How to do a Test Tube Setup for Housing Queen Ants - AntsCanada Tutorial #1

[thedude020201]

where do u get ur test tubes? i think you said u made a video about it and i cant find it so..... yea :l

[MeatfortoeatALT]

Does anybody know how I could potentially capture some ant larvae? If so, thank you.

[whaley1999]

for the queen ant 2 breed what do i need 2 do?

[blademaster691]

what do you do with a lasius flavis Ant please tell me!?

[tncask8ergurl]

i cuat a queen ant

[hetujm]

what happens when you do have air bubbles

[mahroe117]

record in the toilet right :P

[nutball0340]

is there a store besides your amazing ants canada test tube products that sell test tubes like those old 50 cent ones cuz im 14 and dont kno how to do that shippping stuff lol but i will in the future end up bying a nest to house my ants but wat store do u recomond i look for test tubes

[MrSouthwestly]

How do you feed your ants in the test tube.

[farmerz245]

How do you feel the queen in teh test tube?

[gunmonkey2000]

i found 3 solenopsis invicta queens and have been keeping them in a dark place in a test tube setup. i checked them today, one was dead and all the test tubes have mold. how do i get my queen with her first brood out of the test tube so the mold does not kill her and how do i keep mold from growing in there i just set them up last week!

[dataworld1]

hey hey. your mikey bustos right? im from the philippines. can i order some of your antfarms? cause i got 5 queens. :)

[FiraaKeitake]

It feels like im watching a magic show

[exohItsLAUREN]

I have a queen ant and she layed eggs but the eggs died the queen did not it is winter hear she is still alive.p.s can i have some help.

[Science3007]

I found a queen carpenter ant the other day and she doesn't stop scraching her abdomin please tell me what it is!

[masterchief117halodc]

im thinking about making an ant website i the usa and im going to sell hebel brick ant

nests (inspired by antscanada)

[MrCROant]

Hi antscanada!

Cool videos, realy helpful and interesting! (watched most of them :-D )

thank you for that :P

Visited your web site and liked plentifull of good and quality information including your cool formicariums :-)

I've got 5 queens 10days ago (no eggs yet and one tetr.nylanderi will die most likely other are lasius niger or flavus not sure but it doesent matter realy to me)

wanted to ask you how much success in test tubes one should expect?

10 out of 10 , or 6 out of 10..?

[cobraopts7]

do you know anybody who sells queens in oklahoma

[godhell4]

Ants! i have some Nigar larva and i want to add it to my Niger queen is that ok!?

[homemadehookahguy317]

cool i just made one and put a worker ant in to test and it works great i dont no much bout ants but i made a mini ant farm with 5 workers and a winged one i dont no if that means she is a queen or not but yea

[samenatorful]

if my queen whit eggs are in a antfarm how do i hibernate her?

[AntsCanada]

@samenatorful Hibernate the entire nest.

[samenatorful]

@AntsCanada thanks =]

[destroyer0323]

y does my ant queen always die when i try 2 use a test tube? shell lay a few eggs and then 5days 2 a week later she dies

[AntsCanada]

@destroyer0323 Not all queens do well in test tube setups. However, your queen may be a species that is known as semi-claustral. It means she must be allowed to forage into an outworld during the raising process to hunt and eat. Queens of some species of ants still hunt for food in the open above ground and return to feed their growing young. Put the test tube into an outworld and allow the colony to grow by feeding the queen.

[TheH82bu]

i was wondering i have 2 ants queen s same species and everything but will they live in the same colonie? or will the ants favor one and kill the other?

[AntsCanada]

@TheH82bu The process of mixing queens is a very involved and complex process and there is a lot to know, but overall, I would discourage mixing.

[TheH82bu]

@AntsCanada but wat would happen if i did put them together and they didnt like each other but they know each other good cause i have had them together for 1 week and they have been fine.

[MrSouthwestly]

@AntsCanada How do you feed ypur queen and larvae

[MrSouthwestly]

@AntsCanada How do you feed your queen and larvae

[TheH82bu]

I was wondering how do u change test tubes if my ant queen has eggs? How would you get them into the other test tube? I have them in their cause we got them late, so they didnt dig so I figured they would lay them in a test tube. thank you and i hope u can answer my question

[AntsCanada]

@TheH82bu I would wait until she has a few workers before introducing her to a new test tube, however if she must leave asap, then simply tape a test tube setup (or use one of our test tube portals) to the old test tube and simply allow her to move on her own when she needs to.

[TheH82bu]

@AntsCanada thank you and how long does it take for her to lay her eegs and for them the be done?? like she has 7 right now

[Wylff]

Hey man, your videos are awesome btw :) I was wondering what size are the test tubes?

[MeIzzLikingMw2]

my ants walk aroung with mold shit on there back =D

[monrenaissance]

Today I found what I beleive to be a Solenopsis Xyloni queen, and I couldn't find any information on their nesting habits. Would you happen to know if this particular species is claustral?

