28 replies to this topic

[Temperateants]

Hi, I noticed my colony has begun to dehydrate. I'm pretty sure it is leading to some of the workers dying and making the queen produce less eggs, so the colony's protein intake has decreased a lot. I know that my Camponotus and Crematogaster love heat, so it would be easy to move them by luring them with heat. Can I use a combination of heat and light to move my Tetras? (heat is a lure, I placed their tube away from the cable, so it cools down, so the ants will look for heat) and light to agitate the colony. THe colony is 1 1/2 months out of hibernation, and they have about 20-25 large workers.

[AntsDakota]

They can be stubborn, but I think it could work. It’s worth a try.

[Temperateants]

if I attach 2 tubes together, how much air will the ants need?

[AntsDakota]

Just barely a tiny gap. Not even wide enough to escape through. Ants require very little air.

[ANTdrew]

Can you describe what they are living in now? Is it just a test tube that you are feeding them in directly?

If so, definitely put this tube in an escape proof outworld with a some liquid feeders and a new tube next to it. The ants will move on their own, but some light and even gently blowing on them will speed things up.

[Temperateants]

Thanks for the advice Antdrew, but I do not have fluon or any barriers, I have attached the two tubes with vinyl tubing, and put a smaller tube with cotton wrapped around it, on the new fresh tube to make a smaller and more comfortable hole. The ants are already exploring the new tube area. I'll try to get fluon.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

what about talcum and baby powder? 

[Temperateants]

I think I have that, but I don't know how to make a good mixture

[Ants_Dakota]

You don't need to mix baby powder to get a barrier, although it may be helpful. Baby powder my itself is good enough for most ants, although i would recommend fluon. 

[Canadant]

Took me about two weeks but the queen finally left her tube. For the first while they were transporting larvae back and forth from both tubes. Try to be patient which is hard to do.

[Temperateants]

My main concerns are:

Air, the setup of attaching two tubes has almost no ventilation, I don't want them to suffocate.
Dehydration, I suspect that several workers have died of dehydration prior to the attempted moving
I will probably try to method of using a mini outworld. How will I get my ants to actually drink water and not die?

[Temperateants]

I also can't feed them in this setup. 

[Ants_Dakota]

Do workers die of dehydration and queens slow down on egg production? that explained a lot...

[ANTdrew]

I think it’s imperative that you get the ants a mini-outworld. Tetras suck at climbing, so any DIY barrier should do until you get some fluon, even olive oil. A 20 worker colony will barely venture out much anyway.

[Temperateants]

Thanks guys! I'll probably throw together some talcum+rubbing alcohol. 

 

Do workers die of dehydration and queens slow down on egg production? that explained a lot...

I've actually lost a tetra colony due to this, everything just fell apart. Queen ceased egg production, and larvae were very unhealthy from lack of moisture. Protein intake was non-existent. I knew something was horribly wrong when I saw a dead callow. Probably because the pupae had deformities. I don't want this to happen. Are the ants smart enough to drink from the fresh tube even if they don't move into it? Luckily most of the brood consists of pupae who need less moisture.

[Temperateants]

I think it’s imperative that you get the ants a mini-outworld. Tetras suck at climbing, so any DIY barrier should do until you get some fluon, even olive oil. A 20 worker colony will barely venture out much anyway.

Also, the ambient temperature in the room I'm storing my ants is 60 F, is it possible to heat up the outworld with a heating cable?

[ANTdrew]

Yes

[Temperateants]

Do I just put the cable under the outworld to make a gradient just like in a test tube?

[AntsDakota]

You could, but it doesn't really matter. Ants like to have temperature gradients in their nests. To them, keeping an outworld at a constant 85 degrees would be no different than foraging outside in that weather.

[Temperateants]

This is a tubs and tubes setup, so the ants and the new tube are both in the outworld. What if the ants don't move and more brood/workers die?