4 replies to this topic

[thunderstrand]

Hi there,

 

I'm just starting out, got a small Lasius Niger colony living in the test tube they arrived in. They're quite happy in the dark with a bit of honey and some cricket protein. 

 

I ordered a habitat for them to live in, and I've set it up with substrate, leaf litter, sand, bark and moss - it's all been sterilised except for the moss. The water in their test tube is going to run out soonish, so I'd like to encourage them to move, but for some reason the place I purchased them from sent them in a test tube that won't fit in the colony, but included another smaller test tube that will fit.

 

I tried connecting the two test tubes, providing water and food in the smaller one, and leaving the larger one in the light while shading the smaller tube with tinfoil to encourage them to move across. I kept it like this for several days, but they stayed in the original tube and just looked sort of miserable. 

 

I've disconnected the tubes and made them comfortable in the original site, but the water in there is going to run out sooner or later. Will they move readily when the water runs out and a new source is provided? I could cut the existing tube containing the colony down to fit in the permanent habitat, but I'm concerned this would stress or damage them. 

 

Any advice on moving them would be much apprecitated.

 

thank you

[Ernteameise]

Lasius niger are notorious for not wanting to move.

There are some reports by fellow antkeepers who had colonies die because said colonies preferred death to a clean new home.

You know what I did with my own small colony?

I just dumped them out of their test tube into the top outworld of a THA mini-hearth.

They moved in straight away. And now, 4 weeks later, have rewarded me with an avalanche of brood.

 

The moment they are moving in after they had been dumped into the new nest:

 

 

How it is looking now, 4 weeks later. If the enforced move stressed them, I certainly did not notice.

 

[Ernteameise]

Oh, by the way, this is how filthy their old test tube looked. Just look at this discolored water! I think I did the right thing of force- moving them.

 

[thunderstrand]

That's very helpful, thank you!

 

Their eggs are sitting against the cotton plug, I wonder if they'll be stuck there - but I suppose I can pull it out and gently shake them into the habitat after the ants?

[Ernteameise]

I use a VERY soft makeup brush to gently guide any ants and brood off cotton and glass walls.

So far, this has worked and I had no casualties.

Try shaking first, tap the glass, make the ants alert so they pick up the brood. If not, you could also drop the cotton into their outworld (gently) and have the ants pick them off there, you can then remove the cotton.