Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2011 14:50:20 GMT 1
Ok, My Myrmica Rubra appear to have settled into their nest now. The nest is a decent sized tuppaware tub filled nearly to the top with earth. After trying various more complex nest set ups, which they just didnt take to at all, I settled on this more basic set up and they very quickly tunelled into the soil and seem a lot happier there. The colony appears to be growing as I have been seeing more and more workers on the surface foraging around.
With this in mind, I took the decision to add a new foraging tank by way of a clear tube connecting it to the old nest area.
My question is, what is the best way to get the ants to explore the new area, as this is where i intend to put their food and water going forward so that I dont have to disturb the nest area at all?
I also want to be able to observe the ants (thats what we do it for after all) but would like them to have as natural a nest area as possible so I intend to totally black out the nest tub once they start using the new area.
If I just stop putting food in the nest area and black it out, will they just start exploring the new area on the hunt for food and water?
With this in mind, I took the decision to add a new foraging tank by way of a clear tube connecting it to the old nest area.
My question is, what is the best way to get the ants to explore the new area, as this is where i intend to put their food and water going forward so that I dont have to disturb the nest area at all?
I also want to be able to observe the ants (thats what we do it for after all) but would like them to have as natural a nest area as possible so I intend to totally black out the nest tub once they start using the new area.
If I just stop putting food in the nest area and black it out, will they just start exploring the new area on the hunt for food and water?