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Post by Remson on Apr 19, 2012 13:33:10 GMT
;D Today is the day I received my ants. I put them in the fridge and then made up their new home not quite sure if I over watered the sand or not :s. After I went and got my ants after about 15mins in the fridge and I had to flick the test tube quite hard to get them out. Was this wrong on my behalf? should I have just left the tube with them in it? Also should I only keep the sand half dark or all of the farm?
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Post by Jenny on Apr 19, 2012 13:45:18 GMT
No more than 5mins next time, as you may not be able to revive them so quickly as a fridge is under 5 degrees Celsius keep them dark and quiet. Some keepers let colonies venture out of the test tube on their own, this requires time and patience. Very often when we have new ants, we flick the tube like you have done which gets them into their new set up quicker. With a tank it is not so bad as you can leave the test tube lying on the tank floor. More difficult with the uprights
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 19, 2012 14:15:17 GMT
;D Today is the day I received my ants. I put them in the fridge and then made up their new home not quite sure if I over watered the sand or not :s. After I went and got my ants after about 15mins in the fridge and I had to flick the test tube quite hard to get them out. Was this wrong on my behalf? should I have just left the tube with them in it? Also should I only keep the sand half dark or all of the farm? Remind me, which species did you go for? The longer a test tube holding an ant colony is kept in the fridge, the more condensation is likely to build up inside the tube as it goes from warm to cold. While it is a good idea to cool down the ants, it is often best done on the highest shelf as lower down can get near to freezing. A lot depends on your ants and how warm the test tube is when it goes in the fridge. Sometimes gently tapping the tube to get the ants out is unavoidable if they or their brood are stuck to the sides.
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Post by Remson on Apr 19, 2012 15:12:50 GMT
they are Lasius niger (common black garden ant) , they were kept on the top shelf and away from the back as I didn't want antpopicles. on a negative point I have found my 1st escapee running across the top of the lid. luckily I got him inside before my gf saw ;D
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 19, 2012 15:42:49 GMT
Not a "him" but a her, as all worker ants are females, and male ants never do any work and die after mating.
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Post by Remson on Apr 20, 2012 10:12:00 GMT
I cannot wait to get home from work and see my girls, hopefully they have started to tunnel down if so ill give them a treat of sugar and honey water
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Post by UKantz on Apr 20, 2012 14:58:49 GMT
But remember patience is key
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Post by Remson on Apr 20, 2012 16:03:52 GMT
yeah that's something I am adapting to, since there is nothing I can do. I have also just spotted what looks like 2 eggs in the test tube so I've the tube into the farm, do you think they will remove the eggs or abandon them since they were separated for nearly 24hrs?
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Post by UKantz on Apr 20, 2012 17:21:32 GMT
They may find them, but eggs are usually cleaned often so they may go mouldy soon but don't worry it isn't such a great loss
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Post by Remson on Apr 20, 2012 19:40:40 GMT
;D great news the eggs have been found ;D I hope they havent been eaten
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