6 replies to this topic

[BrittonLS]

I've tried to move a few of my colonies into formicarium + outworld setups. Mostly I've just put their test tube there uncovered in the outworld, or tried to just dump them in. But they seem to not care to go into the tube leading to the actual formicarium at all, I haven't seen them even attempt it. I rinsed them out before hand, but maybe there's something inhibiting them from going in? The entrance also wasn't placed against the bottom, so I've fixed that now on my newest outworld I'm planning on using. Any suggestions on why they may not care to explore into it? It was Brachymyrmex sp. and Pheidole sp. frankly neither of them cared to try to climb on the walls much to begin with. 

Edited by BrittonLS, October 20 2015 - 6:29 PM.

[Crystals]

First off, how large is the colony?

 

If under 30 workers, I am not too surprised that they don't want to move.  In the wild, it would be suicide.  They won't want to leave their safe home, since they have come to no harm in all this time.

 

You can always try tieing some steel wool to a pipe cleaner and dragging it through the tubing (or using tweezers to only scrap the bottom of the tubing) and see if that helps.

[antmaniac]

Unless they felt the current location is dangerous, then they may consider moving. Plastic tube to them is just another unknown place and route to explore, which they will take with caution. If they have scouting workers, these tend to explore further. Younger workers will move around nearby and if they have enough resources, they would not wander any further. We may able to see a paradise with food just few inchs away, the ant can't really see but felt scared and turn back.

[BrittonLS]

I think what I'll do is connect the test tube directly to the tubing instead of placing it in the out world.

Yes, it was pretty small, but there were exploring workers, I just never saw a single one go in the tube.

[LC3]

Speaking of plastic tubes is it possible for plastic tubes to be potentially harmful to ants and may be the reason why they would avoid them? I had Lasius alienus in a plastic tube once and the workers kept dying until I moved them into a glass tube.

[Mdrogun]

I find most of my colony's HATE plastic tubing. I don't know why

[BrittonLS]

Was it pvc?