27 replies to this topic

[Mettcollsuss]

So, I've worked up quite the reputation among my teachers for my ant obsession. My Social Studies/Homeroom teacher in particular. He's one of those teachers who comes up with nicknames for his students (for example, a girl in my class dropped a stapler once, and ever since, he's called her "The Rebel"). I have had a few nicknames he's given me in the past. One is "The Tapper", since I drum on the desks a lot. My most recent one is Emm-Ant (since my name is Emmett).

 

A couple days ago he asked me how my colonies were doing, and I answered that I had just placed them in hibernation a few days prior. He asked if they would survive the hibernation, and I told him that yes, ants hibernate every year in the wild. He then asked how I knew that they would survive, since I've never hibernated ants before, this being my first year and all. That got me thinking, am I hibernating my colonies correctly? I mean, I've never done this before.

 

So before this, I thought that for hibernation, you just place your ants in a cold place, they fall into a state of sleep where no food is required, and you forget about them until spring. However, when I check on my ants, they are still awake. Slow and lethargic, but awake. Doing more research, some people say the ants need to be fed during this period, some say no. Some say that there is a specific way to hibernate them so that they fall completely asleep. If possible, this is the type of hibernation I'm going for, so that I can focus completely on school.

 

I am currently hibernating my ants in a refrigerator drawer that's kept around 6.6° celsius (44° fahrenheit). All my colonies are still in test tubes, so I just bundled them together with rubber bands and placed them in. If someone could tell me how to get them into complete diapause, I would appreciate that. 

 

Please Help!

[Mettcollsuss]

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

[Hunter]

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

i dig a hole 2 feet in the ground and put all my ants and formicariums in box then put them in the hole and cover it up

[Mettcollsuss]

 

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

i dig a hole 2 feet in the ground and put all my ants and formicariums in box then put them in the hole and cover it up

 

Do you cover it back up with dirt. or with a tarp? also, how do you keep wild colonies from getting to them?

[Hunter]

 

 

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

i dig a hole 2 feet in the ground and put all my ants and formicariums in box then put them in the hole and cover it up

 

Do you cover it back up with dirt. or with a tarp? also, how do you keep wild colonies from getting to them?

 

i cover it up with dirt and they are in a sealed box

[ultraex2]

Sounds like you're on the right track.  Since this is your first year, you will want to check on them often to make sure the temperature is okay but otherwise you should be set.  Make sure they have access to water at all times and that's pretty much it.

[Mettcollsuss]

 

 

 

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

i dig a hole 2 feet in the ground and put all my ants and formicariums in box then put them in the hole and cover it up

 

Do you cover it back up with dirt. or with a tarp? also, how do you keep wild colonies from getting to them?

 

i cover it up with dirt and they are in a sealed box

 

What type of box? If it's airtight, how do they get air circulation? And how would you hydrate he nest?

[MegaMyrmex]

I have the same situation as you, but I'm just going to let them take care of it. I don't know if its necessary for them to be completely knocked out but I know that some other ant keepers have their ants in the same lethargic state. In the wild I always find colonies hibernating in this lethargic state as well.

[Mettcollsuss]

Hmmm. My main concern is whether or not I need to feed them. Also, my Formica subsericea colonies don't keep brood over the winter, and if the workers continue to age during hibernation, they might die before they're able to raise the next generation.

[Hunter]

 

 

 

 

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

i dig a hole 2 feet in the ground and put all my ants and formicariums in box then put them in the hole and cover it up

 

Do you cover it back up with dirt. or with a tarp? also, how do you keep wild colonies from getting to them?

 

i cover it up with dirt and they are in a sealed box

 

What type of box? If it's airtight, how do they get air circulation? And how would you hydrate he nest?

 

it is a cardbord box with vent holes that has a small watertank for hyumidity

[Mettcollsuss]

Hmm. This seems like an interesting hibernation strategy for the future. However, at the moment, my biggest concern is hibernating them right now.

[dermy]

Hmmm. My main concern is whether or not I need to feed them. Also, my Formica subsericea colonies don't keep brood over the winter, and if the workers continue to age during hibernation, they might die before they're able to raise the next generation.

