Workers fetch water?

[Mcrummett]

So i've just moved my lasius niger colony (very small) test tube setup to my parents garage where it's a nice temperature for hibernation. A little late i know but i'm hoping it'll be fine.

My question is this: Will worker ants collect water and bring it to the queen? My setup is a test tube setup, a tube through to a round magnifying dish thing (easy to remove lid and place food) and then a tube to another test tube with its own water behind cotton wool.

The original water supply is almost out but the queen never moved to the newer one. Will she be okay over winter like this? WIll the workers get her water from the other tube if needeD?

[ClashOwenBash]

So i've just moved my lasius niger colony (very small) test tube setup to my parents garage where it's a nice temperature for hibernation. A little late i know but i'm hoping it'll be fine.

My question is this: Will worker ants collect water and bring it to the queen? My setup is a test tube setup, a tube through to a round magnifying dish thing (easy to remove lid and place food) and then a tube to another test tube with its own water behind cotton wool.

The original water supply is almost out but the queen never moved to the newer one. Will she be okay over winter like this? WIll the workers get her water from the other tube if needeD?

Don't worry, the workers transport water and liquid food in their abdomen and feed the queen. They will look after her.

[Mcrummett]

Thanks, Clash. Winter feels like a nervous time of just leaving them being for a long time and hoping they survive!

[CreeperUniverse]

Make sure their setup is always hydrated. They go and drink by themselves

[JoeHostile1]

So i've just moved my lasius niger colony (very small) test tube setup to my parents garage where it's a nice temperature for hibernation. A little late i know but i'm hoping it'll be fine.

My question is this: Will worker ants collect water and bring it to the queen? My setup is a test tube setup, a tube through to a round magnifying dish thing (easy to remove lid and place food) and then a tube to another test tube with its own water behind cotton wool.

The original water supply is almost out but the queen never moved to the newer one. Will she be okay over winter like this? WIll the workers get her water from the other tube if needeD?

If ants are being hibernated at the proper temperature they can barely move therefore they are not able to forage. They do not forage outside in the winter in their natural environments.

The water inside the test tube is there for humidity much more so than as a drinkable water source. Yes the ants can drink water from it, however they can also get all the water they need from insects, from water in the outworld, from sugar water, honey ect.

The most important function that the test tube provides is keeping the humidity high enough for the ants to survive. Humidity is actually much more important to ants than food. A strong colony can go weeks if not months without food. However if the humidity drops too low they can die within days.

If you attempt to hibernate ants in a dry test tube over the winter they will most likely die. If the test tube is inside another container with a lid and that container has a water source plus a lid the humidity should be high enough for them to survive. But do not let the water source dry out.

If I can’t get a colony to move out of a dry test tube before winter then I attach a fresh test tube to the old one and hibernate them like that.

[Mcrummett]

So i've just moved my lasius niger colony (very small) test tube setup to my parents garage where it's a nice temperature for hibernation. A little late i know but i'm hoping it'll be fine.

My question is this: Will worker ants collect water and bring it to the queen? My setup is a test tube setup, a tube through to a round magnifying dish thing (easy to remove lid and place food) and then a tube to another test tube with its own water behind cotton wool.

The original water supply is almost out but the queen never moved to the newer one. Will she be okay over winter like this? WIll the workers get her water from the other tube if needeD?

If ants are being hibernated at the proper temperature they can barely move therefore they are not able to forage. They do not forage outside in the winter in their natural environments.

The water inside the test tube is there for humidity much more so than as a drinkable water source. Yes the ants can drink water from it, however they can also get all the water they need from insects, from water in the outworld, from sugar water, honey ect.

The most important function that the test tube provides is keeping the humidity high enough for the ants to survive. Humidity is actually much more important to ants than food. A strong colony can go weeks if not months without food. However if the humidity drops too low they can die within days.

If you attempt to hibernate ants in a dry test tube over the winter they will most likely die. If the test tube is inside another container with a lid and that container has a water source plus a lid the humidity should be high enough for them to survive. But do not let the water source dry out.

If I can’t get a colony to move out of a dry test tube before winter then I attach a fresh test tube to the old one and hibernate them like that.

Thanks for the detailed response, much appreciated. There is plenty of water in the other test tube that is attached. I’d image that would be enough to keep the humidity at a healthy level?