I'd like help with hibernation

[UnrealSparks]

Hi everybody!
I live in Italy and I'm currently keeping many ant colonies. Even though temperatures have dropped a lot lately they are still pretty active somehow. I feed them once or twice a week (carbs and proteins) and they still accept everything. I'm keeping them in my room where the average temperature is 19-22 C° and checking for eggs there's seems to be some left (I may be wrong and they may be larvae).

If you need more information about which species I have here's one of my previous posts:
https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=11953

Now, how long should I still be waiting? And how much food should I give them before moving them to my garage? But most importantly should I change the temperature gradually or is it fine to move them from ~20 to ~10 C° in matters of hours?

[AntsLuxembourg]

So about lasius niger, they should be inside your fridge now. if they are still in your room with 19-20°C then put them in a place which is a bit colder so they don't get a shock or something and then put them inside your fridge which should be arround 5-9°C.

Messor barbarus starts hibernation at the end of november at arround 17-19°C
I will keep my colony in the cave and check on them ever 2 weeks or so.

For the rest I have no idea. I can only help you much with those which I know.

[UnrealSparks]

Thanks a lot for your reply!
My fridge is indeed ~9.2 C°, I'll feed my Lasius Niger colonies for the last time today and I'll start to lower the temperature. Should I put them (with their test tube setups) in a small cardboard box inside the fridge for not disturbing them too much? Or will that only act like an insulator and keep the temperature higher?

[JoeHostile1]

Thanks a lot for your reply!
My fridge is indeed ~9.2 C°, I'll feed my Lasius Niger colonies for the last time today and I'll start to lower the temperature. Should I put them (with their test tube setups) in a small cardboard box inside the fridge for not disturbing them too much? Or will that only act like an insulator and keep the temperature higher?

Just so you know 9C is very warm for your food fridge. From what I’m reading It should be set at a few degrees degrees above 0C. Most of the places online said 4C is a good temperature.

I just bought a new fridge specifically for keeping ants and the highest temperature you can even set it to is 7C. And to even get it that high you have to turn the knob like 1mm from the off position. I wanted the fridge at 10C and was surprised 7C was the absolute warmest setting. So that’s when I looked up proper fridge temperatures and found out the highest this fridge can go is 7C because you’re supposed to keep food colder than that.

Also there is no way An ant can hibernate at 17-19C. That is very warm.

[UnrealSparks]

I checked again the fridge temperature and this time, placing the thermometer at the bottom of it, I got 6.8 °C (the first time I placed it at the top). I also noticed the knob is like on 3/5, so I can lower the temperature more if I want.