Need sympathy/Relatable situations

[BuildingForAnts]

I don't think I have ever posted something for sympathy in my life, but I don't have really anyone else that could perhaps feel my pain as some of you could. I just brought in my queen from hibernation, she only has some eggs and there was a dab of honey in with her. I bring her in, go to sleep, and the honey (I could have sworn I didn't use much) over night melted and flooded the queen and her eggs. I was at a loss.

I managed to save the queen, I do not know the fate of the eggs yet. My guess is they are dead. I fear I cannot clean her enough, I do not know her fat yet,, shes moving and i put her up on the cotton to hopefully rub off the honey. Im so sad, this my first colony and I talked her up the whole month about how she will be coming in soon, and as soon as I did, I put Cleo (the queens name) and the whole colony in danger.

Im just really upset and would like to know I'm not alone in making beginner mistakss, or if anyone could give advice or heads up on what i can maybe expect. Or perhaps what i can do to save her if what happened will kill her. Thank you for your time and kind thoughts.

- Distressed Ant lover

[LaSiUsNiGeR]

for relatable situations look in the ant graveyard. what species was it? you can try driping a little bit of water on her same for the eggs(tho im not sure).

melted honey? and not much? was it a small species? how much honey did you use? sorry for the questions.

i hope you can save them

and no your not alone in making beginner mistakes.

[LaSiUsNiGeR]

i did make a mistake today the water test tube flooded i was lucky that the ants where in the part of the hybrid nest with holes. the water drained to the hydration thing.

i didnt use enough cotton

[BuildingForAnts]

Tetramorium sp. E. I put maybe slightly less than the size of a bb of honey in her tube mid hibernation just in case she was wanting some suger. It was fine, but once I brought her in from hibernation and perhaps has her tube on a slight angle, I woke early in the morning to find her and the eggs stuck in the honey.

It must have melted and flooded right into her and the eggs. I pulled her up to the cotton and dabbed her a bit gently with a qtip. Then cleaned the tube at the expense of most all the eggs. I was just ready to mover her out into a new clean test tube when I noticed she was gathering up the rest of what looked like some surviving eggs, or potential stress food.

So I let her be and covered her up. I've been checking on her every two hours by quickly looking underneath the cloth that hides her tube. She's been cleaning herself and is obviously a little stressed.

I am just really worried some of the honey won't come off that will result in her death or not able to produce eggs. She seems resilient, so I have hope!

[AM1C39]

The queen should be fine and for the eggs its always probable she will lay more. You are not the only one who has made beginner mistakes I myself doomed my first colony the queen died because I hade not given them enough protein she hade 11 adult workers they are still alive in a test tube withought their queen.