Finally getting some brood after moving them to this new nest. I read online that H. venator larvae need substrate/sand to spin their cocoons. They are just on the textured floor right now. Should I add sand directly to the nest, or wait until they get bigger? tbh I don't want to mess up the setup.

Today I woke up and found one of my queens dead. It's really sad since this colony was doing so well. I have a second colony of the same species, I was thinking about giving them all the brood from the dead colony (as I know, adult workers cannot be introduced to the other colony, am I right?)

I could use some advice on how to brood boost correctly. My other colony has a small outworld but they rarely check it out. Can I put the brood in the outworld hoping that some workers will find it on time, or is it better to try and put it directly in the tube? Thanks for any advice on what to do with the rest of the workers

Labor Day Ant I presume? Any tips re: care would be appreciated.

I hold the bag open over my compost bucket and they fly right in. then I close it and put them in the freezer

I searched online and found conflicting information. I caught a queen ~2 months yet the eggs haven't hatched(the first batch was eaten 17 days in and then the next batch hasn't hatched yet but still 40 days seems wayyy too slow). I do feed her worms/sugar every 3-4 days. Am I doing smth wrong??? How long do they typically take to get first workers??? It's native to my area and the temp range here is around 20-30 C.

(I was told it's a c.diversa queen by ppl on Reddit. I'm just a beginner and it's the first queen I caught)

I’ve had my colony for a while and there’s about 10-13 workers, they’ve been very active and 2-3 of them were often at the end of the test tube seemingly trying to get out. The queen is breeding like wildfire.

My issue: I’ve connected an outworld today finally, they naturally went into it to explore but seem to be looking for any and all escape routes they can. One climbed the ceiling immediately and fell due to the slippy powder, they’ve no also starting prodding the cotton wool in the extra test tube I attached. Their whole vibe seems to be that they want to escape, but I don’t know if that’s the case or they just act like this??

TLDR: trying to figure out why my ants are so active and seem to be after an escape. Could it be too much sugar water? Natural behaviour? Or something else.

The left side setup is my 4 worker Lasius colony, they send one cautious scout out who collects food then goes back, so they are drastically different.

Leptogenys elongata

Tiny

Anyone able to identify? Massachusetts I was thinking Monomorium minimum

but do you think they can reach this waterer on the side of the container or will I need to keep the test tube with water in it? This "farm" has ti ea with gypsum in it , not sure if they can get water from that or if it is just for moisture . Also debating how to keep them supplemented with nectar. For beekeeping we can give sugar cubes... Is that not a thing for ants? I am afraid they will drown. Thanks for any advice.

Hello, just over a month ago I caught two tetramorium queens, and have housed both in test tube setups since. One currently has about 15 workers and generous brood, and is well on her way to found a strong colony. I have fed her colony multiple times now and try not to disturb them. The other queen I had mostly given up on, as although she produced brood, it was sparse and she never shed her wings. Today I checked up on her and found 3 nanitics to my surprise, and a slowly growing pile of brood. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time nor equipment to raise two colonies. I am based in southern Ontario (Canada) and with fall fast approaching, I don’t know how to safely release this new colony, especially with temperatures beginning to drop.

On the topic of fall, I am worried about the colony I intend to keep as winter approaches. My house is old and the insulation is poor, and in the winter nighttime temperatures can reach 13 ish degrees Celsius. During the day with heating it probably reaches 21. What will happen to my ants in these lower temperatures + fluctuations? I don’t have a mini fridge so I don’t think I can properly set them up for diapause, but even with a heating mat I’m afraid their outworld will be too cold. Any advice is welcome, thank you!

Just received Camponotus nicobarensis family with queen and 1 worker.
The water has yellow shade and black dots. There is some kind of dirt on the another side, but not sure what is it yet.
I didn’t noticed stressed or strange behaviour. They eat protein and sugar syrup.
They were in a delivery for only 2 days.
I’ve written to seller store, but still waiting for response.

Should I try to move them (not insistently) to another clean tube?

Found this queen today, about 1cm long.
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Any idea on the species?

Found in France size around 5-7mm
help me identify pls

Has anyone found any interesting ants at any Riverside developed parks? Not in the Foothills or mountains but any other parks?

I posted a day 827 update on tiktok and YouTube, and in it I highlight some bigger ants. I am under the impression these are majors, am I wrong? Could they be media?

Got my first Camponotus compressus colony today :))

I am using a plastic container as an outworld with a lid I’ll keep closed (not airtight). Do I still need an escape barrier, or is the lid enough?

Also, whats the best way to feed sugar water-cotton, drops, or a feeder?

Thanks!

Hey everyone! I’m new to ant keeping and I wanted to ask if I applied Fluon correctly.

I followed the instructions from the TrapJaw Labs video with Miles Maxcer. I turned the outworld upside down and applied two coats of Fluon vertically with a brush. I let each coat dry for around 15–20 minutes before applying the next one.

I’m planning to keep a Pheidole pallidula colony in tubs and tubes inside this box.

Does this look right, or should I do anything differently?

Thanks for the help!

The vagus test tube looks moldy but it's because of the lighting, it's just debris in there

I have a Camponotus colony with 7 workers. It’s getting harder to take the cotton plug out to give honey/protein since they like to chew at the cotton and wedge themselves in there. I plan to put the tube inside an outworld but keep the tube dark. Is this ok for a colony so small?