8 replies to this topic

[MiaRose]

So I have a few questions about hibernation as there is a lot of helpful information about taking care of your ants while they are not hibernating but I can't find anything concrete for taking care of them while they are hibernating.

 

My Lasius Niger colony will be in a test tube (getting them next week, so they may be active)

 

How often (if at all) do you feed them? (Someone in a chat told me a drop of honey every 1-2 days) & what should I do when they first arrive if I want to put them straight into hibernation? 

 

Any other advice or tips for hibernation care?

Edited by MiaRose, November 25 2016 - 6:05 AM.

[Saftron]

Feeding:

 

I would give them a drop of honey every 2-3 days and an insect twice a week. This way they have both food sources and will thrive. Make sure the insect is killed because for a small colony it may be tough to bring down an alive insect even an injured one. I would suggest giving a variety of foods because I have heard and seen myself that if you keep giving ants the same food over and over they will start to reject it.

 

Hibernation:

 

I would keep them next to a window for a couple of days for them to produce Glycerol (Helps them from freezing during hibernation) than once they have huddled together preferably in one spot I would put them somewhere where it's about 15 degrees Celcius or 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

Edited by Antkeeperxxx, November 25 2016 - 8:32 AM.

[MiaRose]

Feeding:

 

I would give them a drop of honey every 2-3 days and an insect twice a week. This way they have both food sources and will thrive. Make sure the insect is killed because for a small colony it may be tough to bring down an alive insect even an injured one. I would suggest giving a variety of foods because I have heard and seen myself that if you keep giving ants the same food over and over they will start to reject it.

 

Hibernation:

 

I would keep them next to a window for a couple of days for them to produce Glycerol (Helps them from freezing during hibernation) than once they have huddled together preferably in one spot I would put them somewhere where it's about 15 degrees Celcius or 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Thanks for the advice...I read online in many places that they should be hibernated below 10 c? 

[Saftron]

10 c is way too low. 

[Alabama Anter]

10 c is way too low.

No it's not

[Antsinmycloset]

Just try to fatten them up with sugar water, and make sure they're READY for hibernation. It should be pretty obvious. You might double check with the person you bought them from if they've been went into hibernation before, and if so, when. You might be surprised by the answer.

Concerning feeding during hibernation, I'm not sure if there are any rules, but a lot of people leave sugar water accessible in their large (50+) colonies. With smaller colonies, a lot of people just don't feed them. I believe the guy from Tar Heels brings his colonies out of hibernation once every 30 days or so for a day and lets them feast sugar, then puts them back in, repeating as necessary.

Ants hibernating, or preparing to hibernate, usually don't need protein, but may store it inside the colony. This can become a mold problem, so keep a close eye on the protein. It's better to feed small piece often than have a huge chunk rotting in the test tube.

[Diesel]

I don't understand how any temps below 0 degrees F are too low. We regularly have temps drop below zero and colonies thrive the following year.

[benjiwuf]

The ground temperature in most places at ant nest depths do not typically drop to freezing temperatures. Ants tend to dig quite deep to reach that barrier in the wild hence why it's often suggested not to let ants freeze during hibernation. However other species that nest above ground would freeze in the winter.

All in all its more of a safety precaution.

[noebl1]

The ground temperature in most places at ant nest depths do not typically drop to freezing temperatures. Ants tend to dig quite deep to reach that barrier in the wild hence why it's often suggested not to let ants freeze during hibernation. However other species that nest above ground would freeze in the winter.

All in all its more of a safety precaution.

 

This makes a lot of sense to me... I know certain species like Camponotus that live in rotten trees/above ground and Temnothorax above ground often in acorns, do indeed experience freezing temps, however I believe produce glycerol or similar so they don't actual freeze (couple good Google searches help support this, but I am not an expert.)  Lasius however I would think would be used to warmer temps as can burrow fairly deep.  I thought I remember reading from someone on this forum with a backhoe tried to reach the bottom of a Lasius colony and couldn't.

Edited by noebl1, November 27 2016 - 5:54 PM.