8 replies to this topic

[TheMicroPlanet]

I haven't been able to come up with any outworlds for my two young Tetramorium colonies. Any tips on easily feeding them in the test tube?

[Croux]

If they're not swarming to get out, and you have some space, soak a small ball of cotton in your sugar water mixture. Pop it in at the entrance.

Protein is a bit harder.

[NickAnter]

I would say to try to push the cotton back into the tube super slowly, then pull it out and put the food in as quickly as possible. Reverse close tweezers are super helpful.

[ANTdrew]

Order a few of these as soon as you can:
https://www.containe...ductId=10032168

You’ll be able to get away with feeding them in a test tube for a few weeks. I like cutting little squares of paper towel to feed on. I put a drop of nectar and a piece of insect on the square. An easy way to renew their nectar is to insert a blunt tipped syringe past the cotton and putting a drop on the paper towel.
I second the reverse close tweezers, plus feathers come in handy for brushing workers away.

[DDD101DDD]

I honestly find it much faster and easier to put the insect directly inside, without a "plate".

[SuperFrank]

Block off part of the tube using some Cotton and a straw as a door. The ants mostly stay in the "nest" part of the tube and you can use the front part to feed them. I do this with most of my founding colonies so feeding them is less of a pain

[ANTdrew]

Block off part of the tube using some Cotton and a straw as a door. The ants mostly stay in the "nest" part of the tube and you can use the front part to feed them. I do this with most of my founding colonies so feeding them is less of a pain

That’s genius!

[Temperateants]

I honestly find it much faster and easier to put the insect directly inside, without a "plate".

Yeah, healthy colonies that are growing clean off insect shells cleanly, and discard them at dry areas near the entrance. Unlike camponotous haha, ants that'll move their entire colony to the entrance of the tube instead of simply dragging the piece of insect to the dry entrance.

[ponerinecat]

I used a crimped up straw as a liquid feeder once. inserted under the cotton stopper, the part facing inwards was cut at an angle and folded so there was an extremely narrow crack in between the sides. Enough for liquid to be accessible but not enough for the ants to escape through it (Plus it was filled with liquid. They can't exactly get out through that.)