Queen moved outside test tube

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Chewyrockafeller
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2016 1:30 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Queen moved outside test tube

Post: # 13469Post Chewyrockafeller
Sun Oct 09, 2016 8:00 pm

Hey everyone. I got a Camponotus noveboracensis queen, 1 worker and some brood about 2 weeks ago from a GAN member. Almost a week ago the test tube they were in started to flood with too much water. The worker kept falling into and struggling to get out of some water by the cotton. The queen was soaking her gaster in it :roll:. I stupidly tried to soak up the water with a qtip. The queen did not like that one bit but it did the job.

Two days later I noticed almost twice as much water. I created a new sheathed test tube setup, taped them together, and immediately the queen started to move her brood to the new setup. I thought to help keep the tube clean and not disturb the queen I could implement the setup where the founding test tube chamber is left open in a container. Workers can then forge outside the tube for food (some honey, and a second test tube with water). I thought everything was fine the past couple days until I noticed the queen has moved to just outside the covered test tube entrance and she brought her brood with her!

I can't image this is a good sign. Should I bring her into the light so the only darkness is in the test tube and go back to just that setup? Might she just actually feel comfortable In the dark outside the tube?

Martialis
Posts: 1576
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 5:30 pm
Location: Indiana

Re: Queen moved outside test tube

Post: # 13473Post Martialis
Sun Oct 09, 2016 8:45 pm

Chewyrockafeller wrote:Hey everyone. I got a Camponotus noveboracensis queen, 1 worker and some brood about 2 weeks ago from a GAN member. Almost a week ago the test tube they were in started to flood with too much water. The worker kept falling into and struggling to get out of some water by the cotton. The queen was soaking her gaster in it :roll:. I stupidly tried to soak up the water with a qtip. The queen did not like that one bit but it did the job.

Two days later I noticed almost twice as much water. I created a new sheathed test tube setup, taped them together, and immediately the queen started to move her brood to the new setup. I thought to help keep the tube clean and not disturb the queen I could implement the setup where the founding test tube chamber is left open in a container. Workers can then forge outside the tube for food (some honey, and a second test tube with water). I thought everything was fine the past couple days until I noticed the queen has moved to just outside the covered test tube entrance and she brought her brood with her!

I can't image this is a good sign. Should I bring her into the light so the only darkness is in the test tube and go back to just that setup? Might she just actually feel comfortable In the dark outside the tube?
The queen will move to where she's comfortable. Leave her be for now.
Keeper of

Selliing:

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