Tetramorium (Pavement Ants) Hibernation

[sgtjohn234]

Hello,

SO today 12/2/2020 I have purchased a Tetramorium Queen Ant. Se has maybe more than a dozen workers ants doing their thing and another dozen or two eggs laying around. She is in a test tube setup right now. I understand that while Tetramorium doesn't need hibernation it does kinda improve their health. So I plan to help along with that. I am ordering from amazon a really small mini-fridge just for them that I can keep at a constant temperature probably somewhere between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be within a week. Now that you have all this information I can begin my questions:

I Understand that they need to eat, but how often do I feed this colony, if at all, during hibernation, and how would go about that?

What temperature do I set the minifridge to, and do I need to wrap them up in a towel?

Will they be okay if I don't open the fridge for a week, in terms of food and oxygen?

When they get bigger and after I have moved them into their new bigger homes, do I have to worry about hibernation again, if so how would I go about handling this, or do I just pass it off?

When they do get bigger how do I safely transfer them to their new home without injuring the Queen?

Do they need light/sunlight at all?

OH MY. Sorry about all the questions and for being so abrupt. I just had so many questions that Google isn't able to answer. Thank you for helping me!

[bugging3out]

Question 1. They will not eat in the winter only give them water and possibly sugar water.

Question 2. Instead of putting them in a fridge put them in a droor next to your window or a open space that is close to outside.

Question 3. Just keep them what I said in question 2.

Question 4. just move the formicarium to the window.

Question 5. if they don’t move then just take the queen out gently with a cotton ball and then slowly dump out the babies on a soft surface and put them with the queen or whatever place you wanted them to move. For the workers just catch them in put them with the brood and queen.

Question 6. They do not like light or sunlight in their nest. But in their outworld or feeding area they would prefer a little light. Not in the winter tho. They would like light in their feeding area in the spring, summer, and fall. Not the winter.
Also I have a colony of these and I love helping people. So good luck.
Warmly, bugging Out.
Lol warm.

[bugging3out]

Also about the fridge just use it for another colony you have. This species does not do well with fridges.