I think my queen is dying. help

[SillySil]

I have a small Formica Cinerea colony. I bought it before winter and I was a bit scared of hibernating so I did not to hibernate them. Now during winter few ants died but the queen laid couple of eggs to replace the loses. Out of a sudden my queen wandered into the arena and she really struggles to walk, she looks super weak. When she flipped she coudln't get back up on herself for a while. Eventually workers found her and literally dragged her into the test tube that's their home at the moment.

I don't know what's going on. I haven't changed anything in the last 2 weeks. They have access to water and honey and I sometimes drop them a dead fly or a spider into the arena. The test tube attached to the arena is covered with a black cloth. All other ants are energetic and strong and the queen didn't act any different than she did in the last 2 months until very last days, or at least I didn't notice.

What could cause this?

[DontSquishTheAnt]

Is there mold in the test tube, do the ants have any mites on them, and how often have you been checking on them? Those are the most probable causes for death.

[SillySil]

Is there mold in the test tube, do the ants have any mites on them, and how often have you been checking on them? Those are the most probable causes for death.

Thanks for the response.
The tube is super clean as I've made them move into a new one about 3 weeks ago. And no mites at all. The queen is shiny clean.

[DontSquishTheAnt]

Hmm. Have you been checking on them once a week or more? And have you seen any of the ants eat? It seems like a combination of the ants not eating, stress, and exhaustion because of those two. I had a similar situation with a Formica pallidefulva colony I once had. They all died due to the three things I described above (I also found a couple mites on some of the dead bodies afterward, but I don't think they were of much consequence).

[SillySil]

Hmm. Have you been checking on them once a week or more? And have you seen any of the ants eat? It seems like a combination of the ants not eating, stress, and exhaustion because of those two. I had a similar situation with a Formica pallidefulva colony I once had. They all died due to the three things I described above (I also found a couple mites on some of the dead bodies afterward, but I don't think they were of much consequence).

Yeah I am checking on them. Workers are fine and they have honey in their gasters. I haven't seen them feeding the queen lately but I wasn't looking for it either. So maybe she isn't eating in winter? And because I didn't hibernate them she's starved?

[JoeHostile1]

What do you mean “sometimes I drop a spider or fly in there”? Sounds like if you’re not feeding them regularly maybe that’s the problem? Their main source of food is protein from bugs. They can’t survive on honey alone with an occasional bug or two.

[SillySil]

What do you mean “sometimes I drop a spider or fly in there”? Sounds like if you’re not feeding them regularly maybe that’s the problem? Their main source of food is protein from bugs. They can’t survive on honey alone with an occasional bug or two.

There's like 10 ants in there. They aren't going to eat a cockroach a day. They always have some insect in the tube. I usually put new one in the arena before they throw away the old one. I said sometimes because if I give them a bigger one it takes them days.

[JoeHostile1]

Are you seeing the ants drink the honey? A lot of my ants don’t touch honey, but they all enjoy sugar water.

[SillySil]

Are you seeing the ants drink the honey? A lot of my ants don’t touch honey, but they all enjoy sugar water.

Oh yeah, they chug on that. I can see that some of the worker's gasters are full.

Can the queen be freaking out due to noise? There's renovation of staircase in the apartment building I live in, and they are drilling and stuff all day.