14 replies to this topic

[jdsaunders1390]

Do you all clean and reuse test tubes for new queens? I am currently using plastic test tubes and I throw them away after a queen dies or gets moved to a new tube. I figure that it would take a lot of work to fish out the cotton ball and to clean the tube, plus plastic holds on to things pretty well and likely will not be as clean as it looks afterwards.

[AntsMAN]

I always re-use my test tubes, mind you I use glass. Just get some wooden skewers, they work great for removing old cotton plugs.

I then let the test tubes soak for a few hours in H202, then rinse well with hot soapy water. The H202 should help with any stains.

[Martialis]

I used plain vinegar to eliminate stains/mold present in my test tubes. It works quite nicely,

[T.C.]

I re-use them. Actually one of them has seen around ten different queens. I bought dentist picks from amazon which work great for pulling out the cotton as well as old food in the test tube. Very handy tool to have.

Edited by T.C., June 7 2017 - 7:41 AM.

[nurbs]

I re-use them. Actually one of them has seen around ten different queens. I bought dentist picks from amazon which work great for pulling out the cotton as well as old food in the test tube. Very handy tool to have.

 

^This.

 

Dentist picks work well, but if you don't have those (I lost mine the last time around), just take a close hanger and wrap the ends of it to make a small hook. The hook is important because you need to get it behind the cotton ball in the reservoir area to pull out the cotton ball.

 

Wooden skewers or splintered wooden skewers only work around 20% of the time, because there is no way for you to grab the cotton from behind.

 

Once the cotton is removed, it is washed in light detergent with a test tube cleaner (you can find them on Amazon). They are then sterilized in the oven @ 450 deg for 15 min.

 

To OP - plastic test tubes are OK for collection in the field, but always use glass for rearing! The plastic tubes, when cleaned even once, get foggy and scratch easily, so observing them is hard. You also cannot put plastic test tubes in the oven which may most likely start a fire and melt and is a safety hazard.

 

 

 

Edited by nurbs, June 7 2017 - 1:15 PM.

[jdsaunders1390]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Are all of you using glass tubes? Do you have an amazon link for the ones you like?

[nurbs]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Are all of you using glass tubes? Do you have an amazon link for the ones you like?

 

I order mine in bulk from from Lake Charles manufacturing, but that brand is also sold on Amazon in smaller quantities.

 

I use 20x150mm, which leans on the larger end, but also because I like rearing the larger species and it gives the queen space to do a full 180 without issues.

 

But anything like 15x150mm or 18x150mm will do.  

[nurbs]

Here is one:

 

https://www.amazon.c...s manufacturing

[BMM]

I used a straightened paperclip with a little hook bent in the end to fish out cotton balls from my test tubes. It works quite well.

[nurbs]

I used a straightened paperclip with a little hook bent in the end to fish out cotton balls from my test tubes. It works quite well.

 

How do you get it to reach the end of a 150mm test tube when the cotton ball is nearly dried?

[r.shirillz]

I don't think you need to bake glass test tubes, but correct me if I am wrong. I believe boiling would be better. Heat up water to past boiling point and dip them in for a bit. 

[BMM]

 

I used a straightened paperclip with a little hook bent in the end to fish out cotton balls from my test tubes. It works quite well.

 

How do you get it to reach the end of a 150mm test tube when the cotton ball is nearly dried?

 

The paperclip is about 5" (~130mm) when straightened, so I could probably get the cotton out if it was in the bottom of the tube. However, I usually don't have the cotton ball more than half way inside the test tube at most. When I fish them out, I just push the hooked end into the cotton just a bit, twirl it around so it hooks in well, and then pull it right out. Usually works like a charm.

[nurbs]

I don't think you need to bake glass test tubes, but correct me if I am wrong. I believe boiling would be better. Heat up water to past boiling point and dip them in for a bit. 

 

I've done that as well. The problem is after you boil them, it's an absolute ***itch to drain the water out from the pot and the tubes, mainly because everything is scalding hot. And sometimes if you pour the water out too quickly, test tubes fall out into the sink and break. It's a lot easier said than done.

 

Not a big deal if you have a few test tubes, but when you have as many to clean as I do, baking is way easier.

 

If you just simply bake the tubes after washing them, the rinse water evaporates in the oven, and you just take it out and let it sit for a few hours and they are good to go.

 

Edited by nurbs, June 7 2017 - 8:46 PM.

[nurbs]

 

 

I used a straightened paperclip with a little hook bent in the end to fish out cotton balls from my test tubes. It works quite well.

 

How do you get it to reach the end of a 150mm test tube when the cotton ball is nearly dried?

 

The paperclip is about 5" (~130mm) when straightened, so I could probably get the cotton out if it was in the bottom of the tube. However, I usually don't have the cotton ball more than half way inside the test tube at most. When I fish them out, I just push the hooked end into the cotton just a bit, twirl it around so it hooks in well, and then pull it right out. Usually works like a charm.

 

 

I only ask because I have tried this myself, and it was a total fail. It probably only works if your cotton ball is near the top of the tube and not very tight.

 

The paper clip I used was also too bendy and too thin and not strong enough to twist with your hands and grab hold of the cotton from behind near the water reservoir. 

 

With a dentist pick or clothes hanger, you don't need to do any twisting. You push it all the way through past the cotton ball and it grabs from the back. Then you pull out. OK this is sounding like something else, and this forum has a lot of kids. So I'll stop here.

Edited by nurbs, June 7 2017 - 8:09 PM.

[BMM]

Here's a pic if that helps. The left side is the "handle" and right side is the hooked end.