Jump to content

  • Chat
  •  
  •  

Welcome to Formiculture.com!

This is a website for anyone interested in Myrmecology and all aspects of finding, keeping, and studying ants. The site and forum are free to use. Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation points to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!

Photo

My Queen is Hibernating But the Rest of the Colony is Not, Why?


  • Please log in to reply
5 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Ferox_Formicae - Posted November 15 2018 - 4:34 AM

Ferox_Formicae

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,443 posts
  • LocationProsperity, South Carolina

I recently obtained a fairly larger colony of Camponotus nearcticus from under a piece of bark on the trunk of a pine tree. There are may workers and a single queen, like in most Camponotus. I am keeping them in a CD case with some dirt in it. I do plan on gluing a piece of bark to the plastic so it will be like their original nest. I had to freeze them three times to chill them enough to move them, bu now, the queen in hibernating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was dead, but she still twitches her feet and the workers make a huge clump around her. Why is she hibernating but the rest of the colony is not?


Edited by CloudtheDinosaurKing, November 15 2018 - 6:30 AM.

Currently Keeping:

 

Camponotus chromaiodes, Camponotus nearcticus, Stigmatomma pallipesStrumigenys brevisetosaStrumigenys clypeataStrumigenys louisianaeStrumigenys membraniferaStrumigenys reflexaStrumigenys rostrata

 

All Strumigenys Journal

Shop

 

YouTube

Twitter


#2 Offline Antking117 - Posted November 17 2018 - 9:26 PM

Antking117

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 405 posts
  • LocationOmaha, Nebraska, USA

I recently obtained a fairly larger colony of Camponotus nearcticus from under a piece of bark on the trunk of a pine tree. There are may workers and a single queen, like in most Camponotus. I am keeping them in a CD case with some dirt in it. I do plan on gluing a piece of bark to the plastic so it will be like their original nest. I had to freeze them three times to chill them enough to move them, bu now, the queen in hibernating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was dead, but she still twitches her feet and the workers make a huge clump around her. Why is she hibernating but the rest of the colony is not?

How do you know that they are not hibernating? In my experience the workers still move around get sugar water and such. They do not normally act as the queen does and just sit around and do nothing.



#3 Offline Ferox_Formicae - Posted November 18 2018 - 5:24 AM

Ferox_Formicae

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,443 posts
  • LocationProsperity, South Carolina

 

I recently obtained a fairly larger colony of Camponotus nearcticus from under a piece of bark on the trunk of a pine tree. There are may workers and a single queen, like in most Camponotus. I am keeping them in a CD case with some dirt in it. I do plan on gluing a piece of bark to the plastic so it will be like their original nest. I had to freeze them three times to chill them enough to move them, bu now, the queen in hibernating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was dead, but she still twitches her feet and the workers make a huge clump around her. Why is she hibernating but the rest of the colony is not?

How do you know that they are not hibernating? In my experience the workers still move around get sugar water and such. They do not normally act as the queen does and just sit around and do nothing.

 

Well the queen is acting normal now and I know the workers are not hibernating because they are still foraging and moving extremely quickly.


Currently Keeping:

 

Camponotus chromaiodes, Camponotus nearcticus, Stigmatomma pallipesStrumigenys brevisetosaStrumigenys clypeataStrumigenys louisianaeStrumigenys membraniferaStrumigenys reflexaStrumigenys rostrata

 

All Strumigenys Journal

Shop

 

YouTube

Twitter


#4 Offline Antking117 - Posted November 18 2018 - 9:36 PM

Antking117

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 405 posts
  • LocationOmaha, Nebraska, USA

 

 

I recently obtained a fairly larger colony of Camponotus nearcticus from under a piece of bark on the trunk of a pine tree. There are may workers and a single queen, like in most Camponotus. I am keeping them in a CD case with some dirt in it. I do plan on gluing a piece of bark to the plastic so it will be like their original nest. I had to freeze them three times to chill them enough to move them, bu now, the queen in hibernating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was dead, but she still twitches her feet and the workers make a huge clump around her. Why is she hibernating but the rest of the colony is not?

