Queen ? | France | October

[Nelridea]

Hello,
I found this little girl I wanted to know if you could help me identify the species (and if it is even a queen).
I'm very new to ants and I don't know a lot so every advice is great for me.

I found her:
- When: at about 9pm,
- Where: in my bathroom (probably entered by the window earlier), eastern France (Franche compté)

About her:
- About 6mm
- Black + yellowish abdomen

I think she might be "Solenopsis fugax" but I'm not sure at all

Also if she is a queen,
- Is it a good species for beginners ?
- Do I need to keep her in the dark ? At a special temperature ?
- Does she need hibernation ? (if yes how can I do it ?)
- Does she need food while in the test tube ? (If yes when/how much per week, and what ?)
- How long do we keep it in the test tube ?
- Do I need equipment other than the tube (while she is in the tube) ?
- Do I need to change/add water ?



Thanks

[Boomdale]

1. She is a queen
2. The dark is best for queens in the founding stage. Most people agree 27 Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit is best for brood growth.
3. As far as hibernation goes, I’ve also read that if the ground freezes in your area, your species needs to hibernate. The best way to do this is just use your refrigerator.
4. A drop of honey would not hurt her. Ones I find without wings I tend to do that as you do not know how long she has been without and starting a colony over takes time.
5. Keep her in the test tube until at least 20 workers. That’s a minimum advises number. Other say until you can’t fit anymore ants in the tube. Ants like cramped spaces so the more area you give them the worse they do.
6. Anything else you might need while she is in the tube is another tube to change her out when the original gets dirty. Tweezers. Toothpicks.
7. The tube should not get dirty during hibernation due to the cold and the ants not doing much so adding water would be the only issue during this time. Maybe once a month. Check on her weekly but do not remove her from the refrigerator for more than a minute or two at a time.

Hope that helps

[AntsDakota]

That looks a little like a Tetramorium caespitum queen.

[AntsDakota]

Yet Tetramorium only fly in July.

[Nelridea]

1. She is a queen
2. The dark is best for queens in the founding stage. Most people agree 27 Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit is best for brood growth.
3. As far as hibernation goes, I’ve also read that if the ground freezes in your area, your species needs to hibernate. The best way to do this is just use your refrigerator.
4. A drop of honey would not hurt her. Ones I find without wings I tend to do that as you do not know how long she has been without and starting a colony over takes time.
5. Keep her in the test tube until at least 20 workers. That’s a minimum advises number. Other say until you can’t fit anymore ants in the tube. Ants like cramped spaces so the more area you give them the worse they do.
6. Anything else you might need while she is in the tube is another tube to change her out when the original gets dirty. Tweezers. Toothpicks.
7. The tube should not get dirty during hibernation due to the cold and the ants not doing much so adding water would be the only issue during this time. Maybe once a month. Check on her weekly but do not remove her from the refrigerator for more than a minute or two at a time.

Hope that helps

Thanks for all your answers, I need a few more information,
- Species of this queen ?
- Can I keep it at ambient temperature until hibernation ?
- When do I start hibernation (and end it) ?
- If I have to use my refrigerator for hibernation, how do I slowly decrease temperature so it doesn't go straight from ambient to the lower refrigerator temperature (and same for the end of hibernation) ?

[Boomdale]

Absolutely keep her at normal temperature before hibernation.
Most places that have a summer and winter start hibernation November sometime.
So the temperature of your refrigerator isn’t so low that have you to worry so. It’s above freezing so it won’t kill the ants, normally.

[Nelridea]

Absolutely keep her at normal temperature before hibernation.
Most places that have a summer and winter start hibernation November sometime.
So the temperature of your refrigerator isn’t so low that have you to worry so. It’s above freezing so it won’t kill the ants, normally.

So I just keep her in my wardrobe without heating or cooling systeme and then place her directly in the refrigerator in November ?

[Rob11420]

I wouldn’t put the test tube in the fridge as it is, I would rap it in a towel or cloth first so that the temperature change is a bit more gradual, it will also helps minimise vibrations when opening and closing the fridge.

[Nelridea]

I wouldn’t put the test tube in the fridge as it is, I would rap it in a towel or cloth first so that the temperature change is a bit more gradual, it will also helps minimise vibrations when opening and closing the fridge.

Yes I'll do that,I'm not sure yet if I will put it in the fridge or just in my basement