The AntsCanada Forum

Overall, I'd say trust your ants. They know what they need more than we do. If they don't go out, that means they don't need to. Offer them food and change it regularly to make sure it doesn't spoil. If they want it, they will take it. If they don't take it, that means they just don't want it. Try d...

I think the danger comes from pesticides and parasites they could carry. Even though they are alive, some insects/spiders can carry residues of pesticides on their skin. Boiling them would reduce the quality of the proteins for the ants but solve the problem of parasites. Not sure about the pesticid...

I see you're asking whether they need access to a water source. Are your ants in a test tube with water and a piece of cotton? When you give them honey, try to give them a few tiny drops (smaller than them) rather than a large one, otherwise they could either drown or get covered by it and die (imag...

I am curious about this topic as well, as my queen just started to crawl up in a ball, which I have never seen her does before. Does that mean she is ready to hibernate? And so I can hibernate the eggs and larvae without fearing of losing them?

Thank you!

I wouldn't really disturb them anymore. Like MaxGen said, they might be getting ready to hibernate or something.

Congrats!

I would leave them in peace for now. They know when they'll need to move. If they are not, that means they are fine where they are.

You should only do it if you captured your queen locally though. Also, they will only go on a nuptial flight if the cues are right and if it is the right season, which depends on the species.

No, just scared. It just feels weird for me because the other 2 queens are super chill when I handle their test tubes and clean them and feed them. They don't even get that scared when i accidentally poke them with the tip of a q tip. I might be wrong, but I feel like you shouldn't disturb them by ...

I think it would depend on where you live. If you live in a cold area, living your ants in the garage might slow down their growth quite a bit.

I also would not keep them near the ground since the heavy gases will be closer to the ground.