Anonymous #1 11w

nope, not forever! the tube mimics their natural environment in this stage of development, called the *founding stage*. for many species—including these pavement ants—the queen ant would make a tiny burrow underground called a *founding chamber*. it would be very humid, small, and dark, just like the test tube set up. they don’t eat during this time because they have stored energy. the queen wouldn’t leave the chamber until it had raised enough worker ants to support an expansion of the nest:)

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Anonymous OP 11w

That is so cool!!!! Thank you for explaining omg :) do they get to move into a fancy new house after the founding stage?

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