16 replies to this topic

[T.C.]

So, I pulled my colonies from hibernation today. I had them in a unheated garage which is where I have kept my ant colonies for years. However it appears about 70% of my colonies actually died. I believe this is because of the constant temperature changes. It would get up to 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for a week, then drop to negative 10 Degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Eitherway, from now on it will be the fridge only. But I am curious, how long would you people wait for a colony to emerge or wake up? I've seen Camponotus  queens take up to a near week to fully wake up, however I have seen life in workers within a hour or few always. In almost all colonies , there is no individuals making movements. They appear completely lifeless and it's been about eight hours now. I have never seen it take this long for any workers of any species.

 

P.S. Hydration was not an issue.

Edited by T.C., February 5 2018 - 10:10 AM.

[nurbs]

Sorry man. Doesn't sound good. 70% is a lot

[drtrmiller]

50C? I've sous vide cooked fish at lower temperatures than that. No ants should be kept in environments that reach anywhere near that temperature.

All you can do now is hold them at a more stable and appropriate temperature, offer food and water, and hope that the queens aren't holding scrambled eggs and fried sperm in their gasters.

[rdurham02]

So, I pulled my colonies from hibernation today. I had them in a unheated garage which is where I have kept my ant colonies for years. However it appears about 70% of my colonies actually died. I believe this is because of the constant temperature changes. It would get up to 40-50 degrees Celsius for a week, then drop to negative 10 Degrees Celsius overnight. Eitherway, from now on it will be the fridge only. But I am curious, how long would you people wait for a colony to emerge or wake up? I've seen Camponotus  queens take up to a near week to fully wake up, however I have seen life in workers within a hour or few always. In almost all colonies , there is no individuals making movements. They appear completely lifeless and it's been about eight hours now. I have never seen it take this long for any workers of any species.

 

P.S. Hydration was not an issue.

I had a very similar experience with my hibernation. I think I lost around 80% of my hibernating queens. Only my Camponotus, Temnothorax, and two Formica queens managed to survive.

[sgheaton]

 I've sous vide.

Do you recommend one? I've wanted to check one out but I'm not sure. I'm fine with a grill and a smoker... 

[KBant]

I've sous vide.

Do you recommend one? I've wanted to check one out but I'm not sure. I'm fine with a grill and a smoker...

I love my sous vide!! You can cook amazing steaks using it.

[T.C.]

50C? I've sous vide cooked fish at lower temperatures than that. No ants should be kept in environments that reach anywhere near that temperature.

All you can do now is hold them at a more stable and appropriate temperature, offer food and water, and hope that the queens aren't holding scrambled eggs and fried sperm in their gasters.

How embarrassing. Well that's what happens when I try to do things late into the night.  

[Serafine]

It would get up to 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for a week, then drop to negative 10 Degrees Fahrenheit overnight.

Um, so you alternatingly cooked and froze your ants and are asking exactly what now?

I mean with 50°C it's pretty obvious why they died, the proper thing to do next year would be to put your ants to a place that doesn't replicate the surface conditions of Mercury (not exactly true because Mercury is in a locked orbit but you get the point).

[dermy]

 

It would get up to 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for a week, then drop to negative 10 Degrees Fahrenheit overnight.

Um, so you alternatingly cooked and froze your ants and are asking exactly what now?

I mean with 50°C it's pretty obvious why they died, the proper thing to do next year would be to put your ants to a place that doesn't replicate the surface conditions of Mercury (not exactly true because Mercury is in a locked orbit but you get the point).

 

To be clear there's no way I could see TC letting his ants be in a place that gets that cold [he's got more experience than that], also it's Fahrenheit not Celsius.

 

I would say keep them awake at normal room temperatures for a few days before you jump to "they all dead" conclusions. The ants could just be in deep hibernational state. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the ants did die, but that's antkeeping. Not every colony passes through hibernation .

[T.C.]

 

It would get up to 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for a week, then drop to negative 10 Degrees Fahrenheit overnight.

Um, so you alternatingly cooked and froze your ants and are asking exactly what now?

I mean with 50°C it's pretty obvious why they died, the proper thing to do next year would be to put your ants to a place that doesn't replicate the surface conditions of Mercury (not exactly true because Mercury is in a locked orbit but you get the point).

 

Thank you for this completely useless comment. You either can't read, or are confused about temperature. Did you read my post or did you go off of others comments? The post was edited by the time you came to it and it shows because the part you quoted is edited. So, surely you would have read my whole post? You aren't the type to just scan it and base your reply on others replies? Well, than that means you think 50 degrees Fahrenheit is a lot hotter than it really is. If it where 50 °C then that would be 122.0 °F. Pretty hot. However my post said 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which would be just about 20 degrees shy of freezing temperatures. Not sure how you think an un-heated garage in mid-winter would get that hot anyway?

 

I've been doing this a long time, I know what temperatures ants can withstand.

