286 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

In our region, the only ants I’d really worry about invading a garage would be Tapinoma sessile. You could keep them out of any setups by putting fluon on the outside of the setup. I would also aggressively deal with any ants invading your garage. Use Terro ant gel to kill any colonies coming in your garage. I don’t think invading ants should really be an issue you deal with.

[azzaaazzzz00]

Ok thanks, I'll put a little ant barrier (I can't find a place that sells fluon for a cheap price) on the outside just in case.

[ANTdrew]

Fluon is costly, but totally worth it. A bottle can last a long time as only a little bit is needed per colony. Baby powder and alcohol would be the only alternative I’d even consider.

[azzaaazzzz00]

Where do you get your fluon, I can't find anywhere to get it

[ANTdrew]

I order it from byFormica on Amazon. THA also sells some.

[azzaaazzzz00]

ok I'll get the THA one.

[azzaaazzzz00]

It's getting like unbelievably cold here today was in the 20s, should I be worried about the queens in the garage? There is no heating so that might be a problem...

[azzaaazzzz00]

Yes the winter ant queens (Prenolepis Imparis). I dout there's much of a diffrence because there's no heating and the wall doesn't keep in heat very well. I put them in a box with a few towles to protect them from vibrations and harsh weather. The thing I'm most afraid about is that if the water freezes it might break the test tube or mess up the hydration system for the queen (maybe flooding the test tube and drowning the her). I still don't know if that would help or not. I'm going to check on them sometime this week to make sure they're all still alive.

Edited by azzaaazzzz00, March 28 2022 - 4:39 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Sneak them in for tonight. Not worth risking it.

[azzaaazzzz00]

My moms home right now and my door is loud as sh*t. Plus I'm not really dressed for a 20 degree trip to the garage. I'm going to sleep now so I won't have time.

Edited by azzaaazzzz00, March 28 2022 - 5:00 PM.

[azzaaazzzz00]

Bad news, I checked and seems most if not all the queen are motionless besides the occasional swat of the antenna. I think they're basicly past the point of which I could save them (but maybe they 'll just go back to normal after it warms up). I hope to get smething to heat the queens I get in the future.

[ANTdrew]

If antennae move, they’re probably ok.

[NicholasP]

I doubt they're dead. Sometimes Prenolepis will not move their body at all in the cold but once it warms up they'll start moving around a little.

[azzaaazzzz00]

Well I thought it was pretty wierd that they were in a normal position (cleaning themselves or just standing) but frozen.

[azzaaazzzz00]

according to Canada Ant Colony, most colonies fail after year 1. Is this true?

[Kaelwizard]

according to Canada Ant Colony, most colonies fail after year 1. Is this true?

I think so. You never really see long lasting Prenolepis journals on here.

[ColAnt735]

I have a colony of Prenolepis imparis that is turning two years old this May and another one that's turning one years old in April so in my experience in captivity is that most P.imparis colonies do last over a year. Although this is my experience others experiences may be different.

[azzaaazzzz00]

I'm getting more test tubes today, I want to get two sizes: 16x150mm for smaller queens, and originally 20x150 for larger queens. I figured 20x150 would be way to big, so what size test tube should I get?

Edited by azzaaazzzz00, April 1 2022 - 2:17 PM.

[ANTdrew]

You’ll be fine with the 16mm ones for any queens in our area.