The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

The queens will not need to be fed until there first worker

Thanks ants rule

You need to figure out what kind of ant they are to determine if they should be fed. Either way, do not feed your ants inside the test tube, as this will cause problems. Queens which need to forage should be given a space to do so.

Ok thanks

Dude you were probably checking up on them way too much.

LearningAntKeeper wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 20, 2017 2:04 am

I check on them about twice a day. Is it too often?

They are probably too stressed out, so they won't lay eggs. AntsCanada recommends to check them once a week at least.

Let's make a summary post for our learning fellow ant lover.

1. Check no more than once a week for a few moments at a time. The dark makes ants feel safe since they live subterranean lifestyles.

2. Get the ants identified. You won't know what to do with them if you don't get them identified, as you can't provide the proper care they'll need without knowing what species they are.

3. You need only look at the gaster of your queen to determine if she needs to be fed. If her gaster is large and round, she is claustral, which means she spends all her time underground and can live for months off of the fat she has stored from her time in her birth colony, some queens even a whole winter. If the gaster is skinnier, then she's semi-claustral. This means the queen periodically must be able to leave her 'nest' to forage. Semi-claustral queens can be a bit tricky at times. In some places in the world, some species with semi-claustral queens evolve in such a way because they're parasites; they have to take over a host colony and use the already born and developed workers to nurture her own brood. (Again, pointing to why identification can be important.) But I cannot stress that not all semi-claustral queens are like this, so don't necessarily panic if you have one until you have a positive ID.

I think a common setup that some keepers use is a placing the test tube into some tupperware with a piece of a straw to let the queen exit and enter for foraging. You can probably keep a lid on it to keep her from getting out, but you'll need to put some holes in the top, enough for her to breathe at least. I can't tell you how often she'd have to be fed though.

4. Your queen may not immediately lay eggs, or at all. Some queens simply do not find a male in time before the breeding season is over, and some are caught by prospective ant keepers before they can. Do not use the queen tearing off her wings as evidence that she has mated. All the queens do this, even the ones who have not. Some queens also will not begin laying their eggs until after winter has passed again.

5. Just be calm. Ants do their own thing, they have been for millions of years. You may be in charge of feeding them and keeping them healthy and clean now, but they're capable if given survivable, non-stressful conditions. Your queens are most likely gonna be fine if you don't keep startling them with suddenly being moved around and being surrounded by light. Even then, yes, some queens die for some reason or another. This is an inevitability at times. The best you can do is try again.