Nursery Tube (20x180mm)
 
The Ants HQ Nursery Tube (20x180mm) is ideal for founding large young queen ants. Unlike the standard test tube setup, the Nursery Tubes are adapted to provide the ants a naturalistic rough soil surface that is humidified at the base of the tube via an external hole. This is even so more important for certain species of ant such as those belonging to the Ponerinae subfamily (i.e. Harpegnathos venator or Odontoponera transversa) as it allows larvae to properly spin their external cocoons, increasing the chance of colony growth.
 
Moreover, this setup allows for high humidity which makes them ideal for native UK ant species such as Myrmica spp. or Lasius spp. young queens and colonies alike.
 
The Nursery Tube can be extended with an optional mini foraging area. This is suitable for semi-claustral queens as it allows external feeding without disturbing the nesting area. On the other hand, it is also convenient to feed small growing colonies too.