8 replies to this topic

[Lillyrose]

Hello,

I live in Virginia. It can get pretty cold here. I found some acorn ants and I put them in the fridge with the other colony. The others are pavement ants.

The fridge is 48 to 50 degrees f and the pavement ants look dead (sleeping) but the acorn ants are running around still.

I tried putting them in a towel in the shed .. but the water in the tube started to freeze last night.

I put them back in the regular fridge and I hope they didn't get hurt ... but what do I do? If I make it colder the other ants might not survive ... Wil they be okay in this semi sleep rather than like ... deep sleep?

[Manitobant]

It usually takes a bit of time for ants to go into hibernation. Temnothorax usually clump together when they are sleeping, though I don’t recommend checking on your ants in hibernation often.

[Lillyrose]

It usually takes a bit of time for ants to go into hibernation. Temnothorax usually clump together when they are sleeping, though I don’t recommend checking on your ants in hibernation often.

They've been in the fridge since December 15 or so .. and they were outside before that ... they really should be sleeping.

Maybe when I was checking the water I took them put long enough to warm and wake, since 48 isn't *that* cold for them.

[ANTdrew]

Don’t sweat it. You don’t need to put them in a coma. It just needs to be cool enough to stop the queen from laying brood, so she can rest. The temps you have are fine. Temnothorax can probably withstand very cold temps, but you know how our weather can spike up to 70 at any day here in VA.

[Lillyrose]

Okay, yea she isn't laying eggs and even though they're moving it's slow...

I put them away without messing with them so I hope I didn't do anything to hurt them by putting them out last night.

I'm in that worried so I keep making it worse stage lol

[Manitobant]

What you are describing is how temnothorax normally hibernate. Now just leave them be for a few months.

[Scherme]

Okay, yea she isn't laying eggs and even though they're moving it's slow...

I put them away without messing with them so I hope I didn't do anything to hurt them by putting them out last night.

I'm in that worried so I keep making it worse stage lol

"that worried so I keep making it worse stage" 

I know this stage very well. It will go away. 

 

[ANTdrew]

I do, too. It will pass. Just keep in mind that there is a reason ants are the most successful and dominant of life forms on the planet. They are not some faerie beings you are going to harm by breathing wrong. Just research and use common sense.

[Ants_Dakota]

if you really want them to hibernate, turn the temp down a little. but as ANTdrew said, don't worry about it, your ants will not die if they do not hibernate.