5 replies to this topic

[JFCapps]

Hello!

 

Ok, this is my first post, so if I turn this into a mess I apologize.  Have some mercy.  

 

I've been interested in keeping ants for years, but didn't know there was such a huge community around the hobby until this year when I stumbled on a video from AntsCanada (the one where his solenopsis are trying to escape) and decided to take the jump into formiculture.  I bought tubes, started capturing queens, and here I am 9 queens later.

 

Two days ago I was faced with my first big problem.  A Camponotus pennsylvanicus queen I have test tubed as well as a monomorium pharoanis are developing moldy cotton.  Both tubes are about a month old and I've done research so I know that this is common, and the mold isn't too far out of control yet, but I went ahead and taped the tubes to new, clean tubes and started to induce the queens to move.  I wrapped the clean tubes in a thick cloth and set the tubes out in the light to try to get the queens to pull the brood over to the dark side of the tubes.  Unfortunately, this approach isn't working.  Monomorium doesn't appear to give two craps about the light and has remained stationary with her brood and 3 workers.  Camponotus keeps moving to the dark side of the tube and then coming back out to fret over her brood, but isn't moving it.  This process has been going on for approximately 24 hours now.  I'm not sure if I just haven't given them enough time or if I'm forgetting a crucial step.

 

Both queens have been sitting under lights for the entire time.  Today, Camponotus's eggs actually fell into the dark part of the tube when I picked it up to look at their progress and she carried them back out into the light.  Not really sure what the malfunction is there.

 

Anyone have any suggestions or pro tips?  

[Ants Galore]

Well I have the same problem with solenopsis invicta in a test tube(btw I'm beginner two just got camponotus Pennsylvanicus nanitics). I think you should wait and see how you do. My friends Camponotus Pennsylvanicus Queens ate her eggs bc of heat problems and other stuff. Depending on how sensitive your queen is I suggest dumping her in( not violently FYI there's something called sliding her in). Since my queen wouldn't move into Tar Heel Ants Mini Hearth, I slide her and the brood into the outworld. I knew she wasn't a really sensitive queen to disturbance as long as it wasn't to severe. Just update me on what she is doing. Ima noob so idk if u should listen to me. But I just wanted to help.

[JFCapps]

Any feedback is appreciated!  Thank you!

 

This queen isn't ready for a formicarium of any sort yet; when I say brood, I mean a pile of eggs and what appears to be very young larvae.  She really needs to be in a tube.  I haven't dumped her in or anything (aside from when the eggs fell in as the tube was tilted); she moves back and forth freely at the moment but seems to favor the moldy tube that's in the light...  I'm also not sure how much mold is tolerable; I know a little is common, but this is spreading to the point of covering the entire end of the wet cotton.  

[Spamdy]

Do you having a heating cable by any chance? Or anything that can apply heat? Try using the cable to lure the queen into the dark side, also tapping the tube constantly on a steady pace or breathing on them, that would be excruciatingly hard though, just to make them move , make them feel like that they are in danger if they stay in the same spot.

[nurbs]

I used to use the heating/light method. Doesn't always work. Also no patience in my old age.

 

I force them to move. If it is just the queen and no workers, it should be even easier. Literally dump her out onto a mouse pad or folded soft toilet paper and gently put her in the new test tube.

 

Use a dampened moist qtip (but not drenched) to pickup any brood that also fell out.

 

Any eggs or brood that is stuck further down into the test tube, take one of those throwaway togo wooden chopsticks they give you at asian restaurants (or bbq skewers or anything similar), and tape a qtip to it. Moisten the qtip. Insert the qtip into the test tube and gently twirl the chopstick around the edge of the glass tube and it will easily pickup any eggs or pupae or larvae and stick to the qtip. Place brood in the fresh test tube.

 

I've done this dozens of times and works great. You're welcome.

 

 

 

 

Edited by nurbs, June 12 2017 - 7:58 PM.

[JFCapps]

Thanks for the feedback guys!