4 replies to this topic

[TwistyPunch]

Hi! When I catch a queen, should I cover the whole thing with foil/red Cellophane so that it's dark inside the test tube? I know that queens don't NEED darkness, but is it beneficial? Or should I only cover part of the tube? (I don't know if it's bad for the queen to be perpetually in the dark.) Thanks!

[bmb1bee]

Take this with a grain of salt, but some people have claimed that a red filter doesn't really do much at all, and the ants are still able to see light. The best thing to do is to probably leave them in a dark place where light and physical disturbances are unlikely to reach the queens. That being said, for species like Camponotus, they can be acclimated to room lighting as long as it's not a really bright or direct light.

[TwistyPunch]

Great! I really wanted to be able to watch my Camponotus ant queen without disturbing her, and if red Cellophane doesn't work very well, you just saved my a couple bucks.

[rptraut]

Hello TwistyPunch;

I use a red filter under a blackout cover with my Camponotus colonies. I’ve noticed that when I remove the blackout cover, workers don’t seem bothered by the light through the red filter. I suspect that queens (they have different eyes from the workers), especially Camponotus, are bothered by the light through the red filter because they will often slowly sneak away to a dark corner.

A red filter doesn’t seem to me to have any effect on Lasius ants, workers or queens.
RPT

[ANTdrew]

There is nothing really to watch during the founding stage. It is best to leave queens in the dark and check them as little as possible. Checking them once a week is fine.