ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Varban]

Hey all,

Been ages since i posted here and I won't go into how great Japan was ^^
Anyway have a few questions for my messor barbarus, my queen didnt survive while i was away unfortunately so i have a new of which i am taking extra extra care.

So far i have 1 worker hatched have 3 eggs and 2 cocoons, well messor barbarus dont really do cocoons but i have 2 workes hatching soon. In fact one of them i saw today has turned light brown which means in the enxt day or two.

there are a few problems, my test tube came without water inside so every day i have to open the test tube to add a bit of gelwater for the day. I cant add to much gelwater because well messors like warm dry place and if i add to much it evaporates and creates a mess. So yeah i open every day, which i know is no good for the queen.

It seems the queen and the worker are on hunger strike. I've tried a lot of stuff and whatever i put in the testube it gets shoved away at the end untouched. I tried: ham, chese, seeds, Pinkies (boiled) and nothing seems to work.

So yeah my question is should i uncover the testube and put in the antfarm? Hoping she moves out with the worker or keep adding water every day? I think she will be more peaceful in the antfarm. As you know i use the panoramic display one, one corner i have a heating lamp and hte other corner i have a tube for water so i have half wet half dry.

Ideas welcome including food!

[deadmeat30]

have you tried things like crickets? from a reptile shop? you can buy small ones. just cut off there heads and drop them in. my ants love them! should try some ants natural food. also messor barbarus eat seeds, have you tried many different types? Ants themselfs dont need protein, they only need carbohydrates, so try some honey or sugar water, they should swarm to this. Ants only need proteins for the baby ants development.

It would be advisable to offer the colony a test tube with cotton wool with water in there, i know messor barbarus like dry areas, it just lets the queen pick where is best for her.

If i was you i would open the test tube and place it in the ant farm, this will give the workers a chance to forage at night.

hope this helps you, and best of luck with your new queen.

Alan

[Varban]

So yeah the corner where you see the lamp is dry land and the opposite corner is wet area where you can see a small tube going up.

EDIT: forgot to add the pic

[deadmeat30]

i can see the blinds in the background, do they ever get opened leaving the ant farm in direct sunlight?

Alan

[Varban]

have you tried things like crickets? from a reptile shop? you can buy small ones. just cut off there heads and drop them in. my ants love them! should try some ants natural food. also messor barbarus eat seeds, have you tried many different types? Ants themselfs dont need protein, they only need carbohydrates, so try some honey or sugar water, they should swarm to this. Ants only need proteins for the baby ants development.

It would be advisable to offer the colony a test tube with cotton wool with water in there, i know messor barbarus like dry areas, it just lets the queen pick where is best for her.

If i was you i would open the test tube and place it in the ant farm, this will give the workers a chance to forage at night.

hope this helps you, and best of luck with your new queen.

Alan

Quite a few types of seeds different shapes and sizes, can't name all i am afraid. They are all small.

I know about the tube with cotton wool but guess someone forgot to add the water behind the cotton in the test tube when she was shipped.

I will open the testube and put in the antfarm. Should i leave it uncovered so they move out or cover it my lonely worker just goes on foraging?


Edit: The 3 blinds around the antfarm havent been opened in the last 3 years , the others are open i dont live in the dark lol!, the ant farm is never in direct sunlight.

[deadmeat30]

I know about the tube with cotton wool but guess someone forgot to add the water behind the cotton in the test tube when she was shipped.

If you have a spare test tube then add water and cotton wool to the end. then place that test tube in the ant farm too, also roll the tube in dark paper so no light enters the sides, this will make it more appealling to the queen. then hopefully, if the queen wants to, she will move into her new home.

hope this makes sense.

Alan

[Varban]

I know about the tube with cotton wool but guess someone forgot to add the water behind the cotton in the test tube when she was shipped.

If you have a spare test tube then add water and cotton wool to the end. then place that test tube in the ant farm too, also roll the tube in dark paper so no light enters the sides, this will make it more appealling to the queen. then hopefully, if the queen wants to, she will move into her new home.

hope this makes sense.

Alan

If i am adding a 2nd testube wouldnt be just better to make the antfarm more appealing ? I mean she will have to move there anyway

[deadmeat30]

she might move out, and then burrow down in the farm, but then you cant keep an eye on her. which is what happened with my first colony. they settled in so well. but then the ants were just dying, so i dug down a little and found he queen in peices!

Alan

[Varban]

Sounds weird. Maybe you had a worm inside?

[deadmeat30]

lol, its just good to keep an eye on the queen. and watch the colony grow!

Alan

[Varban]

ah well its the panoramic display they will always dig next to the glass

I think i will keep adding water every day until the 2nd worker hatches. Two workers to look after the queen and dig around. As i said its brownish so i hope in the next day or two
Let's see what the others think too ^^

[deadmeat30]

indeed, best to get other opinions. but dont expect them to dig right next to the glass on the panaramic, i have one with my colony of myinca rubra in and they have 3 queens with 250 workers, and they dont have many tunnels next to the glass. even though its covered up to make it dark.

Alan

[JimmyVe]

Hi Varban and welcome back. (how was Japan )

Messor barbarus is a bit harder than a Lasius niger a young colony doesn't need seeds they need sweetness (honey or sugar) and bugs (try some crickets like Alan sad are some cockroaches, flour maggots) That does not mean they don't like seeds but i only give them if the colony is bigger.

If i was you i just put them in a small out world and give them a second tube, so they can move over there if they like it more moist in there nest.
They will move if needed, mine did.
Don't disturb them to much, the queen easily get stressed and than she can stop producing eggs.

[Varban]

I fille a 2nd test tube. Will cover both test tube and leave them open so theycan move out to the others tube and can forage if needed. I got some fresh strawberies so will put one for a day

[Varban]

Ok this is what i did, filled a 2nd test tube with water plugged it up, wrapped it up and put it infront of the old test tube. There is half a strawberry and yellow/brown stuff is seeds

Wish me luck! At least now she has a chance to be in piece