Ant nest with a 190 mm hydration base

Ant nest with a 190 mm hydration base

SUMMARY

18 single-entrance chambers, winding corridors, four Ø10 ports and a removable acrylic cover secured with M3 screws.

DESCRIPTION

A horizontal ant nest designed from scratch. It combines an 18-chamber nest body, a weight-reduced hydration base, a clip-free side water reservoir and removable covers.

Shown in use with Messor barbarus. Suitability for other species depends on their size and nesting requirements.

Each chamber has one entrance to the corridor network. Internal walls rise 12 mm above a 2 mm floor. A continuous perimeter ledge and ten reinforced mounting points support the clear acrylic sheet. Screws fasten into M3 brass heat-set inserts.

The outer frame accommodates a 172 × 172 × 2 mm clear acrylic sheet and a 172 × 172 × 3 mm red acrylic sheet. The red sheet rests above the screw heads, underneath the opaque cover. Neither acrylic sheet is 3D printed.

MAIN DIMENSIONS

Base: 190 × 190 × 12.5 mm.

Nest body: 179 × 179 × 23.5 mm.

Opaque cover: 178 × 178 × 10 mm.

Side reservoir: 34.25 × 80 × 32 mm, with a Ø9.8 mm outer / Ø6 mm inner nozzle.

Optional small reservoir: 39 × 40 × 30 mm including its nozzle; matching lid 31.6 × 41.6 × 8 mm.

Four Ø10 mm ports in the nest walls.

Nominal humid zone: a 53.4 mm-wide strip, approximately 30% of the body.

The 190 × 190 mm footprint refers to the base, not the assembly with the side reservoir installed.

FILES

Print one of each of the six production STLs. The separate calibration coupon is a test piece, not part of the assembled nest.

To use the small reservoir, replace the large reservoir and its lid with the two STLs in the small-reservoir folder. Printing both sizes is unnecessary. The small version has a raised outlet and a loose resting lid without a locating ring; see SMALL-RESERVOIR.txt for positioning and limitations.

The SVG and DXF templates mark the ten hole centres in the clear acrylic sheet. They do not specify a drill diameter. Print the SVG at 100% and check its 100 mm reference before marking the sheet.

See PRINTING-GUIDE.txt for settings, ASSEMBLY-GUIDE.txt for dimensions and assembly coordinates, and MATERIALS.txt for the additional parts. The printing archives contain plain-text MD copies of the two guides.

ADDITIONAL PARTS

• One 172 × 172 × 2 mm clear acrylic sheet.

• One 172 × 172 × 3 mm red acrylic sheet.

• Ten M3 brass heat-set inserts, Ø4 mm outside diameter and 4 mm long.

• Ten M3×6 screws with a Ø7 mm flange and a 1.7 mm-high head.

• Sponge for the reservoir outlet and suitable closures for unused ports; port plug STLs are not included.

• A soldering iron with an insert installation tip, drilling tools and a suitable screwdriver.

PRINTING

Starting configuration: PETG+, a 0.4 mm nozzle and a 200 × 200 mm bed. The largest part occupies 190 × 190 mm; also check the space needed for brim, purge and slicer travel.

Use 0.20 mm layers for the body and covers, and 0.15 mm layers for the base and reservoir. Water-contact walls and floors must be solid. Leak-test both water containers for 24 hours before use.

The instructions provide starting settings for each part, not universal settings. No G-code or universal slicer profile is supplied.

Print the calibration coupon first to check the insert holes and hydration pores with the intended printer and material.

HYDRATION PORE LIMITATION

The Ø0.5 mm hydration pores may print partially or completely closed on some 3D printers or with some print settings. Check that they are open on both the coupon and the final part before using the nest. Do not enlarge them without a suitable barrier to prevent the smallest workers from passing through.

ASSEMBLY AND USE

Test the inserts on the coupon before installing them in the body. Install them square to the surface, with their tops 0.2 mm below the acrylic support plane.

The clear acrylic sheet shown was drilled manually using a brad-point wood drill bit.

Screws must pass freely through the acrylic and engage only the brass inserts. Tighten gently and gradually by hand. Do not use the screws to flatten a warped sheet.

Centre the body in the base, align all four ports with the notches, and fit the reservoir on the side shown in the assembly guide. Start with 15 ml of water in the reservoir; do not fill it to the rim.

The reservoir lids rest on their rims and are not hermetic seals. Outlet sponge is not a substitute for a tested escape barrier. Close unused ports and check the assembly before introducing a colony.

IMAGES

Real photographs show the interior, acrylic sheets, screws and an installed colony. They are assembly examples, not a guarantee of identical results on every printer.

Images in the renders folder are CAD views, not photographs of printed parts.

LICENSE

CC0 1.0 Universal permits copying, modification, printing, redistribution and commercial use without permission or an attribution requirement, to the extent permitted by law. See LICENSE.txt.