Mold in my ants home

[Twenty4boy]

Hello,

I found a queen ant earlier this summer. When capturing it I used a container big enough to hold about one orange cut up or the size of a fist. I threw some dirt in the container with a tiny amount of twigs and rocks and tried to put water in it without drowning the whole thing. Placed the queen inside then closed the lid. It has been about 6 - 7 weeks have seen about 5 - 6 workers so far. Continuing what I'm doing to let the colony grow. I have found mold on top of the dirt of the nest. I'm not sure if the colony is alright because I haven't seen them in about a week. Will putting this small container into a bigger more permanent location work, or will the mold keep spreading? I will be cleaning the small container out and see if I can find another home for now. If I could get any advice about the matter, I will greatly appreciate it.

thanks

[AntsDakota]

The mold will keep spreading. I suggest moving a small colony into a test tube by not watering the nest. This encourages the ants to move out of the dirt and into the new nest.

[Twenty4boy]

Thank you.