Yuku free message boards

Light won't hurt most ants though they do prefer the dark. Keeping them in dim light all day long or just bright lighting for short periods of time won't hurt them at all.
Bright lighting should always be done gradually. Don't just flick the light on; you'll throw the colony into rampaging panic. It's an unneeded use of energy that puts stress on the colony and they might hurt themselves.

I think you mean drowned?
I'd say use 1/4th a clean-ex rolled up in a ball and soak it with water. Depending on the cage size you will need to add more of these. Ants love humidity.
For keeping them alive, a queen ant never hurts there.
You should make sure you are feeding them properly as well. Most ants will devour dead insects easily while others will be dependent on certain foods such as seeds and honey dew. You should try your best to figure out what type of ants you have or will be getting, but that is a different thread (I think.) See p211.ezboard.com/fantfarm...=490.topic
under Anting/Field Observations for info on that.

A test tube would work too. I haven't tried it because I have few test tubes and I'm afraid if I bump the cage it will start rolling over the ants. But it sounds like a good long term solution, and I'm sure there are things you can do to stop it from rolling around.