Mold on the cotton of my test tube

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BuckeyeAnts
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Mold on the cotton of my test tube

Post: # 73964Post BuckeyeAnts
Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:11 am

Hi so I have 2 colonies in the nanitic stage and they just had there first piece of protein but I noticed that their cotton is covered in mold I've tried moving them into the new clean test tubes I've prepared for them but they wont budge how can I get them to move.
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AntsLuxembourg
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Re: Mold on the cotton of my test tube

Post: # 73966Post AntsLuxembourg
Tue Sep 22, 2020 10:16 am

Makre sure the new testtube is well covered and doesn't have much light. Next uncover their current testtube to expose them to some light. This might make them move out. If that doesn't help then you could try to kind of shake them out of their old test tube into the new one. I don't know what tools you have or how skilled you are but in the past I had to more some colonies by force. Means the queen and workers were shaken into container (small bottle with a bit of tubing) and then into the next testtube. Later for the remaining eggs I had to use very fine and pointy tweezers but I also need a new pair like that in the futur.

It is not easy to do and it definetly feels like some sort of surgery but in my cases it was absolutely necessary. Cannot recommend doing it.
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

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antnest8
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Re: Mold on the cotton of my test tube

Post: # 74021Post antnest8
Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:50 am

AntsLuxembourg wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 10:16 am
Makre sure the new testtube is well covered and doesn't have much light. Next uncover their current testtube to expose them to some light. This might make them move out. If that doesn't help then you could try to kind of shake them out of their old test tube into the new one. I don't know what tools you have or how skilled you are but in the past I had to more some colonies by force. Means the queen and workers were shaken into container (small bottle with a bit of tubing) and then into the next testtube. Later for the remaining eggs I had to use very fine and pointy tweezers but I also need a new pair like that in the futur.

It is not easy to do and it definetly feels like some sort of surgery but in my cases it was absolutely necessary. Cannot recommend doing it.
You can also use a q-tip or tooth pick for moving brood as brood sticks to things
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ttshaw1
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Re: Mold on the cotton of my test tube

Post: # 74034Post ttshaw1
Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:26 pm

I have a similar issue, but with mold on the glass of the tube from when I spilled sugar water into their refuse pile. My ants are also refusing to move into the covered tube despite leaving the moldy one uncovered. Are they smart enough to realize that they need to abandon the moldy tube when the mold gets hazardous?

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Re: Mold on the cotton of my test tube

Post: # 74037Post antscanada
Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:00 pm

Yeah, getting a colony to move, especially a very young colony can be a pain! The younger the colony, the harder it is. Just trust the ants will know when to move. Ants are adapted to deal with a little mold, as they're natural soil creatures and mold/fungi are everywhere in nature. The workers will not live in the mold until they die, and will sometimes wait until the absolute last dire moment when they come to that point of "move or die". :lol:
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