How do you know that they are not hibernating? In my experience the workers still move around get sugar water and such. They do not normally act as the queen does and just sit around and do nothing.

 

Well the queen is acting normal now and I know the workers are not hibernating because they are still foraging and moving extremely quickly.

 

All I can say is make sure you have them cold enough and that is all you can really do, if they refuse to hibernate there is not really anything you can do. They might just skip a season possibly?



#5 Offline Ferox_Formicae - Posted November 19 2018 - 7:53 AM

Ferox_Formicae

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 1,443 posts
  • LocationProsperity, South Carolina

 

 

 

I recently obtained a fairly larger colony of Camponotus nearcticus from under a piece of bark on the trunk of a pine tree. There are may workers and a single queen, like in most Camponotus. I am keeping them in a CD case with some dirt in it. I do plan on gluing a piece of bark to the plastic so it will be like their original nest. I had to freeze them three times to chill them enough to move them, bu now, the queen in hibernating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was dead, but she still twitches her feet and the workers make a huge clump around her. Why is she hibernating but the rest of the colony is not?

How do you know that they are not hibernating? In my experience the workers still move around get sugar water and such. They do not normally act as the queen does and just sit around and do nothing.

 

Well the queen is acting normal now and I know the workers are not hibernating because they are still foraging and moving extremely quickly.

 

All I can say is make sure you have them cold enough and that is all you can really do, if they refuse to hibernate there is not really anything you can do. They might just skip a season possibly?

 

Most ants in my area are not hibernating yet. I still see several species out and active, but I think that members of the genus Camponotus are as my largest colony of Camponotus castaneus is slowing down and not foraging any. Then again they do have repletes so they may not have any need to forage. Winters are pretty mild here so some ants may not hibernate. Last February it went up into the 90s! But then in March it was 17 one morning. I'll have to wait and see how it goes with these girls. They're doing good so far and are all still clumped around the queen like a bunch of Army Ants!


Currently Keeping:

 

Camponotus chromaiodes, Camponotus nearcticus, Stigmatomma pallipesStrumigenys brevisetosaStrumigenys clypeataStrumigenys louisianaeStrumigenys membraniferaStrumigenys reflexaStrumigenys rostrata

 

All Strumigenys Journal

Shop

 

YouTube

Twitter


#6 Offline Antking117 - Posted November 19 2018 - 7:06 PM

Antking117

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 405 posts
  • LocationOmaha, Nebraska, USA

 

 

 

 

I recently obtained a fairly larger colony of Camponotus nearcticus from under a piece of bark on the trunk of a pine tree. There are may workers and a single queen, like in most Camponotus. I am keeping them in a CD case with some dirt in it. I do plan on gluing a piece of bark to the plastic so it will be like their original nest. I had to freeze them three times to chill them enough to move them, bu now, the queen in hibernating. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was dead, but she still twitches her feet and the workers make a huge clump around her. Why is she hibernating but the rest of the colony is not?

How do you know that they are not hibernating? In my experience the workers still move around get sugar water and such. They do not normally act as the queen does and just sit around and do nothing.

 

Well the queen is acting normal now and I know the workers are not hibernating because they are still foraging and moving extremely quickly.

 

All I can say is make sure you have them cold enough and that is all you can really do, if they refuse to hibernate there is not really anything you can do. They might just skip a season possibly?

 

Most ants in my area are not hibernating yet. I still see several species out and active, but I think that members of the genus Camponotus are as my largest colony of Camponotus castaneus is slowing down and not foraging any. Then again they do have repletes so they may not have any need to forage. Winters are pretty mild here so some ants may not hibernate. Last February it went up into the 90s! But then in March it was 17 one morning. I'll have to wait and see how it goes with these girls. They're doing good so far and are all still clumped around the queen like a bunch of Army Ants!

 

I try to copy what the temperature is outside except when it goes below freezing obviously, I do this by putting my ants in a cage that is next to a window, it keeps them cold and i have a heater that detects when it drops to 40 and turns on a heater so it stays above 40. But winters here are very cold, it was 17 degrees yesterday. I would guess that the colony may not need to hibernate if they refuse to. Again, not much you can do to force them to hibernate.






1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users