Queen Millicent won the race! Hatching 7 tiny ant workers. And I'm pleased to report that they willingly moved into a small ant farm I bought them. I'm watching them excavate little chambers in the soil. They're fascinating to watch :)
My latest minor curiosity. It was flying-ant day in the UK. And I've caught 4 young queens. I'm thinking about making a small ant farm, maybe? The females are (unknowingly) competing to become THE queen - whoever can make the most workers. Ants are kind of adorable :)
Here's the small ant farm attached to a small outworld. That little bit of cotton wool is where they entered. Queen Millicent is tucked in the corner closest to the camera, surrounded by her daughters. I must keep them covered and resist the urge to disturb them.
Was listening to @SovietWomble's stream when he compared Lulu to Jabba the Hutt. Made me laugh, so here is my contribution to that thought. You're welcome.
About 9 weeks ago I mentioned that I'd captured some queen ants during flying-ant day. As a minor curiosity. Well, queen "Millicent" has just hatched the first worker ant - imgur.com/a/m9noKwB. Watching their life cycle has been very interesting.
And @BirdyDrawsStuff's queen "Debbie" is a total skank. Absolutely refusing to leave the disgusting, mould-filled test tube she started with. For the nice clean one attached to it like an en suite.