13 replies to this topic

[Enthusiastic_Callow]

Hello!

 

So, I recently took my ants out of hibernation, and the day I took them out, I noticed that around 25 seconds after I took one of the colonies out of the hibernation box, water started to puddle up at the bottom of the test tube setup housing my Tetramorium Immigrans colony (queen caught in July 2018). This stressed me out immensely, and I quickly sucked up all the water with q-tips, and the ants seemed just fine after all that water was gone. Right after I got all the water out, I put the test tube in a tall but skinny jar so it could be held vertically. This way, the water won't flood.

But, I need to feed these guys (I took them out of hibernation 2 days ago) soon, as they must be starving from many months of hibernation without eating anything. I can't feed them with their test tube vertically, as any food will just drop to the bottom of the test tube and mold, not to mention the stress a piece of mealworm falling on the ants would cause. I need to move these girls to a new test tube FAST!

So, yesterday night, I taped a nice, clean, new test tube setup's end to the ants' current test tube setup's end, and i set these two attached test tubes on a diagonal, so water won't flood the ants' current test tube setup but the ants can still climb to the new one. I put a cover on the new test tube for darkness and I put a light over the ants' current one. That was about 20 hours ago, and I see no progress of moving whatsoever.

I'm really worried; I need to feed these girls, they haven't eaten for so long. I'm thinking if they don't move soon, I may have to resort to tapping them into the new test tube.

(P.S, the exact same thing happend to another one of my colonies when I took them out, but I haven't attached a new test tube for them to move into yet.)

 

Any tips/helpful info?

 

 

Thanks in advance!

[TennesseeAnts]

I would let it flood now that the new tube is connected. The ants right now probably see no reason to move. If they need food that bad, give them some honey/sugar water. Since there is no brood, they do not require any protein. Adult ants only consume sugars.

[Enthusiastic_Callow]

Ok, just worried that the flooding may kill them, are you sure it won't harm them or their brood?

 

Oh and there is brood, about 25-30 larvae.

 

Thanks for replying so quickly!

[TennesseeAnts]

Ohhh. Ok. Brood should be fine. I am pretty sure it won't hurt them.

[Enthusiastic_Callow]

Ok thanks! It's just really hard for me to see my ants struggling to swim, it breaks me down, but now I know it's for their best interest in mind!

Now just gotta figure out how to overcome the stress that'll come with it.

[Mdrogun]

I would let it flood now that the new tube is connected. The ants right now probably see no reason to move. If they need food that bad, give them some honey/sugar water. Since there is no brood, they do not require any protein. Adult ants only consume sugars.

This is awful advice. Ants do very poorly in water.

[TennesseeAnts]

Be wary that too much water will harm them. Especially with such a small species.

[TennesseeAnts]

I would let it flood now that the new tube is connected. The ants right now probably see no reason to move. If they need food that bad, give them some honey/sugar water. Since there is no brood, they do not require any protein. Adult ants only consume sugars.

This is awful advice. Ants do very poorly in water.

Terrible advice would be: "Just let them sit there. They will figure it out eventually." I am speaking from experience. I do that all the time. Even with Temnothorax and Tapinoma. More than 2-3 millimeters of water is fatal for such a small species.

[Enthusiastic_Callow]

Oki cool, thanks!

[Mdrogun]

 

 

I would let it flood now that the new tube is connected. The ants right now probably see no reason to move. If they need food that bad, give them some honey/sugar water. Since there is no brood, they do not require any protein. Adult ants only consume sugars.

This is awful advice. Ants do very poorly in water.

Terrible advice would be: "Just let them sit there. They will figure it out eventually." I am speaking from experience. I do that all the time. Even with Temnothorax and Tapinoma. More than 2-3 millimeters of water is fatal for such a small species.

 

Many times small colonies will flat out refuse to move in horrible situations, because doing so is suicide in the wild. Even if we pretend to live in a world where flooding your ants to get them to move is a good idea, it wouldn't work on small colonies semi-often. I have had multiple test tubes flood where the water breaks the air bubble around the ant created by its hairs. The ant then is suction-cupped to the side of the tube and it will die if no action is taken. It can also be detrimental for brood to be underwater, as workers clean them nearly constantly to prevent fungi and other [censored] from growing, but they can't do this when the brood is submerged. I am speaking from experience as well. Water and ants do not mix well, ESPECIALLY in small colonies.

[ANTdrew]

Tetramorium are a force of nature to say the least. Try not to worry too much. Mine don’t move into new tubes until they’ve had a day or two to explore the new one and lay some scent trails. In your case, I’d say just tap them into the new tube and use a feather or small brush to move the brood. Even if you lose a few brood, your queen will more than replace them in days. My Tetra queens pump out brood at a truly frightening rate.

[TennesseeAnts]

Tetramorium are a force of nature to say the least. Try not to worry too much. Mine don’t move into new tubes until they’ve had a day or two to explore the new one and lay some scent trails. In your case, I’d say just tap them into the new tube and use a feather or small brush to move the brood. Even if you lose a few brood, your queen will more than replace them in days. My Tetra queens pump out brood at a truly frightening rate.

Like my Crematogasters.

[ANTdrew]

Update? Did you manage to get them into a new tube?

[Enthusiastic_Callow]

Oh update, yes of course!

 

I hesitated from tapping them into a new tube because the current one is very leaky and if i turn it upside-down to tap ants out and into the new tube I think the water will run down from that wet cottonball, along with the ants and brood, into the new tube, where the water will accumulate and ants may drown.

Do you think this may be possible? I've been quite busy lately as well, so I didn't have the time to think whether or not this may happen and to actually do it. (Don't worry, I fed these guys so they have everything they need while I decide and aren't starving).

Thanks for the quick replies and professional advice everyone! 

 

EDIT: Oh and thank you Antdrew, that was very reassuring (what you said about them being a force of nature and super hardy).

Edited by Enthusiastic_Callow, April 19 2019 - 5:30 PM.