4 replies to this topic

[Mannomorth]

Species: Lasius Niger.

 

The water in one of my test tubes are running low, and I've beginning to see traces of mold in another so I'm planning to move them, what should I do to encourage the Queens to move to another test tube?

 

My first idea was to cover the test tube I want them to move to and then tape the old one to the new one (with a small gap for ventilation) and then light a LED on the current one. Will this stress her or should I just tape them together and let her slowly move there by herself?

 

There is a similar post about this but in this case I've got Queens with eggs and not nanitics. If the procedure is the same, then admin can remove this post.

 

 

Manno

Edited by Mannomorth, September 10 2015 - 12:09 PM.

[Works4TheGood]

I'm having the exact same problem:http://www.formicult...ueen-conundrum/

I'm gonna keep an eye on the responses you get. If I get a successful transfer, I'll let you know.

[Crystals]

For queens with eggs, I use a damp toothpick to "swirl" up the eggs and put them in the new tube, then just dump the queen into the new tube.

New queens will not like to move.  In the wild it is suicide, so you will have to force her, and it is likely that she will not take the eggs if she fees.

[drtrmiller]

With Lasius, I've always had success with a compact fluorescent or incandescent bulb placed some distance away from the tube, as this species tends to avoid heat.

 

LED lights do not give off sufficient heat, and the actual light emission itself may only barely be visible to the ants, so I wouldn't be surprised if an LED would not work.

Edited by drtrmiller, September 10 2015 - 4:00 PM.

[dspdrew]

The visibility of the light would depend on the wave length.