6 replies to this topic

[Mdrogun]

My Tetramorium are acting very weird. They refuse any food I give them including Carbohydrates. Almost no workers are foraging even though I have not fed them in a week. Normally I would think they are ready for hibernation. However, they still have tons of pupae in the nest maybe 100+. Is this normal?

Edited by Mdrogun, October 3 2015 - 9:44 AM.

[prettycode]

Any update?

 

My tetramorium (15 - 20 workers) are inside at 71 degrees F. and are starting to slow down just in the last week. Have noticed fewer and fewer workers out of the test tube, in the outworld, in the last few days. Like yours, lots of brood though--maybe 20 larvae, pupae total.

[Roachant]

I think they are getting ready for hibernation. Even with temps high many animals use use length of daylight as an indicator that winter is coming. Ohh! A game of thrones reference! 😉

[Mdrogun]

I think that there was an imbalance in the types of brood in the nest. They are now more ravenous than ever and have consumed 5 or so large crickets over the past 2 days. They are so active now it is ridiculous. They always have at least 30 workers just wandering around in the outworld. If I ever put in food a flood of workers come rushing out.

 

My guess is that at this time of year in the wild the amount of food available is very low. So they have to have lots of workers out at all times to make sure they get as much as they can

Edited by Mdrogun, October 20 2015 - 3:21 PM.

[antmaniac]

Inactive could be due to the winter. I also find that when rain is coming the ants also stay inside, they can feel it even if it is indoor.

[Crystals]

I find my colonies food intake usually depends on the stage of the brood.

With all pupae, food intake is quite low.  As soon as they start to eclose the sugar demand goes through the roof.

Larvae usually mean more protein (depending on species and if the species overwinters brood).

[Roachant]

I'm prepping my colony for winter, I removed their heat source and they don't forage any more. They tried to plug up their nest entrance with anything they can find, mostly junk from their nest. I hope they do ok over the winter because I really like this colony!