10 replies to this topic

[steelplant]

I'd really appreciate some advice. I just found what looks like a tiny ant queen, who would have come in on firewood. I gave her a little diluted maple syrup and have her in a test tube (in UK).

 

The first question is, should I just put her in the fridge for a month? Even if I keep her out of the fridge, I live off grid in a metal boat and it's cold - 4 degrees C (39F) when I woke up this morning and the fire was still just alive. It's room temperature during the day though.

 

If you recommend to keep her out of the fridge, would she be better in ...

 

- test tube with oak gall in

- natural mini outworld with oak gall in

- something else?

 

I'm also unsure about whether to sterilise the oak gall. Steam it, maybe under pressure.

 

I do have a history of some false alarms when it comes to queens. I'll try to get a photo tomorrow. The camera wouldn't focus as the light was dying.

 

Many thanks for any advice. 

[Kaelwizard]

If you have a really small test tube, I would just leave her in that. Pictures would help as we don't have any info on her appearance besides her size. I would hibernate her if it is that cold.

 

I'm sorry this is kind of off topic, but did you say you lived in a boat? That honestly sounds like a pretty cool lifestyle if so.

[mmcguffi]

I don't have specific advice for you (honestly I think all of those options are probably fine), but you sound like you have a fascinating and interesting life

[ZTYguy]

more fascinating then my setups

[ANTdrew]

I recommend looking at what NickAnter did with hollow twigs in his Temnothorax journal.

[NickAnter]

Yes, they will found fine in test tubes from what I have seen, but, if you are going for a naturalistic setup, either an oak gall, or a twig would be the easiest to replicate.

[steelplant]

Wow thanks so much for all the rapid answers! I'll sit down and have a good read of all the Temnothorax journals.

 

Yes it's great living on a boat cheers. Being surrounded by wild birds especially. The river was in flood last week, which is always scary, a crazy fast current that goes where it likes. Carrying the occasional fishing rod and other flotsam that someone's left out upriver. The ants love it in the summer as it gets so hot. And it's great for catching feeder insects. I had a Lasius niger colony living under a rubber mat in the bow a few years ago, before I got into antkeeping. I'm usually moored just a mile or two away from where huge amounts of Bronze Age axe heads and ritual canoes have been found. A very chill place.

[Devi]

I'd really appreciate some advice. I just found what looks like a tiny ant queen, who would have come in on firewood. I gave her a little diluted maple syrup and have her in a test tube (in UK).

 

The first question is, should I just put her in the fridge for a month? Even if I keep her out of the fridge, I live off grid in a metal boat and it's cold - 4 degrees C (39F) when I woke up this morning and the fire was still just alive. It's room temperature during the day though.

 

If you recommend to keep her out of the fridge, would she be better in ...

 

- test tube with oak gall in

- natural mini outworld with oak gall in

- something else?

 

I'm also unsure about whether to sterilise the oak gall. Steam it, maybe under pressure.

 

I do have a history of some false alarms when it comes to queens. I'll try to get a photo tomorrow. The camera wouldn't focus as the light was dying.

 

Many thanks for any advice. 

"I do have a history of some false alarms when it comes to queens..."  Hahahaha, this was me last year. LOL.

[steelplant]

 

"I do have a history of some false alarms when it comes to queens..."  Hahahaha, this was me last year. LOL.

 

 

One of mine had 8 legs, and a couple more were bugs. I blame ant fever. I still ended up with way too many queens though. And they've all got workers and survived hibernation so far as well. Nightmare lol.

[steelplant]

False alarm. It was a bug. Huge apologies everyone for wasting your time. Have got my magnifying glass back now, so I hope it won't happen again. On the bright side, at least it only has 6 legs. And I learned a lot about Temnothorax last night. And the adrenaline rush of "finding" it has finally ebbed away. Anyone else get that?

River's in flood again now, so that'll stop me bug bothering for a while.

[Spazmops]

False alarm. It was a bug. Huge apologies everyone for wasting your time. Have got my magnifying glass back now, so I hope it won't happen again. On the bright side, at least it only has 6 legs. And I learned a lot about Temnothorax last night. And the adrenaline rush of "finding" it has finally ebbed away. Anyone else get that?

River's in flood again now, so that'll stop me bug bothering for a while.

I found a solitary parasitic wasp queen known as a velvet ant once, and I was convinced I found something awesome. Once I identified it the excitement wore off fast.