The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

larynx wrote:they only vary from 2.5 to 3.5 i believe. not a big difference in measure, but they will look considerably different to the eye.
best to move with as many workers as possible present. i usually give them the opportunity to move when it starts to get simi difficult to feed them in the tube. this also depends on the size of the tube, though.
i have moved some with around 10 workers, ive also moved them when they have had 60 or so.

okay. for awhile I was feeding them in a test tube but now I have a straw sticking through the cotton into an outworld and I have food in the outworld. I figure that thats what they would do in the wild and when they need to forage, its more natural for them to do it in an outworld. (not to mention easier for me to feed them without disturbance. so far they haven't discovered the outworld but I'm not worried. They have explored a little bit of the drinking straw but haven't gone all the way through yet (as for as I know.) wHen they get hungry I imagine they will decide to find a way out so that they can eat. anyways, do you suggest connecting the outworld into my hybrid nest so that they can move in when they please?

okay. this is crazy! I got two more between yesterday and this morning. both came 7-8 days later then my last nanitic! now Ive got six!

idahoantgirl wrote:okay. this is crazy! I got two more between yesterday and this morning. both came 7-8 days later then my last nanitic! now Ive got six!

We just take them as they come!

ooper01 wrote:

idahoantgirl wrote:okay. this is crazy! I got two more between yesterday and this morning. both came 7-8 days later then my last nanitic! now Ive got six!

We just take them as they come!

when do you think i will have enough to move them into a formicarium? how many do you suggest?

idahoantgirl wrote:when do you think i will have enough to move them into a formicarium? how many do you suggest?

I would probably wait until there were at least 25-30 workers.

ooper01 wrote:

idahoantgirl wrote:when do you think i will have enough to move them into a formicarium? how many do you suggest?

I would probably wait until there were at least 25-30 workers.

I have six nanitics now. how long do you think it might take until I have that many?

idahoantgirl wrote:

ooper01 wrote:

idahoantgirl wrote:when do you think i will have enough to move them into a formicarium? how many do you suggest?

I would probably wait until there were at least 25-30 workers.

I have six nanitics now. how long do you think it might take until I have that many?

Several factors will affect the growth of the colony. I'm not intimately familiar with Lasius, but with some species the two most important factors for helping a colony grow are heat and food. Obviously be very careful with heat - you don't want to kill off the colony. Best to put some sort of heat on the water end of the test tube rather than the air end. I usually put a heat cable out near the end of the water end. It warms the water, which in turn warms the colony. Then provide plenty of protein for the larva.

okay, thanks!

idahoantgirl wrote:okay, thanks!

No problem. BTW, I have your Bible scripture (Proverbs) framed on my wall here by my ant colonies

ooper01 wrote:

idahoantgirl wrote:okay, thanks!

No problem. BTW, I have your Bible scripture (Proverbs) framed on my wall here by my ant colonies

cool! I find it cool that God talks about even the little tiny things. I've also thought about how alot of things in science are false but we dont know it yet. But from that verse, we know that one thing in science we have right. ants don't have anyone individual in the colony telling them what to do!