The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

well the lasius parasite queen would do ok because i found dome outside under a log literally sitting on the Ice and still Alive. as for the workers and brood They will not fair as well. some ants have anti-freeze chemicals in the hemolyph, like your camponotus ants, but most do not since they usua...

Woah. Are they still alive after -16? I wouldn't advise risking your hard work with such low temps. Is there a mini-fridge or somewhere more insulated you could put them like a cold closet or basement? Lol they havent dropped below 4 celsius yet as they are in my garage, just the outside temp. I'm ...

Hello! I am in Alberta, Canada. I am curious if my first year ant queens/ colonies can survive freezing over the winter hibernation? I currently have them in an insulated unit in my garage. They have been at 5-10 celcius since mid October. the outside temp has not been lower than -16 celcius. Should...

Hello! I have three queens with brood (eggs and small larvae) the brood size has not changed and I am nearing hibernation here in Alberta... Will the brood survive the winter? Do you think the brood is dead? First egg clutch was in early June none have pupated yet. All three queens are still active ...

Well, working on the formacarium Im not too happy with it. The gaps in the front concerns me that they can burrow through it. I decided to start over, so that there are no gaps. But on that note, what you are saying is that those entrances are enough for air to circulate in? That would be the only ...

Less airflow is better inside the nest for sure. All in all i would say this is a good size for your ants given they are a mature colony, you may even need to go bigger in a couple years if they get too crowded.

If you have another test tube, what i have done is tape (small strip just to keep them together) a clean set up to the dirty one (after removing the cotton blocker). cover the new tube and expose the dirty one to light. Worked with one of my Formica, my camponotus however prefers the dirty tube and ...

I'm fairly certain camponotus will chew through the Styrofoam, so I would suggest a glass/ similar hard surface to place over the nest portion. If the grout you used does not absorb water, you will need to ensure you moisten the nest more often. However, I am pretty sure camponotus prefer a drier en...

I've had a C. Herculeanus queen for around 7 weeks and a L. Niger queen for 3 weeks. Both queens have laid eggs and i check on the every week. The thing that is weird is that the eggs have not grown in size at all. I heard that the eggs dont grow untill they become larvae, but i dont know if they a...

Anyone in Alberta see or find any lasius alates? Ive found the odd dead winged queen around the last few days but no live ones or males or serious nest activity They usually fly on mass in late August, so hardly anyone finds them in July. Oh I know, ive just never seen so many random and dead alate...