The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

Hello.
I have a Nylanderia Sp. queen in a test tube setup with 5-6 workers. She has eggs and larva in the tube. They have been picky eaters so far and are growing very slowly. More importantly, the tube is getting dirty and is beginning to mold. I have connected other tubes with water and food to try to lure them out. I have exposed the current tube to light and they just burrow under the cotton. I have even used tweezers to poke the cotton a bit hoping they would feel unsafe and move out. I know low stress is best for a new brood and queen, but the living conditions will soon be very poor. This is my second queen to do this, and the first got sick and died. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Goat

They need to be hibernating right now. They aren't going to move when their internal clock is telling them to reserve energy. If worst comes to worst, you can gently tap the side of the old tube (with the opening taped to a fresh tube) So that they fall into the fresh one. Not recommended, only last resort. Most molds are ok though, as long as they don't get too out of control.

Thanks.

They have been getting sluggish lately. I was hoping to get them to move before hibernation fully set in. I'll cool the room off a little. To let them fully hibernate. Should I feed them much at all? I'm already down to once a week. Just don't want to lose this queen too.

Also, my other group of ants, now queen-less, was still pretty active till now. Guess they hibernate later. Cooling down and feeding less shouldn't hurt them at this point.

Flaminggoat88 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 27, 2017 1:09 am

Thanks.

They have been getting sluggish lately. I was hoping to get them to move before hibernation fully set in. I'll cool the room off a little. To let them fully hibernate. Should I feed them much at all? I'm already down to once a week. Just don't want to lose this queen too.

Also, my other group of ants, now queen-less, was still pretty active till now. Guess they hibernate later. Cooling down and feeding less shouldn't hurt them at this point.

The best way to feed test tube colonies is with a straw leading from the tube to the outworld.
http://www.formiculture.com/topic/4167-welcome-to-lazy-tube-serafines-camponotus-barbaricus/
this way if they need food, they will forage. if they don't forage, they don't need food. Also it keeps the colony's stress down and prevents mold outbreaks.