Queen not laying 2nd batch of eggs after 8 months

[dougants]

Hi all, novice ant keeper here with my first post!

I caught a queen last August (2016) near Boston. I think she's some Camponotus species but help with ID would be appreciated! She's just short of half an inch long and she looks like this:



She produced eight nanitics in September but she hasn't laid any more eggs since then. It's well into the spring so I'm starting to get worried. Is there anything I can do to encourage her to lay more eggs?

The colony is in a test tube setup attached to a mini outworld. I feed them honey regularly and a small piece of cooked salmon or chicken every two weeks or so, which they go crazy for. I tried feeding them mealworms many times but they never seemed interested.

[Martialis]

This looks like Formica to me, though one picture from a single angle won't be enough for me to be sure; could you get some clearer ones, please?

[dougants]

Oh interesting. Really, my only reasons for assuming she was Camponotus were that she was large and slow to lay eggs. Here are a few more shots.




That white mound is a piece of salmon that they dragged into the nest and subsequently became moldy. They don't seem to be in a hurry to remove it.

[Martialis]

Ya, this is Formica. You hibernated them, correct?

[dougants]

Very interesting. Thanks for the ID.

Actually I didn't hibernate them... I live in a small apartment and there was nowhere cool to store them except the fridge, which felt extreme. I was under the impression that hibernation was recommended but not totally necessary. Do you think that could be the reason? They don't realize it's spring?

[dougants]

By the way, how could you tell it was Formica? Is there a particular feature that stands out or is it just a matter of experience?

[Martialis]

The mesosoma has two "humps" instead of the one in Camponotus.

Hibernation is absolutely necessary, especially for Formica. What I did was set the fridge on a slightly warmer setting and put mine in. These ants will only lay if hibernated.

[dougants]

Bummer. What a shame that I skipped it then.

To make the best of the situation, would you suggest I put them in the fridge for a couple of weeks now or should I wait until the winter?

[Martialis]

I would try to salvage it by putting them in for 2-3 months. Of course, this would mean that you would have ants to care for in winter and fall.

[dougants]

Ok, I'll give that a try then. Thanks for all the help Martialis. Very much appreciated.