Brood boosting

[AntsSA]

I found a queen with 2 large larvae under a rock however I lost them whilst capturing her. There is a colony of the same species I think nearby my house so should I collect a few pupae and add them to her test tube?

[Martialis]

No way to know they're the same species. I would feed your new queen small, soft-bodied arthropods and *maybe* an extremely small drop of honey.

[AntsSA]

Are cardiondya semi-claustrial and will small(really small) baby meal worms work?

[Martialis]

I'm not sure. Things like fruit flies are really best. I'm saying feed her because she will need food to raise more brood.

[AntsSA]

So is she semi-claustrial or not because she is not sitting still, I have her honey and she drank it all up.She also has sizeable mandibles

[Martialis]

Give her protein.

[AntsSA]

She ignored some cut open mealworms and I identified them as cardiocondyla shuckardi as she is a lot darker than c. Emeryi and so are the ones near my house.so I think o can brood boost

[Martialis]

Don't brood boost, leave her be. Brood boosting will just stress her out. Also, colouration isn't the best way to identify an ant.

[AntsSA]

Ok I won't brood boost but there are two Species in south Africa one lighter one darker

[Martialis]

Again, coloration isn't always the best identifier.