6 replies to this topic

[WealthyCow]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has ever tried hibernating ants for less than 3-5 months. Does it have an impact on them, if any?

[Crystals]

Depends on the species and the local "winter".

My Tapinoma sessile were fine with a 2 month hibernation, while my Camponotus were very insistent that they wanted 4 months.  My Myrmica were fine with 2-3 months of hibernation.

Some species don't really hiberate, or they may go dormant.

 

PS.  Welcome to the forum. 

[Huch]

My experience:

Camp. pennsylvanicus. And Novaeboracensis prefer 5 to 8 months of hibernation, even in warm temperature.

Crematogastor Cerasi is inconsistent, some colonies prefer hibernation, others don't. The first year none of my Queens laid eggs. Second year they did. About half the colonies are hibernating since August, the other half are reproducing like mad.


Tetramorium species e needs no hibernation according to my 3 years of keeping several colonies.

[WealthyCow]

I have one camponotus novae. queen and I think a lasius? So should I keep them in the fridge for 4 months total? They have been in there for approximately one month now. Our winters are quite long and cold.

 

Would they be significantly affected by 4 months opposed to 5-8?

Edited by WealthyCow, November 8 2015 - 10:19 AM.

[swagman]

Depends on the species and if they are endogenously or exogenously triggered.

Most (or all?) northern Camponotus species are endogenous and therefor hibernate as long as they want.

Other species need exogenous stimuli like temperature. They may be fine with shortened hibernation time.  

[Crystals]

At one point I had 80 small colonies of Camponotus herculeanus (long story...). Living in Alberta, Canada, we have 7 months of snow and regularly see -30C (-22F) with -40C (-40F) happening a few times over the winter.

 

I tested out different hibernation times on different colonies.

 

Less than 2 months and the ants never really became active for antoher 2 months.  No foraging, just huddled in the nest.

3 months and they would wake up but didn't do as well as the ones who got 4 months.  They foraged, but the queens really didn't produce many eggs that season.

4 months and they would wake up and the queens would start laying eggs within 2 weeks.  They did much better than the ones who only hibernated for 3 months.

5 months saw a bit more brood than the 4 months for most colonies, but there was no real improvement or better success.

6-8 months behaved the same as the 5 month ones, sometimes a bit worse as some of the colonies had a dead worker or two and had almost no reserves left and seemed famished when they woke up.  Nothing too alarming, and I sometimes hibernate extra colonies for 7 months just to ensure they will come out when I have fewer ants - I just attach a test tube with hummingbird nest to the entrance tubing - or a second test tube to the original.

 

I have found that colonies going through their first winter are not as fussy as to the time they are in hibernation as they will be later on.

I have never had any issues hibernating any of my colonies (including C. novaeboracensis) for just 4 months.

[WealthyCow]

Okay, thanks everyone! 

Edited by WealthyCow, November 9 2015 - 4:23 PM.