5 replies to this topic

[Noah Norman]

I have always just put my ants right into the fridge and then when winter is over I would just take them out and put them back on my desk, I have never had fatality from this, other than 1-3 workers dieing during hibernation, but I read that the ants can get poisoned if they are taken from a cold temperature and then instantly placed into a warmer temperature. Does anyone know if this is true, it said that the chemicals that they produce during hibernation will keep producing because it can't keep up with the instant temperature change and will build up and kill the ants. Has anyone had ants die after hibernation?

[ZllGGY]

yes it is possible, which from my readings of some of the observations made, most people keep them in the fridge and when they decide its almost time to take them out the gradually raise the temperature of the fridge to substitute a natural environment warming up

[AntsMAN]

I've never heard anything like this before. I've never had a problem with taking them out of 54F straight to 70-75F.

I don't think they are going to build up a large amount of Glycerol, unless they are exposed to extreme temps. And even still

I don't think it would kill them. Please share where you read this?

[ZllGGY]

I've never heard anything like this before. I've never had a problem with taking them out of 54F straight to 70-75F.

I don't think they are going to build up a large amount of Glycerol, unless they are exposed to extreme temps. And even still

I don't think it would kill them. Please share where you read this?

i can't really remember where i read it. it was a forum on here some people have posted when putting ants into and taking them out of hibernation to do it gradually as to not shock the ants. now I'm not saying that I'm absolutely right in this  but it wouldn't hurt to use gradation when putting something in the cold or taking it out into the heat. i just can't seem to find the topic where i read that. Maybe drew would have a good answer for this

[Noah Norman]

I can't remember where I read it,.I looked back at all my books and couldn't find it, that's why I asked it. I might have read it on these fourms because ZIIGGY also said he read it here.

[ZllGGY]

I can't remember where I read it,.I looked back at all my books and couldn't find it, that's why I asked it. I might have read it on these fourms because ZIIGGY also said he read it here.

i would think though that it would only be an issue if you exposed them to a drastic temperature change but i would assume that from the fridge to a drawer of some kind is fine. unfortunately ants die off all the time for no reason. just look a Drews many journals and youll see that there are posts where colonies lose queens or queens lose all their workers. just an unfortunate part of the hobby i suppose