Ants do not need food during hibernation. As for workers aging, I'm not too sure. I always loose a few workers [and some small colonies sometimes] during Hibernation, but that's just ant keeping.

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Ants don't technically hibernate because they're not mammals. Diapause is a more appropriate term though everyone knows what you're talking about when we say hibernation regarding ants.

 

Burying your ants in the ground probably will work. What I don't like about this method though is you have no way of checking on them during the winter. Test tubes dry out and need to be replaced periodically also they sometimes flood because of changing temperatures causing the water to expand through the cotton.

 

The general method I hear about a lot is to simply take the test tube setups and founding chambers and put them in a container that you then somehow insulate and wrap in plastic, I've heard of people using paper towels, sheets of cardboard to fill out a box. And then this is placed in a garage, shed, or cold basement. You still want some ventilation with this so condensation doesn't come in and drown them.

 

If your colony has a problem such as not having enough water or food, you need to fix that no matter what time of year it is and the better you're able to monitor this the more likely you're going to catch these problems when they occur. It's fine to take them out of hibernation for a few days just to feed them; temperatures outside fluctuate.

 

Hibernation/Diapause is more important to some ants than others. I can almost say with confidence any genera in the Myrmicinae subfamily can likely survive without a yearly cold period. Every Pheidole and Solenopsis molesta queen I ever put in the fridge died within minutes. That's not to say they shouldn't go through a cold period as they certainly do it in the wild. But the conditions are not being simulated adequately in the crisper drawer beside the vegetables. (can't comment on the shed or garage container method.) Likely other heat loving species and genera suffer similar effects as the whole subfamily seems to focus on insect scavenging, seeds, and fungus growing instead of carbohydrates and sugars. Maybe just don't give them added heat if you had them on a heat pad or used special lights to do that.

 

Alternatively, Hibernation/Diapause seems absolutely vital to Formicinae genera. Lasius neoniger queens benefit tremendously from a cold period, often going on to lay egg piles that somehow appear larger than they are. All 100 Formica species in North America don't keep brood in the winter and queens seem to require a cold period of a certain number of hours to know when to start laying again. Camponotus queens enter a deep state of diapause appear to be dead (for unknown reasons) until they come in contact with something damp even though the rest of the colony has come alive again. Prenolepis imparis cease to function at higher temperatures and only lay eggs when it's below a certain temp (likely something below 75F). This whole family in fact specializes on storing plant sugars and aphid secretions, some even forming repletes.

[Hunter]

too many words

[Connectimyrmex]

 

 

 

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

i dig a hole 2 feet in the ground and put all my ants and formicariums in box then put them in the hole and cover it up

 

Do you cover it back up with dirt. or with a tarp? also, how do you keep wild colonies from getting to them?

 

i cover it up with dirt and they are in a sealed box

 

This sounds like a cool idea, but if I do that, I'd probably have to make a pirate treasure map.

[Hunter]

 

 

 

 

Also, when my colonies get larger and move to formicaria, how will I hibernate them? They won't fit in the fridge anymore.

i dig a hole 2 feet in the ground and put all my ants and formicariums in box then put them in the hole and cover it up

 

Do you cover it back up with dirt. or with a tarp? also, how do you keep wild colonies from getting to them?

 

i cover it up with dirt and they are in a sealed box

 

This sounds like a cool idea, but if I do that, I'd probably have to make a pirate treasure map.

 

lol I'm sure that there is a easier way

[Connectimyrmex]

it was a joke, I'd probably be able to mark the burial with a rock (or a gravestone if I'm feeling spooky)

[Mettcollsuss]

Okay. I was just worried since they were still moving around. I can also place them in a colder part of the fridge if needed.

[Connectimyrmex]

My C. pennsylvanicus colony has been foraging for the two weeks in hibernation. I actually unplugged one of the little tupperware holes to let workers in and out in the garage. Thankfully, the queen can't fit through so there will be no mass moving operations.

They somehow caught a spider and immediately dropped back into hibernation.

[Mettcollsuss]

Oh. Thanks!