It can depend on many factors including temperature, time of year, and diet, but typically we recommend pavement ants (Iridomyrmex bicknelli), meat ants (Iridomyrmex purpureus) and big-headed ants (pheidole).
We recommend starting off small. A nest that is too big for the colony will stress them out, and they may die off. Remember, underground, ants don’t have much space, so it’s better for them to be cramped.
We recommend that all semi-Claustral ants have some form of substrate in their outworld. Please check the information of your ant to determine if its is Claustral or semi-Claustral. We do not recommend sand be placed inside test tubes.
This depends on the species. “Easy care” ants like big-headed ants and pavement ants typically don’t mind if you check on them often, as long as you do not turn, bump, or shake the tube. It is best to place them in a position that allows for you to view them without picking up the […]
This happens often in winter. Ants tend to slow down and reduce activity when it is cold, so creating a warmer environment and feeding more protein can encourage colony growth.
If you’d like to move them, you can purchase some test tubes and a connector from the site and make a new tube using cotton. Once the ends of the tubes are connected, move the new tube/nest into the dark (preferably warm too) and leave the old tube under some bright light, at a slight […]
Mould is not necessarily a problem, it’s usually only an issue if the ants are clearly avoiding it and moving to the other side of the test tube. If they are staying near the cotton and don’t seem to care, I wouldn’t worry too much.
Typically you should only move the ants when they no long fit in the test tube and are often escaping when you try to feed them. Moving them in too early can cause them to become stressed and develop slowly.
You will need to feed the colony regularly by placing a small amount of food in the test tube or outworld. They will need sugars (honey, sugar water, ant nectar) and protein (mealworms, crickets, or other insects) about once every 5-7 days.
All of our queens come in a test tube, with half of the tube filled with water and blocked off by cotton. Some water seeps through the cotton and allows the queen and her colony to drink.