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Question on when to put Camponotus pennsylvanicus into hibernation


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#1 Offline Pokezilla1231 - Posted September 27 2018 - 1:47 PM

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Hello everyone, I am from New Jersey and recently I got my first ant queen along with 5 workers, they are Camponotus pennsylvanicus and they are currently in a mini hearth. Since this is my first attempt at keeping ants I'm confused as to the time range of when I should put them in hibernation. If anyone has tips on what to do regarding hibernation please feel free to let me know, I want to do my best to ensure their survival. Thank you in advance!



#2 Offline CampoKing - Posted September 27 2018 - 2:25 PM

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Hey there,

I'll try to answer all your questions in this one post.

"When" to hibernate: Carpenter ants are pretty good at following a biological clock which will start them preparing for a hibernation about this time of year. You can also try nudging them to get ready for hibernation by keeping them at slightly low temps, like 68 or 65F. Just don't start them in hibernation before they're ready, that will harm them. Take a look at my post & photos here, where I give examples and a super brief description of what hibernation-ready ants look like: http://www.formicult...ure-what-to-do/

"How" to hibernate:
First, there's a general guide to hibernation in the Handy Links post under Important Topics on the homepage: http://www.formicult...of-handy-links/
I'll add to that guide with a summary of anecdotal experience on this forum: Ease your ants into hibernation, and also ease them out of it. Ants should be slowly cooled, preferably over several weeks, with something like a wine cooler with an adjustable thermostat (if you don't have the advantage of a garage or attic that can do the same thing). There's posts on Formiculture sharing stories of Queens dying because they were thrown straight into 8C temps, or were brought right out into room temperature, with no adjustment period. I kinda preach too much about gradually adjusting temps in and out of hibernation, but I feel that's an important step that gets skipped and it's unnatural to ants to experience such huge temperature swings.

That's all. Hope that helps! :)

#3 Offline Pokezilla1231 - Posted September 27 2018 - 3:02 PM

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Ok, they don't appear to be huddling together like the pictures you linked me to and the temperatures here in NJ are starting to get low at night, it is currently 67 degrees F. I don't have access to a wine cooler but I could put them in the garage and one side has a heater so I could put them there for hibernation (in that spot it's supposed to get into the 40s) and to get them used to the dropping temperatures or put them there only for hibernation and put them somewhere else in the garage to get used to the temperature. So should I get them used to the temperature change now or wait another month or wait for the huddling shown in the pictures?



#4 Offline CampoKing - Posted September 27 2018 - 4:47 PM

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Just feed them plenty and keep them at a comfy cooler temperature and they'll take care of the rest over time.
Waiting another month is always better than starting hibernation too soon. That body fat buildup is important

Edited by CampoKing, September 27 2018 - 5:17 PM.





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