3 replies to this topic

[farazsonic101]

Hi,
I was wondering how to move an ants colony from a dirt set up to a different setup such as ytong. I have a carebara diversa colony I wanted to move so I could see them better does any one know how?
Thanks.

[T.C.]

You could directly hook the nests up, but that however may take forever before they actually move if ever. The other option here is risky. Dump there current dirt nest into a empty container with the sides coated in fluon so they don't escape. Hook the container up to there new nest. Then pour the dirt out and evenly spread it out. The thinner the dirt layer the better. You don't want them tunneling under it. Then apply a light to the container to encourage the move more and be sure the new nest is kept dark. Within no time they should move.

This works for all species I've tried it with, but I have no experience with this specific species.

[dspdrew]

I usually just dump the whole thing into a Fluon coated tub with a test tube laying in it, and wait for them to move into the test tube as the dirt dies out. Once the queen, brood and majority of the workers are in the tube, I dump that into the new formicarium. I then individually pick out the rest of the workers.

[MegaMyrmex]

I was wondering the exact same thing with my T. Sessile colony. Unfortunately many ants will prefer this setup to say a test tube or formicarium. I would suggest letting the substrate dry out. This generally works and generally makes the substrate a bit shifty and less stable, giving the ants a feeling of uncertainty and then moving out. You should then attempt to place a well hydrated nest where they can easily access it. This may take a while however. Another method would be to constantly disturb the colony by keeping it exposed in bright light(but make sure they don't overheat!). Hope this helps, but the last option would be dumping the colony out in a big tube lined with talcum powder. I highly disrecommend this since this is extremely stressful for the ants, and with a species that is very sensitive I would only use this as a last resort option.