Queen keeps looking like she's dead, then perks up in seconds. It happens every couple hours.

[AdinaTheAntGirl]

I found a queen ant out on my patio and decided to keep her to see how it went. I brought her inside, gave her some water and simple syrup (brown sugar and water) to sustain her. It's been nine days and she will frequently look dead, but when I check, she is still moving and alive. It started on day three. I didn't change anything in her area and the temp of my room didn't change, either. It happens several times a day and it worries me because she's my first queen. I also offer her bits of organic fruit, organic bread, honey, and other various food items I have on hand. She eats and drinks well as if nothing's wrong. I wash her fruit well with distilled water. I'm using distilled water for her water source too, because our tap water is heavy with chlorine due to low water pressure a couple weeks ago. The sugar water is made with distilled water as well. The bag hadn't been opened, so I doubt the sugar is tainted. Is brown sugar poisonous to ants? I didn't find anything that says it is, but I can change the sugar solution if I have to. Her container is well-oxygenated and in a dark, unused drawer of my dresser. I don't do anything around my dresser and it stays pretty quiet in my room. I want to leave her alone for several days, but I'm afraid she'll die and I won't catch it. She is in a small pin bottle, about an inch long and half an inch wide. I drilled tiny holes on the top and one on the side. Her water and syrup are on qtip (cotton bud/swabs) ends; two for syrup and two for water. When she isn't curled up, she's extremely active and seems quite happy to be alive, but five minutes later, she can curl up like she's on her deathbed. I always check her in minimal lighting to avoid stressing her out and I never fully close her lid so she doesn't rattle around and get hurt when I open up her enclosure. Would this happen to a Queen that didn't manage to get bred during her flight, perhaps? There have been no sign of eggs or brood at all, but I don't think a sick queen would lay anyways. Please let me know if I am doing something incorrectly. I would like to see Queen Elizabeth thrive and, if possible, start a colony of her very own.

[idahoantgirl]

my tips
1 Get an ID on your queen.
2 get her into an actual test tube set up with a large water resovoir. If you can't get your hands on an actual test tube , go to a local florist and ask for flower water piks. they are a few inches long and the same width as a testube.
3 After your queen is ID'd you will know if she is fully or semi claustral. Fully clasutral queens do not need food, and feeding them will only stress them out. Also colonies should never be fed where they are living.
4 quit checking on her. I cannot stress how important this is for struggling colonies. Certain species (like campo.) can be killed from over stressing them. After you get pics for an ID, leave her alone for two weeks, no peeking. If she dies, there is nothing you can do to prevent it if you follow my other tips.

Best wishes!

[AdinaTheAntGirl]

Thank you, I will do my best to get what I need to get her happy.

[Splqshy]

Hey, I was just wondering since this topic was about chlorine (And I'm new to these forums, so I don't know how to create new posts) , but can the majority of ant colonies survive in a hybrid nest if the water used for keeping the nest humid has chlorine in it? I just wanted to check before I accidentally killed off a colony!

[AntsDakota]

Hey, I was just wondering since this topic was about chlorine (And I'm new to these forums, so I don't know how to create new posts) , but can the majority of ant colonies survive in a hybrid nest if the water used for keeping the nest humid has chlorine in it? I just wanted to check before I accidentally killed off a colony!

I wouldn't think tap water would harm the colony, yet pool water..... I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't give them that much chlorine.

[AntsDakota]

I found a queen ant out on my patio and decided to keep her to see how it went. I brought her inside, gave her some water and simple syrup (brown sugar and water) to sustain her. It's been nine days and she will frequently look dead, but when I check, she is still moving and alive. It started on day three. I didn't change anything in her area and the temp of my room didn't change, either. It happens several times a day and it worries me because she's my first queen. I also offer her bits of organic fruit, organic bread, honey, and other various food items I have on hand. She eats and drinks well as if nothing's wrong. I wash her fruit well with distilled water. I'm using distilled water for her water source too, because our tap water is heavy with chlorine due to low water pressure a couple weeks ago. The sugar water is made with distilled water as well. The bag hadn't been opened, so I doubt the sugar is tainted. Is brown sugar poisonous to ants? I didn't find anything that says it is, but I can change the sugar solution if I have to. Her container is well-oxygenated and in a dark, unused drawer of my dresser. I don't do anything around my dresser and it stays pretty quiet in my room. I want to leave her alone for several days, but I'm afraid she'll die and I won't catch it. She is in a small pin bottle, about an inch long and half an inch wide. I drilled tiny holes on the top and one on the side. Her water and syrup are on qtip (cotton bud/swabs) ends; two for syrup and two for water. When she isn't curled up, she's extremely active and seems quite happy to be alive, but five minutes later, she can curl up like she's on her deathbed. I always check her in minimal lighting to avoid stressing her out and I never fully close her lid so she doesn't rattle around and get hurt when I open up her enclosure. Would this happen to a Queen that didn't manage to get bred during her flight, perhaps? There have been no sign of eggs or brood at all, but I don't think a sick queen would lay anyways. Please let me know if I am doing something incorrectly. I would like to see Queen Elizabeth thrive and, if possible, start a colony of her very own.

She may be getting ready to hibernate. Ants hibernate no matter what the temp is. They run on a biological clock. So it's best to hibernate them in a refrigerator or a garage.