My japanese camponotus ants are dying!

[Jiseung]

I had my ants for 2 months. I got 50 of them originally along with a queen ant. They were doing fine in the test tube but once I released them into the nest I built, they slowly started to die one by one. I have added a photo of them. I don't know if the nest is the problem or maybe because it's winter and it's getting really cold in South Korea. The room temperature is typically 24~28 degrees Celsius. The nest is made of JWC1198 carving plaster. You can google it and you will immediately see the yellow carton plaster that I used. The brown is actually clay that I mixed with water and painted onto the plaster. I'm worried for my ants.. what can I do for them?

[Hunter36o]

Sorry but your image did not upload correctly.
Did you make sure the plaster or clay was safe? You would want to use aquatic or child safe products as they would naturally have less harmful chemicals in them. Out side of that I would check if they need hibernating, see if the food supplies to them is safe and outside of that I myself am at a loss for you.
Wait was it store bought clay or clay from your garden or a local field of sorts? If that is the case and you did not treat the clay I would assume that is the issue.
Sorry for the lack of information but hopefully this is a start

[JoeHostile1]

Is they are all starting to die than there is most likely something toxic in their Environment. Something you used to build the nest could be leeching toxic chemicals into the confined space inside the nest. I would remove them immediately.

A lot of glues, paints, ect are safe once they have dried and completely cured. But Sometimes it takes days to cure before they stop releasing chemicals. How long after you completed the nest did you move the ants into it?

It’s important to remember that inside the nest is a confined space. So if there is no way for the air to be ventilated even the smallest amount of leeching from a chemical becomes trapped inside the nest. Which can slowly kill all the ants. If you build a nest and it smells chemically in the least you will want to let it cure for a few days or week until the smell is completely gone.

[antnest8]

I could possibly be the stress of them moving along with poisonous chemicals.