Tetramorium & Solenopsis: Brumation, diet, and moving time?

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DelcoAnts
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Tetramorium & Solenopsis: Brumation, diet, and moving time?

Post: # 74074Post DelcoAnts
Thu Oct 01, 2020 3:08 pm

Hello everyone!

I live outside of Philadelphia, Pa and I’m new to ant keeping. I was wondering when my ants would start going into brumation. Is there a temperature that when reached triggers their instincts to rest for the winter? If so, what is that temperature? Does it happen around any particular month of the year in my area? To help answer the question I will give you some information on the colonies I’m talking about:

I have two Colonies of what I believe are Solenopsis molesta. These are labeled Colonies 4 & 5. More information on them can be found in this post:https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=19104 These are both very young colonies, with less than five workers each, and are living in AC test tube setups.

I have a colony of Tetramorium immigrans ants labeled Colony 11. This colony was acquired from the GAN project. They are housed in a test tube setup and have about 30 workers.

I have a second question relating to Colony 11. Their test tube setup’s water reservoir is about half empty. I have also noticed the workers pulling at the cotton. (The workers have flattened out the cotton holding back their water reserves so it’s like a smooth wall. They like to stick their brood to this flat surface. I also found a single worker attempting to dig his way out through the cotton capping the test tube.) Do you think it is time for the colony to move, or is it better to put them into brumation and wait until the spring? Also, If I do move them before brumation, should it be to a new test tube for the winter, or is it time to go all out and set up their new AC Tetramorium hybrid nest and outworld?

Thirdly, I’m wondering if other people have had much luck using peanut butter as a protein source for Tetramorium immigrans ants and Solenopsis molesta ants. I’m hoping to use this as their main protein source instead of the hassle of keeping live prey. Have your Tetramorium and/or Solenopsis colonies been more excited about insect meals over peanut butter?

Finally, I’m wondering what kind of lifespan other ant keepers have observed for their Solenopsis molesta queens. I have read on the internet that in nature the queens live for about a year, and in captivity much less. I’m hoping this is not true. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! I look forward to hearing your answers.
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antnest8
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Re: Tetramorium & Solenopsis: Brumation, diet, and moving time?

Post: # 74082Post antnest8
Fri Oct 02, 2020 11:00 am

Your colony will slowly go into brumation. There is not set day that colonies stop working but you will notice over time (and it has probably already started) that your colony will slow down. Once you colony starts make sure to provide a new water source. They will move if they need to. I once heard that peanuts could be used as a proteins scource and I tried with my camponotus colony. They never took but I have never tried it with my tetramoriums when I had them. I would give them as much diversity as you can without it being a burden to you. They will choose there favorites and they will have better access to vital minerals and vitamins.
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DelcoAnts
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Re: Tetramorium & Solenopsis: Brumation, diet, and moving time?

Post: # 74084Post DelcoAnts
Fri Oct 02, 2020 2:18 pm

antnest8,

Thanks for the information! I have noticed the colony is not very energetic. I suppose the colony goes into brumation very slowly, a little at a time. I thought that it might happen within a shorter period of time, say within a week. Thank you for clearing that up.

Proving a new source of water would require a move to a new test tube set up. I came up with an idea to set up a fresh test tube, and hook it and the old test tube up to an AC portal and allow them to move themselves if the want to. I thought that in the meantime the portal could serve as a mini outworld. Unfortunately this plan didn't work out. The colony in question is a colony of Tetramorium immigrans ants I call Colony 11. I bought it through the GAN project, and the GAN farmer did not use an AC test tube to start the colony. As a result it wont fit into the AC portal. I could put Colony 11 and the new test tube in an AC outworld together with both test tubes unsealed, allowing the ants to come and go between the test tubes inside the outworld, but the outworld is not set up yet, and may not be able to be set up for a month or so. I think by that time the colony will be in full brumation mode. This situation and your helpful answer leads me to ask a few more questions...

1. How long should I continue to provide food to Colonies 4, 5, and 11? When all the ants are no longer moving is that the time to shut off the food supply for the winter, or sometime before or after? As far as I can tell, Colony 11 is not very interested in the food I'm providing (peanut butter and honey). Is this a sign that they don't need to be fed again until spring?

2. If I have to do an emergency move of Colony 11 during the brumation period (say because their water runs out) how is something like that done? Is it okay to force them awake? Do I need to act now and risk a sloppy and dangerous move before the brumation period?

3.When feeding a colony live insects, how do you store the prey? How many prey insects do you buy at a time?

I am going to think about ways I can vary Colony 11's diet as you suggested. I think that Colonies 4 and 5 (Solenopsis molesta) are in good shape for now. They seem to have plenty of water and room in their test tube setups to hold out through the winter.

I look forward to hearing from you again.
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