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I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:35 am
by Murkla
Hello!
I recently bought my first ant Queen with three little workers of a guy here in Sweden. She's a lasius niger and is currently living in a small testtube setup. And this is the thing. The testtube is very small and the guy I bought her of didn't put in nearly as much water needed for them to stay there the whole winter. So I'm starting thinking that I will need to make them move.
Is it dangerous to make them move during hibernation? (As i just got them I'm currently keeping them at 21 degrees Celsius, waiting for a mini fridge that's stuck in the post) It's the best way to move them during hibernation to shine a strong light on them and then introduce a much darker cozier and moistier test tube?
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:29 pm
by SolenopsisKeeper
Murkla wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:35 am
Hello!
I recently bought my first ant Queen with three little workers of a guy here in Sweden. She's a lasius niger and is currently living in a small testtube setup. And this is the thing. The testtube is very small and the guy I bought her of didn't put in nearly as much water needed for them to stay there the whole winter. So I'm starting thinking that I will need to make them move.
Is it dangerous to make them move during hibernation? (As i just got them I'm currently keeping them at 21 degrees Celsius, waiting for a mini fridge that's stuck in the post) It's the best way to move them during hibernation to shine a strong light on them and then introduce a much darker cozier and moistier test tube?
Well. What you could do, but requires MUCH more matience, is water the Cotten plugging the tube. Otherwise, you could use tubing to hook them up to a new nest tube and let them move on their own. I do not keep many hibernating ants, so you’ll have to see what other antkeepers say.
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 4:05 am
by AntsAntsAnts
SolenopsisKeeper wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:29 pm
Murkla wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:35 am
Hello!
I recently bought my first ant Queen with three little workers of a guy here in Sweden. She's a lasius niger and is currently living in a small testtube setup. And this is the thing. The testtube is very small and the guy I bought her of didn't put in nearly as much water needed for them to stay there the whole winter. So I'm starting thinking that I will need to make them move.
Is it dangerous to make them move during hibernation? (As i just got them I'm currently keeping them at 21 degrees Celsius, waiting for a mini fridge that's stuck in the post) It's the best way to move them during hibernation to shine a strong light on them and then introduce a much darker cozier and moistier test tube?
Well. What you could do, but requires MUCH more matience, is water the Cotten plugging the tube. Otherwise, you could use tubing to hook them up to a new nest tube and let them move on their own. I do not keep many hibernating ants, so you’ll have to see what other antkeepers say.
I literally keep certain ants only because I don't want to hibernate them. It's also the reason my main colonies are polyrhachis
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 4:23 am
by AntsLuxembourg
Could you provide us with a picture so we can see the situation? Is the testtube glass or plastic? If plastic, it could be that the water evaporated. I've noticed this from a previous setup. If you have use a syringe to water the cotton every so often otherwise I would recommend you to wait with any plans for moving the colony until the end of March.
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 8:27 am
by SolenopsisKeeper
AntsLuxembourg wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26, 2022 4:23 am
Could you provide us with a picture so we can see the situation? Is the testtube glass or plastic? If plastic, it could be that the water evaporated. I've noticed this from a previous setup. If you have use a syringe to water the cotton every so often otherwise I would recommend you to wait with any plans for moving the colony until the end of March.
Yep
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:13 pm
by Murkla
https://imgur.com/gallery/H925iMJ
As you can see there's not much water....
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:29 pm
by Murkla
As I said, this is my first ever ant colony and I'm terrified to do anything wrong here. I don't know what to do. I've read a lot and know that I shouldn't disturb or even feed them until March but I feel like they will run out of water. Like the cotton is too thick so the water won't moist the whole cotton ball and they will die...
As I'm so scared I set it up so if they would like to move they could. I've hooked up a fresh test tube. Maybe I'll just leave them in a dark place like that and go check on them in March again?
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 2:14 pm
by SolenopsisKeeper
Murkla wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:29 pm
As I said, this is my first ever ant colony and I'm terrified to do anything wrong here. I don't know what to do. I've read a lot and know that I shouldn't disturb or even feed them until March but I feel like they will run out of water. Like the cotton is too thick so the water won't moist the whole cotton ball and they will die...
As I'm so scared I set it up so if they would like to move they could. I've hooked up a fresh test tube. Maybe I'll just leave them in a dark place like that and go check on them in March again?
You should check on them every month. The fresh test tube might work… I bet it would. I doubt they would move, Becuase they are usually slow in hibernation, but would probably use it as water for the queen.
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:23 pm
by Murkla
Thanks for your answer! Also I have no idea if they where properly fed before I got them. So you think it's a good idea to pop in some food as well?
Re: I need my ants to move testtube during hybernation
Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2022 6:33 pm
by SolenopsisKeeper
Murkla wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:23 pm
Thanks for your answer! Also I have no idea if they where properly fed before I got them. So you think it's a good idea to pop in some food as well?
We’re they in hibernation when you got them?