I found a colony in an acorn or a twig. Should I move it?

Question

I found a small colony living inside an acorn. Should I move them into a nest, and how?

Nolan Webb · Accepted Answer

Yes, move them out if you can. An acorn works in the wild, but in a proper nest you can see the queen and brood and look after them. 
 You don&#x27;t need to break the acorn open. The easiest way is to let the colony move itself: 
 
 Set up an arboreal nest, such as  The Canopy , connected to a  Foraging Area . 
 Put the acorn in the foraging area, close to the nest entrance. 
 Let the acorn dry out over time. As it does, the colony will move into the nest on its own. 
 
 Keep a liquid feeder of fresh water in the foraging area the whole time, and don&#x27;t over-water the nest: acorn ants like  Temnothorax curvispinosus  prefer it fairly dry. They&#x27;re small, so make sure every entrance and gap is 3/8 inch or smaller. 
 Our  Temnothorax curvispinosus care guide  covers temperature, feeding and what to expect as the colony grows.

I found a colony in an acorn or a twig. Should I move it?

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