If you capture some ants, assuming you keep them under the correct conditions, will one of the 'worker' females assume the role of queen, or must you actually capture a current queen to have a viable colony? I feel like I've heard both....
Question about ants...
- Thread starter Taryllton
- Start date
- Joined
- May 6, 2004
- Messages
- 323
I think you have to capture a current queen.
But it didn't work when I tried it years ago. They didn't seem to take too well to captivity, or I was just doing it all wrong, which is likely.
But it didn't work when I tried it years ago. They didn't seem to take too well to captivity, or I was just doing it all wrong, which is likely.
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2003
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- 2,837
Workers will invetably die to old age, termites will assume the queen roll. not ants.
However, ants are not hard if you get a fresh queen on a nuptial flight, I have managed to get 5 capranter ant queens over the last week, they are kept in a test tube, with a moist set up placed in a dark spot and left alone, few weeks later. larva and eggs
set up kinda looks like this...
_______________________
(water)(papertowel) space (papertowel lid)
_______________________________________
with the queen in the space, that way she gets hydration via constantly moist papertowel.
However, ants are not hard if you get a fresh queen on a nuptial flight, I have managed to get 5 capranter ant queens over the last week, they are kept in a test tube, with a moist set up placed in a dark spot and left alone, few weeks later. larva and eggs
set up kinda looks like this...
_______________________
(water)(papertowel) space (papertowel lid)
_______________________________________
with the queen in the space, that way she gets hydration via constantly moist papertowel.