4 replies to this topic

[Vendayn]

I have a colony of Pheidole megacephala in a large container, that is supposed to be used for storage. It has a lot of dirt in it from the plant pot I got them from. I don't want to dig them up, and there is too much dirt to sift through and the ants climb everywhere. I also can't drill the container and connect tubing up, but I'd rather do that then sift through all that dirt with ants escaping and climbing everywhere. And Pheidole megacephala escaping is definitely out of the question. Drilling the container however would make it unusable, so I can't do that either.

 

What I want to do is get them into a foraging area (with little substrate) and have then move into my custom ant farm I am building. It is almost finished, but I have no idea how I can do that. The container is way bigger than the foraging area will be, and can't drill it and emptying them out is out of the question.

 

Any ideas?

 

Only thing I can think of is to put something in the middle for them to climb out and then connect it to the foraging area. With fluon and olive oil, they can't escape out of the sides at all. And they'd eventually move once the container dried out too much. But, I've tried this before and it has never worked out that great.

Edited by Vendayn, September 9 2015 - 1:33 PM.

[AntsTexas]

always try drying out the dirt or heating it up a little, making it bright where they r and the place u want them in dark

[Vendayn]

Well, the problem isn't getting them to move.

 

The problem is HOW to move them. Can't drill the container to connect tubing up. Nor can I just empty them out and sort through it as too much dirt. Which doesn't leave many other options that I can think of.

[dspdrew]

Run a tube down into the container they're in now, and stick the other end into a Fluon-coated bin through a hole the size of the tube. Put a really hot light right onto the current container, and if it gets hot enough, they will all evacuate it.

[Crystals]

Add test tubes and let the dirt dry out.  Hopefully they will move the queen and brood in there after a few weeks.

 

Other than that, drew's idea is good.

 

Perhaps try moving a scoop or two of dirt every day until you get less dirt.  If this is a species that dumps dirt on wet stuff, get a piece of tin foil and put juice or hummingbird nectar in the middle of it.  Let it dry a bit until it isn't so runny, then place it in the bin.  They should place dirt and garbage on it - making it easy to remove a bunch of dirt and garbage.

With this species, losing a few workers is nothing, as long as you don't loose the queen.