9 replies to this topic

[Roksonic]

I've had 3 pavement ant queens die all between their 3rd to 5th day in the test tube. 

The room they're held in is between 75-80 degrees.

 

I just caught a Carpenter queen and I'd like the same not to happen to her. 

I'm not sure what is happening to them, they all seem to just slowly become inactive and stop moving. The latest one was only moving her antennae nothing else. 
The tubes are plastic tubes instead with a diameter of 17mm(diameter). I do the typical water>cotton ball>space>cotton seal. 

 

They're exposed to light every so often and a housemate picked their tube up once or twice. But other than that they've been in solitude. 
Any reason why they might be dying so consistently like that?



The Carpenter queen ant I just caught is about 18mm long so i put it in a plastic 34mm diameter tube.

This time i put the tube in my cedarwood cigar box so it can be left alone in darkness, in hopes it'll survive and give offspring. 

[NightsWebs]

test tube setup although convenient aren't the best set up.  I use a modified set up for the test tube.  The test tube itself has a test tube cap (usually cork but some rubber) with a notch (nest entrance). I also use a sleeve to cover the test tube to keep the "nest" dark.  I also place the test tube into a small plastic box which acts as a foraging area and I keep sunburst available for the queens in case they want to take in some nutrients.  This set up also allows the nanitics to get food.  the biggest issue I have is ensuring the test tube is stable and doesn't roll. I use a card board stand that I slip over the back of the test tube ithat keeps the tube from rolling and is declined to ensure water is always on the cotton ball.  I hope this helps.

[Roksonic]

test tube setup although convenient aren't the best set up.  I use a modified set up for the test tube.  The test tube itself has a test tube cap (usually cork but some rubber) with a notch (nest entrance). I also use a sleeve to cover the test tube to keep the "nest" dark.  I also place the test tube into a small plastic box which acts as a foraging area and I keep sunburst available for the queens in case they want to take in some nutrients.  This set up also allows the nanitics to get food.  the biggest issue I have is ensuring the test tube is stable and doesn't roll. I use a card board stand that I slip over the back of the test tube ithat keeps the tube from rolling and is declined to ensure water is always on the cotton ball.  I hope this helps.

 

I see so the tube is acting as the chamber with an opening for the queen to forage as she wishes. 
The test tube is dark but outside the cork is essentially an outworld. 
Sounds like a good idea giving queens the flexibility and options, however with fully claustral ants wouldn't that be not what the queen wants? wouldn't the want a sealed off zone?

[NightsWebs]

I thought the same thing when I use to raise them in dirt setups. Literally the queen would starve to death before foraging.  I lost 4 out of 5 queens that way.  The plastic boxes I use have been slightly modified with help from Drew.  the box is about 1/2 inch wider than the test tube and maybe 2 inches longer.  The box has a hydrostone bottom and a hole in the lid with a silicone stopper.  I also place the plastic boxes w/ test tubes into a black shoe box and heat the box with a heat lamp.  I will search as I know Drew has pics of the set ups. I have had incredible luck with these setups. 

[Roksonic]

I thought the same thing when I use to raise them in dirt setups. Literally the queen would starve to death before foraging.  I lost 4 out of 5 queens that way.  The plastic boxes I use have been slightly modified with help from Drew.  the box is about 1/2 inch wider than the test tube and maybe 2 inches longer.  The box has a hydrostone bottom and a hole in the lid with a silicone stopper.  I also place the plastic boxes w/ test tubes into a black shoe box and heat the box with a heat lamp.  I will search as I know Drew has pics of the set ups. I have had incredible luck with these setups. 

 

So the "outworld" is barely bigger than the test tube itself. Must still simulate a claustral environment. I checked up Drew's profile but couldn't find it but i think i got a good idea of what you're describing.

Does the hydrostone serve a specific purpose or is it just so the ant isn't walking on plastic?

Edited by Roksonic, September 29 2016 - 8:32 PM.

[NightsWebs]

excellent question! The hydrostone is better than the plastic but it is also semi-absorbent so in case of test tube flooding your queen still has a way to survive. I will see about taking some photos and posting them so you can see the setup.  The setup itself gives the ants an option of humid to dry after all they know what is best for their brood.

[sgheaton]

Providing zeros OLDER* picture of his Pogonomyrmex set up because its the same as the one that's always described: 

 

 

*I believe it's been updated with red-cellophane as a cover, etc. 

Edited by sgheaton, September 30 2016 - 6:04 AM.

[Canadian anter]

I say maybe luck.I once put a tetramorium queen on a counter without the cotton in full sunlight and forgot about it. When I found it two months later, there were the remains of a fly and a colony with 15 workers

[Reacker]

There's something in the environment not related to the test tubes that is causing your problem.

 

I have raised literally dozens of Tetramorium colonies from queen(s) to workers with extremely low fatality rates inside of test tubes as you are describing. Mine were often in bright conditions and in some cases handled daily. Although test tubes may not be the best setups for other species, for Tetramorium pavement ants in the US they are very effective. Setting up something more complicated than test tubes is entirely unnecessary. You also don't need to feed them, they are fully claustral and while feeding them helps them a bit it does not produce a dramatic improvement. 

 

Some of the potential problems:

 

1) Your water is contaminated with something toxic.

2) Your cotton is contaminated with something toxic.

3) Your test tubes are either coated with something toxic or are off gassing something toxic (if this is even possible with that type of plastic). 

4) The environment you picked your queens from had pesticides or something unpleasant that your queens picked up before capture, and it takes a days to die. 

5) Simple bad luck. Queens die all the time for reasons that may not be related to the conditions of captivity (or are otherwise not obviously related), and you could have just had a unlucky streak. See Drew's many journals where for no particular reason half his ants up an die at random times despite him being a very competent formiculturist. 

 

I'll leave it to you to attempt to eliminate these options systematically until you determine what is giving you problems. Them being in test tubes is not the problem. 

[Works4TheGood]

I haven't read any of the replies to your question, but I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents anyway.  My guess is that they're dying of dehydration.  When you make your test-tube setups, do you ensure that you push the cotton deep enough that moisture is clearly present on both sides?  If not, then that's certainly your problem!  If you don't prime the cotton with sufficient moisture, it will never wick/siphon sufficient water to the queen and she'll die in a few days of dehydration.

 

I briefly saw someone mention that they favor an alternative to test tube setups.  I once measured the humidity gradient of a test tube setup using a hygrometer and confirmed that test tube setups match the nests of virtually all USA species.  It's worked for all eight species I've kept/have and I've never even considered/needed an alternative.  In my opinion, it's superbly ingenious - when primed correctly of course!