19 replies to this topic

[Senbonzakura]

So I have some  camponotus queens and tetramorium queens with eggs and I have tried taping a test tube to another and leaving them in a lit room and the queen won't leave the moldy test tube to go into the clean one. Any tips to get her to move or do I have to wait until workers show up?

[Antking117]

just give her time, make sure that air can enter the tube though!!!

[T.C.]

Your covering up the test tube you want them to move into correct?

[Senbonzakura]

Your covering up the test tube you want them to move into correct?

Yes, and I leave them in a room with the lights on.

[AntswerMe]

Sadly, all you can really do is wait, or forcefully move her and her brood by using forceps or by tipping the test tube over.

Edited by AntswerMe, July 6 2017 - 7:15 AM.

[Martialis]

I don't recommend tipping queens, it really doesn't work well. What I do is very gently pick up the queen in question with tweezers by her mesosoma and transfer that way. It's worked with both Tetramorium and Crematogaster queens for me.

[AntswerMe]

I only really tip as a last resort. Waiting or using forceps or tweezers usually works for me.

[Senbonzakura]

How do I move eggs without breaking them?

[AntswerMe]

If you have any cotton swabs (or any other sturdy elongated object with a soft, water absorbent end), wet the end of one and gently touch the eggs with the wed end, and transport the eggs as such. Just be careful to not break them when placing them in the new test tube.

[nurbs]

How do I move eggs without breaking them?

 

Guys, learn to do a search. The "moldy test tube/how to move queen/eggs" question comes up once a week.

 

http://www.formicult...-tubes/?p=63721

[Yuki]

Wanted to add I've had good success blowing into the tube hard.

[xTNxANTMANx]

If you watch TarHeelAnts video on his Atom C formicarium, he shows you how to move eggs with a Q-tip. Basically the same as mentioned above but just roll it slightly when you go to set them down and they should come off without harm. And as far as them moving your best bet is to let them move when they decide they're ready. It's a lot less stress on the queen and trust me if the tubes bad enough they'll move. They know what's best for them and their brood. I've had luck though by putting a light source closer to their tube. A slight raise in temperature will help them want to move but make sure not to put your light to close or you take the chance on cooking your queen and brood. I'm sure that's the last thing you want to do LOL but yeah this is a very frequently asked question. It helps to search a question before actually asking the question LOL.

Edited by xTNxANTMANx, July 13 2017 - 4:56 AM.

[drtrmiller]

Sunlight will force the move 100%. Ants hate the UV, and there's not much UV in household lighting. Make sure you're outdoors though, because windows will often filter UV light.

Edited by drtrmiller, July 13 2017 - 5:10 AM.

[noebl1]

Sunlight will force the move 100%. Ants hate the UV, and there's not much UV in household lighting. Make sure you're outdoors though, because windows will often filter UV light.

 

Could UV bulbs be used at all? I know there's differences between UV A/B/C, but not sure what may annoy the ants the most.  My one concern this time of year is baking the ants if they don't move fast enough.

[Aquaexploder]

I would not normally recommend this but if these methods don't work you could manually move the queens with a q-tip. Then moisten another q-tip and use it to manually move the eggs. I did this with my 2 queen P. imparis colony and they are now doing fine with nanitics.

[drtrmiller]

 
Could UV bulbs be used at all? I know there's differences between UV A/B/C, but not sure what may annoy the ants the most.  My one concern this time of year is baking the ants if they don't move fast enough.

Artificial UV light is not intense enough to produce the intended effect. As long as you keep an eye on the ants, exposing them to direct sunlight is no more harmful than lifting up a rock to uncover a wild colony. The natural emergency response is to relocate to the nearest shady or dark place. This is my go-to relocation technique now, as it works flawlessly every time.

[noebl1]

 

 
Could UV bulbs be used at all? I know there's differences between UV A/B/C, but not sure what may annoy the ants the most.  My one concern this time of year is baking the ants if they don't move fast enough.

Artificial UV light is not intense enough to produce the intended effect. As long as you keep an eye on the ants, exposing them to direct sunlight is no more harmful than lifting up a rock to uncover a wild colony. The natural emergency response is to relocate to the nearest shady or dark place. This is my go-to relocation technique now, as it works flawlessly every time.

 

 

Thank you!

[sgheaton]

How much time have you given them to move? 

[Loops117]

i use a paint brush to do my egg transfers. Eggs can get lost in the mess of cotton so i don't try it at all.Paint brushes are usually darker colored so seeing the egg is easier. Plus, the shape of a fine tip paint brush also allows you to scoop and easily move the egg off in the new tube if it doesnt stick. I bought a $5 pack of standard paint brushes. I use the larger brushes for cleaning and sweeping outwolds, and the smaller ones for transfering. The handle to the brush also makes a great plunger to shove cotton down a tube.

Edited by Loops117, July 13 2017 - 6:49 AM.

[Ameise]

 

 
Could UV bulbs be used at all? I know there's differences between UV A/B/C, but not sure what may annoy the ants the most.  My one concern this time of year is baking the ants if they don't move fast enough.

Artificial UV light is not intense enough to produce the intended effect. As long as you keep an eye on the ants, exposing them to direct sunlight is no more harmful than lifting up a rock to uncover a wild colony. The natural emergency response is to relocate to the nearest shady or dark place. This is my go-to relocation technique now, as it works flawlessly every time.

 

Is there a specific molar value which would suffice? Sunlight, IIRC, is somewhere around 1 mmol, and the max percentage of that that is in the UV range should be about 5%... so that should be 50 μmol of UV light... I can't imagine that that's difficult to achieve.
 

Let me redo the math as I don't think it's quite right. Roughly, sunlight would equate to 10¹⁷ photons per square centimeter. That's 10²¹ photons per square meter, or about 1.66 photon-mmol. The percentage of sunlight that is comprised of UV is about 5%, so that is about 83 μmol of UV. That doesn't sound difficult to achieve.

Edited by Ameise, July 14 2017 - 7:46 AM.