17 replies to this topic

[Temperateants]

Hello, haven't posted here in a long time.

 

Weird title, but it exactly describes a problem I have. A founding aphaenogaster colony (3 workers) recently came out of hibernation. The queen laid a new and decently large pile of eggs, and then curled up and died. Is it possible she died due to exhaustion? Like some sort of problem with their conditions? Or maybe I didn't feed them enough sugars/carbs? Ants are really good at laying eggs, seems weird a queen would die during childbirth.

 

Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated.

[antgallery]

Maybe the queen new she would die and laid Alate eggs to carry on her genes? I'm not sure but I've heard of this happening.

[ANTdrew]

Surviving hibernation is the last hurdle for founding queens. Many simply don’t have the strength. I’d just chalk it up to bad luck and start over.

[ANTdrew]

Another thought came to me: Aphaenogaster are mostly insectivorous without a social stomach, so they need a lot more feeder insects than other ants to be successful. Nutrition may be a factor.

[AntsDakota]

Another thought came to me: Aphaenogaster are mostly insectivorous without a social stomach, so they need a lot more feeder insects than other ants to be successful. Nutrition may be a factor.

Yes. Were they fed during the winter very often?

[Temperateants]

 

Another thought came to me: Aphaenogaster are mostly insectivorous without a social stomach, so they need a lot more feeder insects than other ants to be successful. Nutrition may be a factor.

Yes. Were they fed during the winter very often?

 

No, but they ate pretty well a few days ago. Been feeding them mealworms and fruit flies.

[AntsDakota]

Interesting. Could the mealworms or your hands or anything else which had come into contact with them have been accidentally contaminated with some chemical or pathogen as far as you're aware?

[Temperateants]

Interesting. Could the mealworms or your hands or anything else which had come into contact with them have been accidentally contaminated with some chemical or pathogen as far as you're aware?

I don't think so, I boil all of my insects, and these feeders were raised in my house. Possibly stress from hibernation. 

[ConcordAntman]

Not exactly a miscarriage, rather a postpartum maternal demise. Likely because of stress coming out of diapause. 

[Temperateants]

Not exactly a miscarriage, rather a postpartum maternal demise. Likely because of stress coming out of diapause. 

Makes sense. Are some queens just weak, or are there any tips to make hibernation less stressful?

[Manitobant]

In the weeks before hibernation it is a good idea to feed your colonies more often and with more food than usual so they have enough energy to survive the winter. When taking a colony out of hibernation, you shouldn’t put them on heat immediately and instead leave them at room temperature for a few days so they can acclimate. This makes it a lot less stressful for them.

[Temperateants]

In the weeks before hibernation it is a good idea to feed your colonies more often and with more food than usual so they have enough energy to survive the winter. When taking a colony out of hibernation, you shouldn’t put them on heat immediately and instead leave them at room temperature for a few days so they can acclimate. This makes it a lot less stressful for them.

Ah. Workers somehow enclosed after thanksgiving, so I should've fed them immediately. But I did put them in room temp.

[Manitobant]

In the weeks before hibernation it is a good idea to feed your colonies more often and with more food than usual so they have enough energy to survive the winter. When taking a colony out of hibernation, you shouldn’t put them on heat immediately and instead leave them at room temperature for a few days so they can acclimate. This makes it a lot less stressful for them.

Ah. Workers somehow enclosed after thanksgiving, so I should've fed them immediately. But I did put them in room temp.

when the first workers eclose, you should feed the colony immediately. Assuming you didn’t give them their first meal until after hibernation, it is likely the queen was starving and didn’t have any energy left.

Edited by Manitobant, March 14 2022 - 10:24 AM.

[Temperateants]

 

 

In the weeks before hibernation it is a good idea to feed your colonies more often and with more food than usual so they have enough energy to survive the winter. When taking a colony out of hibernation, you shouldn’t put them on heat immediately and instead leave them at room temperature for a few days so they can acclimate. This makes it a lot less stressful for them.

Ah. Workers somehow enclosed after thanksgiving, so I should've fed them immediately. But I did put them in room temp.

when the first workers eclose, you should feed the colony immediately. Assuming you didn’t give them their first meal until after hibernation, it is likely the queen was starving and didn’t have any energy left.

 

What confuses me is that I did feed them before hibernation (just a bit of fruit fly), and they were eating pretty well after hibernation. Maybe she didn't have as much energy as I thought, since I've been slacking on sugar..

[Manitobant]

When the first workers eclose, sugar is always the priority. Adult ants get most of their energy from sweets, while larvae get most of their energy from protein.

[Temperateants]

When the first workers eclose, sugar is always the priority. Adult ants get most of their energy from sweets, while larvae get most of their energy from protein.

My mistake. I've always noticed these ants don't really drink much sugar (probably because no social stomach and they prefer solid sugars) so I slacked off. I will keep that in mind for future aphaenogaster queens.

[AntsDakota]

When the first workers eclose, sugar is always the priority. Adult ants get most of their energy from sweets, while larvae get most of their energy from protein.

^Which is why it is imperative that colonies receive ample amounts of both. But that being said, ants can survive longer in sugars alone, since it's the adult's food source. Definitely a terrible idea for long term growth, but it'd be like us going without food for a long time. Better than going without water, definitely.

[ConcordAntman]

Remember though that egg production requires protein in addition to being calorie intensive so particularly in small colonies coming out of diapause, a balance of sugars and protein remains important for the queen’s nutrition. 

Edited by ConcordAntman, March 15 2022 - 4:31 AM.