6 replies to this topic

[Connectimyrmex]

One of my wild caught C. chromaiodes colonies has exploded in population recently. At least twenty pupae have appeared, with maybe thirty enormous larva following close behind (with one possible alate larva). One entire chamber is stuffed with brood, and the queen doesn't look like she's going to stop laying. I've decided that I'd like to move them into a THA Fortress formicarium, but I have no idea how to get them into one. The formicarium itself is anchored down into the outworld, so placing it in the outworld of the new formicarium isn't an option. I know that they wouldn't respond very much to light, since they've gotten used to it recently. I don't want to forcefully dump them into an outworld, because I don't want my ants stress-eating their brood. Is there any foolproof way to move my ants into the new formicarium?

Thanks.

[nurbs]

Can you take a pic of the entire Inception chamber?

 

This is Camponotus, you should be able to gently dump them into the outworld of the Fortress without much stress. Put them in the fridge for 15 minutes first. Use a moistened qtip to pick up brood.

[Scrixx]

I don't think eating the brood is much of a problem with an established colony, mostly a problem in the founding stages. Even if they eat some brood, they look like a healthy colony and the queen will produce more. It might be worth it if moving them to a bigger space. 

[Connectimyrmex]

Thanks!

I can't get any pictures right now, sorry. There isn't anything too special about it.

 

I'll probably dumb the ants into the outworld when I get the formicarium, along with the brood. 

Since my colony's queen is far too fat to fit through any entrance hole, should I place her inside before introducing the colony?

[super_oil]

Is there a connection port for your inception chamber outworld? I would just connect the fortress and the outworld with vinyl tubing and let the inception chamber dry out. Once the old nest dries out your ants will just move themselves to a more humidified area. Just make sure to keep the new nest dark and humid.

[MegaMyrmex]

nurbs basically summed it up, I do this all the time in situations like this.

[JohnTX]

I did this exact thing this weekend with a stubborn queen and about 25 workers (crematogaster Sp.)  I fed a tube through the hole in the wall of the inception chamber and right up to the entrance of the nest with the other end going directly to the Fortress nest.   I then covered the tube and the Fortress to make it dark and put a flashlight shining into the existing nest. 

 

After 24 hrs she had not moved, but the workers had explored the Fortress a few times.

 

I then popped the inner top off the inception chamber nest and exposed her to open air which made her very anxious.  I left her for a few hours but she had settled back to her brood in the open air. 

 

I then started slightly opening the outer lid of the inception chamber and gently blowing on her, which caused the workers to all scatter and her to start moving around the outworld.  After a few times doing this, the workers started carrying the brood into the Fortress.  She followed when about 1/2 of her brood was move over.

 

Unfortunately she has taken up residence in the tunnel in the Fortress connecting the outword to the nest, but at least she is in there.

 

Probably much harder than just chilling and manually moving, and probably 36 hrs of stress was bad for her, but all seems well now.