[Cameron C. Thomas]

I'm sorry to read about your loss; that's a real bummer. I agree, a fridge is definitely the way to go, but if your colony load warrants having to use the garage again, I've had pretty good success overwintering butterfly larvae using terra cotta pots and those gray moving blankets you get at U-Haul. I just put a moving blanket down on the surface in the garage, put the containers on that, cover them with the terra cotta pots, then gray moving blankets over those. I've never been motivated enough to keep a temperature probe under there, but butterfly people tell me it helps protect against severe temperature fluctuations, and it's worked out well so far. 

Edited by Cameron C. Thomas, February 5 2018 - 9:24 PM.

[nurbs]

Pulled all 8 of my Salsas um I mean C. sansabeanus out of hibernation today. If you lived in CA I'd give you one, just because you lost so much.

[T.C.]

I'm sorry to read about your loss; that's a real bummer. I agree, a fridge is definitely the way to go, but if your colony load warrants having to use the garage again, I've had pretty good success overwintering butterfly larvae using terra cotta pots and those gray moving blankets you get at U-Haul. I just put a moving blanket down on the surface in the garage, put the containers on that, cover them with the terra cotta pots, then gray moving blankets over those. I've never been motivated enough to keep a temperature probe under there, but butterfly people tell me it helps protect against severe temperature fluctuations, and I have pretty good success with it.

I'll look into it, thanks.

Pulled all 8 of my Salsas um I mean C. sansabeanus out of hibernation today. If you lived in CA I'd give you one, just because you lost so much.

Haha, thanks. I thought my favorite colony of Camponotous noveboracensis might have perished. However slowly but surely all the workers are starting to show signs of life. Can't believe how long it's taking for them to actually start moving around.

[Serafine]

You either can't read, or are confused about temperature. Did you read my post or did you go off of others comments?

Thanks for editing in the temperature measurement, it wasn't there when I clicked on reply (I had the reply open in a tab for quite some time that's how it ended up being posted after your edit despite being started before it). Terry's post was what confused me because at the time I clicked on reply it was the only post in the topic that mentioned a temperature measurement unit.
If temperatures are kinda unstable (though less than what I expected) I'd recommend to put them into Styrofoam boxes that should buffer the temperature fluctuations.

 

If the temperatures fluctuated a lot it might take them much longer to wake up than if the temperatures had been stable (they're probably programmed to play safe and make sure spring is actually there and it isn't just a few warm days, like trees do), larger ants like Camponotus queens and majors can take over 2 weeks to wake up from hibernation.

Edited by Serafine, February 5 2018 - 9:37 PM.

[Ant Broski]

So, I pulled my colonies from hibernation today. I had them in a unheated garage which is where I have kept my ant colonies for years. However it appears about 70% of my colonies actually died. I believe this is because of the constant temperature changes. It would get up to 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for a week, then drop to negative 10 Degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Eitherway, from now on it will be the fridge only. But I am curious, how long would you people wait for a colony to emerge or wake up? I've seen Camponotus  queens take up to a near week to fully wake up, however I have seen life in workers within a hour or few always. In almost all colonies , there is no individuals making movements. They appear completely lifeless and it's been about eight hours now. I have never seen it take this long for any workers of any species.
 
P.S. Hydration was not an issue.

I am almost a 100% sure the sudden 50 to -10 degrees as the cause of death. I usually just put my ants in the fridge for hibernation. When my ant colonies are too big for the fridge and I have to put them in an unheated garage I would always put something to warm them up a little bit like a towel so it didn’t get to cold. I hope ants are okay

[T.C.]

So, I pulled my colonies from hibernation today. I had them in a unheated garage which is where I have kept my ant colonies for years. However it appears about 70% of my colonies actually died. I believe this is because of the constant temperature changes. It would get up to 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit for a week, then drop to negative 10 Degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Eitherway, from now on it will be the fridge only. But I am curious, how long would you people wait for a colony to emerge or wake up? I've seen Camponotus  queens take up to a near week to fully wake up, however I have seen life in workers within a hour or few always. In almost all colonies , there is no individuals making movements. They appear completely lifeless and it's been about eight hours now. I have never seen it take this long for any workers of any species.
 
P.S. Hydration was not an issue.

I am almost a 100% sure the sudden 50 to -10 degrees as the cause of death. I usually just put my ants in the fridge for hibernation. When my ant colonies are too big for the fridge and I have to put them in an unheated garage I would always put something to warm them up a little bit like a towel so it didn’t get to cold. I hope ants are okay

Unfortunately a towel won't help or make any difference in the temperature.

[Serafine]

Styrofoam boxes and some towels inside might work. Another issue that hasn't been mentioned is flooding due to condensation which happens a lot when temperatures suddenly drop (and gets even worse if the flooded setup then reaches freezing temperatures).

Edited by Serafine, February 5 2018 - 10:37 PM.