Need some help with first colony

[ceciljack]

Hi didn't know where to ask a question
I've just started my first colony of common black garden ants and when I recieved the Queen she had around 10 or 15 workers alive the issue seems that the brood seem to of been damaged by the overly moist cotton
The queen and workers have all moved into my fornicarium and are all huddled in a corner of the out world not in the nest and don't seem to of brought the brood with her
Does this mean she will not be able to produce more brood as her existing brood seems to of been unsuccessful
Also is there any way of encouraging the ants to use the nest part of the setup or is it just patience

[JoeHostile1]

How did you get them out of the test tube? Because it sounds like they did not like what you did and that they didn’t actually move more than they just ran from their nest. Normally they would never sit in the open like that. Especially to leave a test tube to go sit in the open is very strange.

I would make another test tube for them and cover it with paper or something and place it right in front of them. Then place their test tube with the brood in it beside the new test tube. Hopefully they will move into the covered test tube and bring the brood into it. If not you could try taking the larvae out with a toothpick.

A Lasius colony with only 10-15 workers is really not big enough to move into a nest. They would normally be in no rush to leave their test tube for a large nest since the test tube is already too big for them as it is. They could literally live in a test tube for another year or longer.

Once you have them in the covered test tube (hopefully with their brood) you can uncover it and just let it dry up and hopefully they will move into your new nest.