air in a test tube setup

[bhali333]

I just caught 11 selinopsis queens and set them up in test tubes this is my first time. My question is will they have enough air in the test tube to last until they move to a nest or do I need to remove the cotton stoper periodicaly to give them fresh air? and if so how often?

[ooper01]

Air can pass through the cotton stopper, so you should be fine.

[larynx]

I just caught 11 selinopsis queens and set them up in test tubes this is my first time. My question is will they have enough air in the test tube to last until they move to a nest or do I need to remove the cotton stoper periodicaly to give them fresh air? and if so how often?

lol. air will pass through the cotton. dont worry about that. taking the cotton out too often can cause undue stress to the queen. when you open the cotton, humidity, temp , and air pressure change in the tube, all things that will put ants and queens alike in alert mode. the best thing to do with solenopsis sp. is to make sure you set the tube up correctly and have it in the right temp area, then forget about hem for a month or two.

[bhali333]

Thanks for the info guys!

[MadVampy]

I just caught 11 selinopsis queens and set them up in test tubes this is my first time. My question is will they have enough air in the test tube to last until they move to a nest or do I need to remove the cotton stoper periodicaly to give them fresh air? and if so how often?

lol. air will pass through the cotton. dont worry about that. taking the cotton out too often can cause undue stress to the queen. when you open the cotton, humidity, temp , and air pressure change in the tube, all things that will put ants and queens alike in alert mode. the best thing to do with solenopsis sp. is to make sure you set the tube up correctly and have it in the right temp area, then forget about hem for a month or two.

Agreed, Just let her be. I'll be honest, she has a 50/50 chance. I say this because out of say 10 queens you'll maybe lose between 2-4, it just happens. If your lucky you'll get 8 or 9 queens go all the way to nantics. Fingers crossed for ya. give it about a month before you check on her.