Red harvester help?

[Antscannabis]

Hello. Im not new to ant keeping. However until this year, when i stumbled across the a. c. community while researching an odd behavior from a wild tetramorium colony, i didnt realize there are SO many other ant enthusiasts. When i researched so many years ago. Very little support was offered, in contrast to irratication. So im thrilled to see not only the access to accurate species info and formicariums. But the education on PROPER ant care. ! Go mikey
Im most excited about branching out w my species. I already have a caught a cant. queen this year. And in addition to another of the camponautolis queens, I plan to catch red harvester queens. However i believe i heard mikey mention ,( in a video i cant seem to find now ), that harvester queens must be able to forage while waiting on initial brood development. Is this accurate ? Will i need to place her tube, open and inside of an outworld, where i place fresh small bits of insects,and grain ? Also,assuming she is non-colostial, can i leave a tube of sugar water in the outworld ? Or is there a risk she may attempt to relocate to it ? Any info on that would help me be better prepared, and extremely appreciated.

[ooper01]

I use a test tube connected to an AntsCanada Test Tube Portal for my semi-claustral queens, like harvesters. The Test Tube Portal serves as a mini outworld. Place into the Portal bits of insects, crushed grains, crushed dog/cat food, small amounts of honey, or a sugar water test tube connected to another port of the Test Tube Portal. To keep her from nesting in the sugar water test tube, make a tube out of thick paper to slide onto the test tube and keep one covered and the sugar water one uncovered.

[Antscannabis]

Awesome. Thank you . When i do sugar water tubes, i find it best to place cotton at very edge of tubing. In theory, not leaving room to move in. I do appreciate the info. I havent kept non clos queens befoe. This species was once identified, by local sources, as a variation of slenopsis invicta. Which the incredible growth, and aggression rates are not desireable to me. So to correctly id them, as agood fit on the agg and growth rate, is exciting as can be.

I am however curious how they have been so sucessful out here, if nuptial flights happen so late in the year? I live jan-jun in salt lake city, ut. And grand juntion, co. the rest of the year.. I see this species throughout both cities. With the snow falling so soon after the nuptial flight... I cant imagine that they have a lot of success foraging.. They do hibernate ... Riight?
thank you again!

[ooper01]

I'm in Salt Lake too (Bluffdale). Harvester flights here are late July or early August. They have time to generate an initial set of 5-8 nanitics, stockpile a few seeds, and then "yes" hibernate for the winter.

[Antscannabis]

Awesome . Thank you for the help.