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Hello! This is my first colony and I'm running into some issues I don't know how to resolve.
Firstly, my set up is a 20x30x10cm arena with some 50/50 sand+loam mix, with a few random tiny clay pebbles (all bought from another antstore) scattered about, and a few sticks (I washed and microwaved them for a while to kill any nasties) with a tube connecting to a vertical nest, 20x30x1.4cm which is covered, moist, and dark. with the same 50/50 mix and some clay at the bottom with a flat water tube to provide a resovoir.
Now, that's my set up done.
My queen arrived today, and her test tube was in an awful state, there was no water, and the cotton was filthy, so I set her down in the arena inside the tube, and unstopped the opening. Immediately she left the tube and seemingly refuses to go back in, what she does do however, is hang upside down on one of the sticks inside the arena...which is where she has stayed since.
She seemed to clean herself at one point, and every hour or so she looks around the lip of the stick she's under (this is quite far off the floor of the tank so I would not assume she wants to nest there however it is shaded)
...What do? Is it alright to simply leave my queen where she is and assume she will travel to the dark nest eventually? I've set up water and sugar water in the arena, working on getting some form of protein for her. I won't be able to get my hands on any insects today however I do have some beef/chicken/pork meat available, can I just give her that in the mean time?
ANY help will be appreciated, hopefully I can keep her alive and post updates on this colony as it grows.
Thanks.
Clean out her old test tube, If she has no workers. its to early for her to be in big set up as she may not settle in there.
when in test tube you can at entrance blocked off with cotton can feed her a little honey watered down on end of it.
She's back in a test tube setup now, gave her some sugar water and bunged up the opening with cotton. She went a bit apeshit tearing at the cotton on both sides but it appears she's calmed down. She's just immobile.
She's back in a test tube setup now, gave her some sugar water and bunged up the opening with cotton. She went a bit apeshit tearing at the cotton on both sides but it appears she's calmed down. She's just immobile.
She will bite and try and dig at both ends as its instinct they have to dig a hole to settle in.
I hope she settles, may take 3 or 4 days also cover test tube up so its fully dark, ant queens like it dark as they hate any light.
Then just keep checking on her now and then and water in test tube or any dangers she could have done with pulling at cotton.
Also she may eat her own eggs, This is normal as she may only feed 2 or 4 of them to be come full larvae to ant and as she lays more eggs her worker ants
well then take over queens most of job ot feeding them once they larvae with out eating eggs, that's as colony grows.
Checked on my queen to find her curled up dead inside her tube, I have no idea what might have happened or if I could have prevented it, any ideas?
Checked on my queen to find her curled up dead inside her tube, I have no idea what might have happened or if I could have prevented it, any ideas?
I Don't know :cry: they some times die when they fully healthy. had this with Lasius niger , She settled layed eggs then as eggs was larvae
queen was dead when I last checked curled up #-o it can happon.
Next time try and just leave her in test tube she come in,
It sounds like your queen may have been a bit to stresses to settle also :cry:
Yeah, really not sure what happened. I've decided to try again however. Same species, but this time with a few workers to make up for my lack of experience. Hopefully they will take care of business.
Yeah, really not sure what happened. I've decided to try again however. Same species, but this time with a few workers to make up for my lack of experience. Hopefully they will take care of business.
If she has more then 3 workers and have larvae you can try them in a open arena, Keep test tube covered though so she can hide back in there.
Good luck.
Also look up videos of them on YouTube and see how other people had success with them :)
New queen arrived with a few workers. I count 5 minors and what are possibly 2 majors, though that's unlikely. I'll try to ID them when I see them roaming around.
She also has several eggs and a cocoon that looks about ready to pop. The entire group is inside the test tube they came in, they've got access to honey water which they have accepted, along with a small spider which they kicked the shit out of.
They are situated in the outworld tank with a doubled up towel covering all but one side, which is covered in red plastic sheet with a lamp nearby so I can observe. They've been fairly docile, seemingly happy to just sit and rest in the tube.
One worker though, has been busily gathering small dry clay pebbles and other debris from the outworld, dragging them all back and using them to fill over half the distance to the entrance of the tube. It's pretty well blocked off now. Why would she do this?
Also as a side note, what temperatures should these ants be kept at? What are the minimum/maximum temps?