9 replies to this topic

[Sandy329]

There is black stuff on the cotton ball that separates the water from the ants and yellow mold/stuff on an insect that I fed them. Should I be worried? HELP!!!

[Enderz]

Do you have any pictures, also I think it is highly possible to be mold. You might want to move the queen, but we would need a picture to 100% sure. Good Luck!

[GeorgeK]

Get another clean test tube and simply connect it to the mouldy one and let ants move. You can speed up the process of moving by covering the clean test tube with some material so it is dark, while leaving dirty test tube on light, forcing ants to move. If you don't have any kind of test tube connectors, i guess you could simply connect them using ducktape, but make sure test tubes are connected tightly, you don't want ants to either escape or get stuck on ducktape.

Also, its normal for test tube cottons to become mouldy, nothing to worry about when it happends, just change test tubes. Also, insects will mold, and when they do, just remove them from test tube

[KBant]

Duct* tape. Nobody tapes ducks, that’s just cruel.

[CoolColJ]

yeah  when the cotton wool turns various colours along with the water, it's time to move them

 

fastest and easiest way to move them to a new test tube - for me anyway

Blu tack the fresh tube on the current one, leaving a tiny gap for air, put the good side in a pipe insulation foam ( or just cover it up) to make it dark, stick the other side in direct sunlight, while the dark side is in the shade

They will move pretty quickly

 

Using light/torches takes a lot longer....

Edited by CoolColJ, March 28 2018 - 12:09 AM.

[Barristan]

In my experience this black mold isn't harmful. Some ants even don't want to move into a new test tube and so far I've never noticed any deaths due to this type of mold.

[sgheaton]

Duct* tape. Nobody tapes ducks, that’s just cruel.

Auto correct doesn't adjust for ignorance. Words are hard....

 

My friend growing up had an existential crisis one day when he discovered normal color duct tape is grey, not florescence orange like his Schneider Truck driving dad had led him to believe. He was in his 20s. 

[PwnerPie]

In my experience this black mold isn't harmful. Some ants even don't want to move into a new test tube and so far I've never noticed any deaths due to this type of mold.

 

Just gotta hook a test tube up so they can move if they want. I have had a couple test tubes get really moldy, hook another one up, and the queen moves when she is ready. Generally don't FORCE them to move, if it is a bad environment they will move on their own. 

[GeorgeK]

put the good side in a pipe insulation foam ( or just cover it up) to make it dark, stick the other side in direct sunlight, while the dark side is in the shade

They will move pretty quickly

 

Using light/torches takes a lot longer....

 

I`ve noticed that when test tube is exposed to sun, water actually evaporates and often builds up water on sides of both test tubes, so i generally avoid using sun, while torches usually just emit light without the heating part.

 

 

Duct* tape. Nobody tapes ducks, that’s just cruel.

Auto correct doesn't adjust for ignorance. Words are hard....

 

My friend growing up had an existential crisis one day when he discovered normal color duct tape is grey, not florescence orange like his Schneider Truck driving dad had led him to believe. He was in his 20s. 

 

 

Yea... Sorry that English isn't my native language, heck of a mistake i made there...

[noebl1]

I've been using the technique I think Serafine suggested where you use a straw joining the two test tubes.  I push up the cotton enough to allow a cut straw to pass thru, and then push that thru into the other test tube under it's cotton.  There's really no escape route as the cotton is still basically blocking the test tube.  Also no tape is needed, and it's a more natural small opening from one test tube to the other.  I did it recently with some P. imparis where their test tube was getting low.  I put the new side in the dark, other side exposed. In this case they were happy enough to move overnight without the need of direct sunlight (I got lucky there as many don't move that easily.)