I bought a formica queen with 10 ants. I've put the testtube into the outworld with the exit close to the entrance to the handmade Ytong nest which was covered by cardboard, watered the nest and they have moved within 2 days. When they moved I took the testtube out and I've connected it into another portal at the opposite of the outworld, and I didn't cover that testtube with anything.
15 days have passed since then. In the meantime I watered the nest 3 times, kept it covered most of the time, given the ants some honey and yesterday a tiny bit of a worm. They looked cozy in their Ytong next. Everything was going fine and today I saw like 6 ants in the testtube, while usually there would be 0-2 in there. And just now the queen moved from the Ytong back into the test tube.
The question is: why did they move out from a wet, dark Ytong nest back into fully lit testtube?
I do not see any mold in the Ytong, but it's white so I just might not be able to see it. Nest itself is made from Ytong, with outside painted with acrylic paint, the "glass" is made of polycarbonate, the white seal thing is blu-tac alike.
They have taken the piece of the worm into the nest yesterday, did it cause mold? Am I overwatering the nest? Was the Ytong contaminated before it got to me? Is any of the materials I've used harmful to ants?
Pictures
Thanks for the help.
Ants moved out from Ytong nest back to test tube
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Re: Ants moved out from Ytong nest back to test tube
It is to early to move them out of the test tube. when they will have 20w they will be ready. Probably they were feeling unsecured in the nest because it was to big for their colony for now.
Re: Ants moved out from Ytong nest back to test tube
Maybe you should hydrate the nest more often
Keeper of :
Camponotus albosparsus x2
Camponotus Irritans
Hoping for pheidole colony
Camponotus albosparsus x2
Camponotus Irritans
Hoping for pheidole colony
Re: Ants moved out from Ytong nest back to test tube
I'm not convinced the nest was too dry. They moved out on the same day I watered it in the morning.
I will not intervene in their nesting for now and keep watering the brick nest to see what happens. Thanks for the help.
Re: Ants moved out from Ytong nest back to test tube
Probably too much space
Keeper of :
Camponotus albosparsus x2
Camponotus Irritans
Hoping for pheidole colony
Camponotus albosparsus x2
Camponotus Irritans
Hoping for pheidole colony
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Re: Ants moved out from Ytong nest back to test tube
I think maybe you made the nest too wet too often. It looks like when you water the nest it may all become wet? That leaves the ants nowhere to go to seek dry land. If your soaking the nest and it’s causing panic they have moved out to seek dryer ground. Probably a combination of they don’t feel secure in the cavernous space that the y-tong nest provides and then panic caused by water entering the nest.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfFtn6RegZ3F1NdS1g08NA
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfFtn6RegZ3F1NdS1g08NA
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