Pupae not hatching

[MikyPiky]

So I've had my queen Lasius ant since August, she laid around 10 eggs a month later. I put her In a test tube set up in a warm room. I have watched her eggs steadily grow over the months, they are pupae now and a lot bigger than they were at first but they still haven't hatched! I tried to move her into a new test tube because her old one is getting gross, but she just wouldn't move, at that point I gave her a little drop of honey which she gobbled up. I have been waiting for months now and her eggs still haven't hatched. Is there any reason why they won't hatch?

One more thing, is it bad if I put a light over the queen to get her to move in to a new test tube?

[JoeHostile1]

It’s the middle of winter. Your ants should be in hibernation. Possibly why they are not hatching.

[MikyPiky]

Okay that makes sense, is there anything I'm doing wrong? Should I move them to a colder room or keep them where they are? I've decided I'm going to try to move them again soon.

Thanks for your help

[JoeHostile1]

Usually if you catch a Lasius queen in late August/early September they do not lay eggs until the spring. Your particular queen decided she had enough time before spring to get a few workers out, but the temperature in your house probably cooled and the larvae stopped developing.

You should hibernate them at a temperature between 6C and 10C. If you don’t have a fridge you can put them in the next best thing would be a garage or Un-heated basement or some area where you can get close to those temperatures.

[antnest8]

be careful with garages though