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[Here for the honeypots]

On May 18, 2016 I found a small colony of these guys under a flower pot and among the brood and various workers, I found the Queen as well. I picked up the Queen and put her in a test tube and then collected as many workers and brood as possible. Then I put them all into a small tub and made a solution of vegetable oil, water, and peppermint as a fluon substitute since I knew that it was difficult for ants to climb vegetable oil, and I knew that they wouldn't cross peppermint. I put this along the rim of the tub and they didn't get out, but about half the workers died after a few days which I suspect is because of the peppermint. So I made a formicarium, copying a bit of Drew's design and Dr. Rebecca Clark's design with the whole sponge wicking moisture up from bottom container thing. I made an outworld and filled it with dirt, I plan on planting some of my plants in it later. I gathered some more workers and put them in the outworld where they skeptically met back up with the queen. Now, the queen and workers have decided to move the brood into the tube connecting outworld to main chamber and that is where the queen is laying eggs. Any rate, here's my colony.

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Edited by Here for the honeypots, May 23 2016 - 8:41 AM.

[NightsWebs]

I would imagine if you had a way to "darken" the nest chamber the queen might move back into the nest area.  I am not sure what kind of moisture gradient you have either.  If you have a moist area and a dry area in the nest for the ants they will chose what best suits them.  Queens like to be in the dark so I normally have the nest covered and dark while the foraging area (out world)  I allow sunlight to keep the ants within a normal day cycle. Anyway, I hope this helps.

[Here for the honeypots]

Hmm that actually does help a lot thank you! Recently she's been nesting under a cotton ball that I had soaked in honey water in the outworld for the foragers but the queen nested under there and it's laying eggs and has most of the brood under there with her. I was hoping that it would just dry out and they would move into the humid chamber I constructed, but so far that hasnt happened. So I think today I'll take away the cotton ball and put light on the outworld and paper around the formicarium to keep it dark and see if she moves back in to there

[Here for the honeypots]

She has moved back in to the nesting area and she now has a considerable pile of brood and four eclosing pupae. I'm feeding them honey water and it is very interesting to see them do their traphollaxis, spreading it all throughout the nest members. I'm taking the sand out of the outworld and replacing it with soil so that I can plant some plants I've been growing such as an avocado tree, eggplant, marigold, bell pepper, etc. I just think that it will be cool to have them interact with my plants