3 replies to this topic

[MuddyNinja]

I received my Queen with a few workers and a lot of eggs about ten days ago in a standard test tube set up...I left them for a few days then checked on them, they all seemed fine but the following day they got knocked off the side and the living area got flooded... Transferred to a new testube and left alone again...checked yesterday and all the workers are dead and there are only a few eggs left..queen seems active.. is there anything else I can do to help her or should I just leave her in peace? These are literally my first ever Ants and it seems I have killed them before I even started

[Manitobant]

If you can, try to get messor brood from someone and brood boost her. When a queen loses all her workers it is unlikely she will be able to re-found a colony.

[TestSubjectOne]

I agree with Manitobant. Failing a brood boost, feed her well and try to get her to found again. It's possible that you could get her to refound this way but the chances aren't great. Don't worry too much about killing your first colony; I killed mine by leaving them in the sun only a week after buying them and I suspect that many others on here have similar experiences. Over time you will learn more about antkeeping and have successful colonies if you continue moving forward and learning from your mistakes.

[MuddyNinja]

Thank you both, I will leave her in peace for now and see if I can get a brood for her and keep my fingers crossed!