[AntsCanada]

@monrenaissance I believe they are, however you might want to double check by joining and posting your question on this forum antfarm[dot]yuku[dot]com

[blaster274]

should the very top of the cotton(the side that the queen can access) be wet, or should that part be dry.

[stahalaep]

The ants are taking their nuptial flights here in El Paso, Texas. I just tubed several queens, my first time doing it. How long until she lays eggs? What would you say is your success rate? Thanks for taking the time to respond. :)

[wj363209]

When you start with one queen ant, do they ever go outside to find food? or should I put the food in the test tube to feed her? I'm thinking about buying one of your pumice setup when I catch one queen ant. Thanks for the video.

[AntsCanada]

@wj363209 Most species of ants fully seal themselves underground and these ones don't need food at all until the first workers arrive (but many like to feed them once or twice during the founding stage). There are species of ants that are called semi-claustral (e.g. Myrmica rubra) that go out and forage during the founding stage until the first workers arrive.

[MikeyBustosVideos]

@Smartster621atzcmd60 Most people wait until the queen has several workers.

[MikeyBustosVideos]

@Smartster621atzcmd60 The answer to that can be found in our FAQ section on our website under ANT CARE (a few questions down). Hope that helps :)

[melofan1barb]

I Only Watch Just To See & Hear you....Dont Care what You Talking Mikey lol about just Like hearing your Syrupy ♪♪ Voice ♪♪ :) <3

[AntsCanada]

If it's glass then yes. If it's plastic, you can, however some species of ants are sensitive to some plastics, e.g. camponotus. If the tube is not thin enough, the water pressure might not be enough to have the water stay on the water-side, and may cause flodding. Be sure to test it out before placing your ants in.

[klumps13]

Can you do this with pharmacy tubes for pills please respond,thank you.

[AntsCanada]

@klumps13 As long as the water gets trapped on one end in the same way as in a test tube then yes. Essentially the diameter of the tube has to be relatively small so that simple water pressure can keep the entire tube from flooding.

[AntsCanada]

I don't know but they're most likely either Lasius claviger or Lasius flavus.

[klumps13]

i have orange ants in my backyard and i live in michigan tell me what they are please?:)

[SsMaggotsS]

between the cotton swabs, can they breath? Or do you make some special arrangments for air to pass through? I've always wonderd that lol

[AntsCanada]

Yes, they can breathe. There are tiny spaces between the entanglement of cotton fibres and air simply passes through without giving ants the opportunity to escape.

[Budzi08]

Very nice video mate. Im glad you mentioned washing your hands because that is very important. 5 *****

[SsMaggotsS]

oh ok thank you so much! I have A Lasius Niger queen and just put her directly into a noie habitat. but this next nuptial flight i am going to try test tubes for a few of the queens

[Gesterbine]

One Question~!!! What If The Old testTube, Have Eggs and the queen? how do we transport the eggs together with the queen?

Alvin From Your FB Group.

[AntsCanada]

This situation is one of the several problems with test tubes (which is why I push my pumice stone ant nest). In this case, you tape the test tubes together and cover the new test tube with paper so it's dark.

[AntsCanada]

Shine a light on the old test tube (not direct spotlight that it will cook your ant, but enough to make the queen feel like she's exposed and outside) and the queen will usually carry her eggs to the new test tube. It may take her a few minutes to a few days to make the move, but eventually she will make the move.

[Gesterbine]

@AntsCanada okay thanks.

[bentleyboy72]

hey m8, got a questions for ya :D

so ive been wanting to start a colony since this last summer and i was having a hard time deciding the best way to do it :/

would it be easier to go into the woods and completely capture an already growing colony, or capture a queen during the flight and start a new one?

[choosymoosy]

@bentleyboy72 Start a new one!

Because then you could see how it's going when they start a colony.

And when you capture a colony with some ants with it you dont know how old the queen is.

[bentleyboy72]

that was what i wanted to do, b/c i dont like destroying a colony if i fail during the capture :/ I just dont want it to take a year just to get the first workers and possibly hurting them while moving them into the nest

[choosymoosy]

@bentleyboy72 It doesnt take's a year.

In a month you could already have some larfes and then some ants. i'have a myrmica rubra colony and has grown very good and dont even have it 8 months now and like 100+ ants

[bentleyboy72]

catch queen in summer, maybe a few workers by winter, hibernate, more eggs in spring, few more workers the next summer. thats 1 year :/

[AntsCanada]

Yeah, there are pros and cons to both. I'm currently working on an e-handbook right now that will be available at our store which breaks down the pros and cons between starting a colony off from scratch and starting off with a mature colony right off the bat.

[AntsCanada]

Overall, both choices are rewarding, but if you go for collecting a wild colony it isn't guaranteed that you will find a queen, but if you start from scratch with a queen you'll know you have a queen but it's not guaranteed she will successfully found a huge colony. Go with what feels best to you. I have so many tips coming up in the handbook to help people make the choice.