Colony stuck in tube

[JosiahL]

Im a first time ant keeper and my sister found a what I think is a tetrimorium/pavement ant colony in a plastic tarp and I found the queen, some workers, and a good number of brood. I hooked a large omninest to the out-world and the ants left the test tubes I had them in and moved everything into the tubing between the nest and the outworld. I hydrated the nest and blocked off most of the nest area so they only have the first 3 chambers to use because I heard having to much room can be bad. There is water in a test tube in the outworld, a bit of honey, and a bit of hamburger for protein. I've used a lamp shining on the outworld to move them into the nest but they settled in the tubing. I covered the nest up with red paper to encourage them to move but they stay in the tube. Ants rarely go into the outworld and have barely touched the food and water. I don't know of their recovering from the move or something but they are very still and don't move much. My room is just around 75°F/23°C. Will they move into the nest sooner or later or do I need to force them in with the lamp? Or is their colony not big enough and that's why their staying in the tubing? Also is it bad that they are not eating or drinking?

[Batspiderfish]

The ants are staying where they are most comfortable -- don't force them to move anywhere. Hamburger is not a proper food for ants, particularly smaller colonies; they'll need insect protein in the near future. When they are ready to forage, you will see them searching for food. Make sure they have access to fresh sugary liquid and small insects/pieces of insect.

It's generally not a good idea to capture wild colonies, as they often have trouble adapting to captivity (or similarly, it is often difficult for new hobbyists to care for an established colony right from the start.) You're going to have a steep learning curve if you want to take good care of the colony. Read up on what other people have been doing with their mature colonies in their journals.

I find it unlikely that Tetramorium would be nesting under a tarp, unless it was buried in dirt. You might want to make an ID request, so you'll have as much info as possible.

[BleedingRaindrops]

Here's a link to instructions on how to get an ID for your Ants. Be sure to read all the posts for the most useful tips.
http://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=292