Are my queens suitable in this setup?

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MilesC

Are my queens suitable in this setup?

Post: # 23287Post MilesC
Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:45 pm

Is this suitable housing for ~6mm queens? I just caught them and I'm not sure if I should transfer them to test tubes or not.
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It consists of a small pill-case with a wet *** SPAM *** in the corner, and I'm mostly concerned about the humidity and heat. I have no way to heat my ants currently and we usually keep the house pretty cold. Any tips?

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Batspiderfish
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Location: Maine

Re: Are my queens suitable in this setup?

Post: # 23288Post Batspiderfish
Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:58 pm

Looks like it's going to be a huge pain in the butt compared to test tubes.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

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Aquaexploder
Posts: 226
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:55 am
Location: Rhode Island

Re: Are my queens suitable in this setup?

Post: # 23317Post Aquaexploder
Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:07 pm

Batspiderfish wrote:
Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:58 pm
Looks like it's going to be a huge pain in the butt compared to test tubes.
Agreed.
Founding:

Crematogaster (2X)

Lasius Neoniger (2X)

xTNxANTMANx
Posts: 416
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Location: Western Tennessee

Re: Are my queens suitable in this setup?

Post: # 23362Post xTNxANTMANx
Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:13 pm

Yeah using a test tube would be way better because the cotton can hold water behind it and there would be a constant supply of moisture. Using it in the setup shown you would constantly have to open the top and rehydrate the cotton or some method like that.
Keeping:
Camponotus subbarbatus
Formica pallidefulva x2
Formica subsericea x4
Lasius sp
Tetramorium immigrans x2
Dorymyrmex bureni

Founding:
Formica pallidefulva
Unknown sp x2

Serafine

Re: Are my queens suitable in this setup?

Post: # 23462Post Serafine
Fri Jun 23, 2017 6:03 am

It's gonna be a pain in the ass to keep these hydrated. Also I can't image the constant disturbance and the frequent changes in humidity to be any good for the queens and their brood. Just use test tubes, you can put them away and forget them for a month until they have first workers.

AntsOnTheCoast
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Re: Are my queens suitable in this setup?

Post: # 27154Post AntsOnTheCoast
Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:21 am

Hope this isn't too late but it'll be hard to transfer them into a formicarium if there are several workers in the slots. It will be hard to just do anything to them in general, as the workers would most likely see it as a hostile action, and you're working with a small medicine container.

What are you doing right now? Did you move them into test tubes? I'm curious :D !!

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