Different way to catch a queen

[antagonbosk]

Read my post on 3/3/2023 - easy/fun way to safely catch a queen. As spring approaches, this is a proven method to safely catch a queen - and to insure its an ant colony under that rock , opposed to a surprised snake....

Also, to answer your question about catching a mature queen - you cannot place her in a test tube without a food source. That method is for new queens after their flight, where they have the wing muscle tissue to feed the new brew. A mature queen no longer has that ability. Its best to collect worker ants with the queen, and introduce the colony to a formicarium.

Antagon

[AM1C39]

There aren’t gonna be any nuptial flights until April so is it possible that I just get a queen ant from a mature colony?
Also, should I put her into a test tube setup or a formicarium? I mean, since she still needs to be fed.

I would suggest simply waiting until april and keeping an eye out. Go on hikes, maybe you'll find something.