Hey guys!
So I have this queen http://www.formicult...arillo-tx-7418/ that I caught in July. She has not laid any eggs yet, but I assume she's waiting to hibernate.
Well, life got away from me a little bit, and it wasn't until the beginning of November that I remembered I needed to hibernate her. Now, I have a mini-fridge that I've tweaked the settings on to keep it around 45-50F. My concern is that her test tube had gotten very low on water, so I wanted to move her into a new one before I put her in the fridge. I set up a new tube and taped it to her old one. The new tube is wrapped in foil, so it's dark, old tube is left exposed to the light. It's been a few weeks, but she hasn't moved into the new one. I'd really like to get her hibernating soon.
Should I move her manually?
Would it be okay to put the double tube in the fridge? I worry about the lack of ventilation with them taped together.
Is that temperature range acceptable for hibernation of this sp?
When I do move her into the fridge, would it be a good idea to place her in it before I turn it on so that she cools gradually?
About how long should I hibernate her for? Would four months be acceptable?
Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm really kicking myself for waiting so long on this.