Live Queen Ants &
Colonies for Sale

You can customize or enhance the test tube your queen and colony will ship in. This means we will carefully transfer them to the setup of your choice so you don’t have to do the work. The options are as follows:

​

Water Chamber options:

• None / clean tube; the traditional plain test tube filled with water and a cotton ball.

• Long cotton water keeper; prevents the cotton from walking backwards as water evaporates and ensures when using an insert that it has a tight fit against the cotton.

• Refillable perlite chamber; (HIGHLY recommended); the back of the test tube has a small hole that allows refilling the water chamber as needed and contains perlite grains that have been sifted, washed and sterilized as well as cotton to deliver humidity. Such cotton and perlite are also tightly packed to keep inserts in place against the cone adapter and silicone fitting. 

 

Why do we recommend the refillable perlite chamber?

Compared to traditional test tubes, we have three main benefits; first, the queen or colony will not have to be moved as often if the water runs out. Second, the added capacity to control how much water is present in the cotton allows us to select the overall humidity of the nesting chamber. Third, the opening in the tube removes the vacuum seal and equalizes air pressure; this means changes in temperature (coming out of diapause) and atmospheric pressure (similar to those experienced in airplanes while travelling) will not lead to water leaks.

​

** Add water to the test tube as needed but very slowly until the cotton looks wet; add small amounts to ensure no flooding by overfilling; it is ready if the cotton seems wet. It is not advisable to wet the insert underside, as this may only benefit a few select species that require very high humidity.

 

Insert texture Finish:

• None; empty traditional tube, ants sit on bare glass and cotton. 

• Sand texture; the insert has a rugged mineral substrate, helping provide grip, better moisture distribution and a more natural environment. 

• Plain plastic; provides grip without the rugged mineral substrate; for some species, this is better than bare glass. 

 

Adapter tubing diameter:

• Not included;

• You can include a plastic cone adapter, paired with a silicone fitting, that enables the test tube to connect to standard vinyl tubing, 9.5 mm or 12.7 mm (3.8 or 1/2 inch), allowing direct connection with formicaria, outworlds and other adapters.

 

Light protection and rings:

• The longer black jacket + 1 ring has a ring attached on one end and a removable ring on the other; being longer, it is better suited for inserts in combination with feeding accessories. The jacket raises the tubes to the height of the test tube array formicarium, the test tube port and the standard opening found on most of our outworlds and equipment.

• Black jacket + 2 tall rings, the original short black jacket, long enough to cover the insert length, paired with two tall white plastic rings that raise the tubes to the height found on most of our outworlds and equipment and allow for a heating cable to be passed under.

• Black jacket + 2 short rings, the original short black jacket, long enough to cover the insert length, paired with two short white plastic rings that raise the tube only 2mm above ground.

• Not included.

​