Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Discussions about the care and keeping of ants

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Cale3459

Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26696Post Cale3459
Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:32 pm

Well just like the title says I'm hoping to get these ants to move out of a 5 gallon bucket. I'm hoping someone has some ideas that maybe would convince these ants they don't want to live in this bucket the rest of their lives. My mother asked me to come out and remove this colony from a tree otherwise she was going to spray them, so I broke loose the rotten and chewed into wood and gathered it all into this bucket (fingers crossed I got the queen). If anyone has any suggestions on dumping the bucket into something and breaking up the wood to see if the Queen is there without the colony going everywhere I would take those too. I'm hoping that will be last resort and I can convince them to move out on their own. Also if anyone wants to take a stab at IDing these ladies that would be great. They seem to be about 7.5mm to 10mm in Illinois. I would have posted in the ID section but I'm more concerned about getting them out of the bucket. Pictures are the best I can do at the moment they didn't want to sit still very long after I disturbed the nest.
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AntsOnTheCoast
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Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26699Post AntsOnTheCoast
Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:58 pm

The images are not loading for me, reasons unknown but I don't think you should chip the wood off the tree in attempt to find the queen. It could potentially kill the queen in doing so, or hurt some brood. Just expose the bucket to light, and provide a better home (Like a hole in the ground) and place some sort of food there.

That's all I can say, and I'll be sure to check this again when I get home and possibly get the image working.

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

Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26706Post Martialis
Mon Jul 24, 2017 7:59 pm

These are Aphaenogaster, by the way.


Provide better living conditions or move the wood from the bucket into a formicarium's outworld.
Keeper of

Selliing:

Cale3459

Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26707Post Cale3459
Mon Jul 24, 2017 8:16 pm

AntsOnTheCoast wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:58 pm
The images are not loading for me, reasons unknown but I don't think you should chip the wood off the tree in attempt to find the queen. It could potentially kill the queen in doing so, or hurt some brood. Just expose the bucket to light, and provide a better home (Like a hole in the ground) and place some sort of food there.

That's all I can say, and I'll be sure to check this again when I get home and possibly get the image working.
The point was that either the colony was being sprayed and killed or I removed it. I chose to remove it with the chance of recovering the queen. I never try to collect a wild colony unless the colony is going to be killed regardless.

Cale3459

Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26708Post Cale3459
Mon Jul 24, 2017 8:19 pm

Martialis wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2017 7:59 pm
These are Aphaenogaster, by the way.


Provide better living conditions or move the wood from the bucket into a formicarium's outworld.
There is way too much wood to put in an outworld. I may attempt to get a 10 or 20 gallon fish tank and dump it all in there with a fluon barrier at the top so I could spread the wood out. There is probably 3 gallon worth of rotten wood in this bucket. Also thanks for the ID

AntsOnTheCoast
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2017 4:01 am
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Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26721Post AntsOnTheCoast
Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:50 am

Cale3459 wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2017 8:16 pm
AntsOnTheCoast wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:58 pm
The images are not loading for me, reasons unknown but I don't think you should chip the wood off the tree in attempt to find the queen. It could potentially kill the queen in doing so, or hurt some brood. Just expose the bucket to light, and provide a better home (Like a hole in the ground) and place some sort of food there.

That's all I can say, and I'll be sure to check this again when I get home and possibly get the image working.
The point was that either the colony was being sprayed and killed or I removed it. I chose to remove it with the chance of recovering the queen. I never try to collect a wild colony unless the colony is going to be killed regardless.
Well of course I got that part.

Cale3459

Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26749Post Cale3459
Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:16 am

AntsOnTheCoast wrote:
Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:50 am
Cale3459 wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2017 8:16 pm
AntsOnTheCoast wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2017 6:58 pm
The images are not loading for me, reasons unknown but I don't think you should chip the wood off the tree in attempt to find the queen. It could potentially kill the queen in doing so, or hurt some brood. Just expose the bucket to light, and provide a better home (Like a hole in the ground) and place some sort of food there.

That's all I can say, and I'll be sure to check this again when I get home and possibly get the image working.
The point was that either the colony was being sprayed and killed or I removed it. I chose to remove it with the chance of recovering the queen. I never try to collect a wild colony unless the colony is going to be killed regardless.
Well of course I got that part.
Just making sure you caught that part since your recommended not hacking into the tree to remove the colony :) obviously that is a terrible idea if you are just trying to get a colony. Hopefully I was able to capture the queen without hurting her but in the event I was unable to or if I killed her removing the rotten wood she was doomed anyway. Fingers crossed that I got her. Did you ever get the photos to load?

Potato

Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26761Post Potato
Tue Jul 25, 2017 9:28 am

exposure to light I guess

AntsOnTheCoast
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2017 4:01 am
Location: Endless void

Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26810Post AntsOnTheCoast
Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:30 pm

Cale3459 wrote:
Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:16 am
AntsOnTheCoast wrote:
Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:50 am
Cale3459 wrote:
Mon Jul 24, 2017 8:16 pm


The point was that either the colony was being sprayed and killed or I removed it. I chose to remove it with the chance of recovering the queen. I never try to collect a wild colony unless the colony is going to be killed regardless.
Well of course I got that part.
Just making sure you caught that part since your recommended not hacking into the tree to remove the colony :) obviously that is a terrible idea if you are just trying to get a colony. Hopefully I was able to capture the queen without hurting her but in the event I was unable to or if I killed her removing the rotten wood she was doomed anyway. Fingers crossed that I got her. Did you ever get the photos to load?
Oh, I did. Did you mean breaking up the small barks in the bucket? Haha, I thought you were actually going to chip off the wood from the tree! Silly me. Anyways, just wait for a day or two. If there is any decrease or increase in ants, it'll more likely mean that there is a queen or there isn't. However, surely there's some brood under all that from their old home.

Honestly, if the workers seem restless and they have enough resources, it probably means they are looking for their queen.

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

Re: Getting ants to move out of a bucket

Post: # 26811Post Martialis
Tue Jul 25, 2017 5:05 pm

AntsOnTheCoast wrote:
Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:30 pm

Honestly, if the workers seem restless and they have enough resources, it probably means they are looking for their queen.
I disagree there. Ants will often act this way when stressed, not necessarily because of a lack of their queen.
Keeper of

Selliing:

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