Camponotus pennsylvanicus Hybernation

[Jersey4ants]

Hey guys,

I caught a camponotus queen on July 9, she never laid eggs but she’s still alive and seems fine. Is it possible for her to hibernate and then lay eggs next year? Just surprised she never laid when I caught her so early. Thanks for the advice!

[MorbidBugg]

Well lemme see camponotus have large stores of proteins and can survive months without eating and this sometimes means a queen will wait for the new year to lay. Admittedly it's odd that she's not felt the need to lay yet, cinsidering when her flight was but don't be discouraged especially if she's alive it's a sign of just a slow queen so far.

[CampoKing]

All of my Carpenter Queens were pretty eager to settle down and lay their first batch when I caught them.
How are you keeping your queen?
This species likes it humid and ideally dark, and at least room temp (75 or so).