Seeking Advice: Ants Living Near Moldy Meal Worm Carcass

[ydg777777]

Hi all:

I fed a young colony a meal worm. Unfortunately, they brought its carcass deep into the test tube where they live, and it has been sitting next to their larvae etc. now for more than a week, and it's starting to get moldy: https://imgur.com/a/NRhqrqr

I'm not sure what to do. Do I just leave it? Or do I try to stick the forceps in to get it? I just don't want to freak the colony out by doing that and kill/hurt any of them. I don't know why they brought it back and just left it there. Other colonies I've had usually move it out when they're done with it.

Thanks!
Anthony

[Angelants2012]

You should probably take it out. It might affect the colony's health.

[ydg777777]

Thanks, I did! I wish I would've done it sooner, but I always worrying about stressing out the colony!

[Angelants2012]

Your welcome!

[seadawg84]

I had this happen with my pavement ant colony and a piece of roach I fed them. They too brought it deep within the test tube and even started bringing brood around it while it started molding. I also didn't want to reach in with the tweezers and remove it because the brood was all around it, so I moved the test tube to an ant tower small, and now they're digging a nest.

[Angelants2012]

That is great to know!

[ydg777777]

I just want to check back in here. After they did this a third time, I decided to try to get the carcass out with tweezers. BAD MOVE. The colony freaked out. I caused a huge panic, suddenly tons of ants booked it out of the tube, and now, after a half hour of trying to frantically get everyone back in, I lost more than half my colony and probably traumatized the rest of them into an inevitable demise.

I don't understand them. Maybe this is just a colony that would have been weeded out by natural selection. I've had other colonies that would drag it back out of their nest when they were done. I never had one that would just leave it near the brood and let it get all moldy. In any event, suffice it to say I'm devastated at how horribly wrong this went. I suspect I'll be starting a new colony again soon...