without allowing ants to escape. If the base needs cleaning or hydration medium needs to be replaced, an ant keeper can do this without worrying about ants escaping.

5. Separation Of Base From Nest – As mentioned above, the base (hydration system) and the nest can be separated without allowing ants to escape. This can come in handy when the hydration system needs cleaning or if the hydration medium needs to be replaced.

6. Heating – Many ant species thrive in a nest warmer than the temperature of an indoor room in which they are being kept. There are a few options for heating a nest. One popular way is to use an AntsCanada Heat Cable. The Hybrid Nest comes ready to accept a heat cable to provide heat for the nest. The heat cable tunnel at the top of the Hybrid Nest allows for heat to enter the top of the nest, similar to the sun heating the top of a natural nest. It is also situated to eliminate condensation which is a notoriously common issue with heated formicariums, and it also creates a desirable temperature gradient for healthy thermoregulation of your ant colony.

7. Modular – Nesting space can easily be increased by connecting additional Hybrid Nests using tubing.

8. Cover – Ants naturally feel comfortable having their nest space cloaked in darkness. Our Hybrid Nests come with a cover so you can keep your ants in the dark when you are not observing your ants.  

9. Additions: Test tube & Tubing - The Hybrid Nest™ comes with a starter test tube for your newly caught queen ant to found her colony and tubing to connect your Hybrid Nest to other your outworld and/or other formicariums.  

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VIDEOS:

RESOURCES:

Hybrid Nest™ instruction manual.

NOTE: This product is a formicarium only, and requires an outworld. Our AC Outworlds are sold separately. All our prices are in USD and we ship via USPS. If you are outside the US, we do not cover customs fees that your country may incur on packages.