7 replies to this topic

[Izzy]

Sorry, long post and I know there are a million posts and guides on diapause. I've read a lot of them. This is my first time putting my ants into diapause so I'm feeling a bit anxious about doing it right and wanted some advice from more seasoned members.

I live in Utah. It seems the general consensus is to put them into diapause in November. I'm leaving the country on the 2nd until the 17th. I was hoping to be putting them into diapause soon so I don't have to worry about finding someone to feed them while I'm gone, but maybe I should and just do it when I get back and it has cooled down a bit?

I've been keeping them in a south facing room that gets up to 85 degrees if the door is kept shut with the sun blasting it, and it gets down to low 60's in the morning. I've noticed in the morning a lot of them seem to have slowed down at that temperature, but by the time it warms again in the afternoon they're all going wild again.

 

I was planning to keep them in my garage (I don't have a basement, only a garage in the basement) but I've noticed its holding heat better at night and in the morning than the upstairs room. The temperature was 75ish outside yesterday, the garage got to 75 and its currently still 70 this morning despite it being 49 outside. The room I keep them in is actually colder this morning at 66.

 

I'm trying to figure out what my plan should be to hopefully get them into diapause before I leave on the 2nd if that's a viable option. Where should I keep them? Should I just get a mini fridge to make it all easier? Should I feed them a bunch and then put them in the garage and hope I come home to them in diapause?

 

I reckoned I needed to start figuring it out soon and finding a way to adjust them to the cold since the clock is ticking on my departure.

List of species I'm keeping:

Camponotus modoc

Camponotus sansabeanus

Camponotus vicinus

Crematogaster emeryana

Dorymyrmex (either bicolor or insanus)

Formica

Monomorium minimum

Lasius flavus

Pheidole ceres

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis (planning to keep these guys on the heating mat all winter since that seems to be the best move from what I've read in multiple sources)

Tetramorium immigrans (will diapause some but not others because I have way too many and I might as well keep some going)

 

Any help/advice would be appreciated. I'm totally not opposed to buying a mini fridge if it makes my life easier. Would that be as simple as just putting the fridge to a higher setting and putting them in or would they need to build up some cold resistance before going into the fridge?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

[ANTdrew]

A mini-fridge would allow you to start diapause sooner and to keep more consistent temperatures. Your garage probably will be cool enough soon, but it might actually get too cold at points depending on your local climate. You could consider keeping the colonies outside now in some sort of box to start slowly cooling them down.

[rptraut]

Hello Izzy;

 

The situation you describe has several options you could consider for your colonies.  With daytime temperatures of 85 degrees, the room where they are presently kept is too warm to gradually cool them down for diapause.  You could improve on this by blocking out the sun, (drapes closed during the day), shutting off all sources of heat i.e. shut off furnace vents to the room or turn off baseboard heaters and open windows, especially at night to cool the room.  If the room is being used, for example as a bedroom, this may not be acceptable.  Putting them outside is another option, but with daytime temperatures of 75, they probably won't cool down enough to go into diapause before you leave.  To be honest, with outside temperatures like you're reporting, it seems that it might be too warm to expect any ants to be slowing down for diapause.  Artificially cooling yours down to enter diapause now before you go away, may be difficult.  My ants slow down considerably at a temperature of about 50 - 55 degrees.   So, if you can get them down to that temperature, whether in their present room, basement/garage or refrigerator, you should be able to go away for two weeks, as long as you've left them with enough water and sugar/water.  My ants don't take much protein as the temperatures cool, yours probably won't either. 

 

I'm assuming that by "basement garage" you mean a car garage that's partly below ground level.  If it's unheated but doesn't freeze, it's the perfect place to keep your ants for the winter.  This scenario is very much like what ants experience in the outdoors.  Three or four feet below the surface, the soil moderates the fluctuations in temperature as you have observed, it will be warmer than the temperatures outside at night and cooler than the outside during the day.   You will find that the temperatures in the basement/garage will gradually cool as fall progresses into winter and should stabilize somewhere above freezing.   If you expect that this is the case, I'd move my ants there now and continue tending them as they gradually cool down and keep them there for the winter.   However, if there's a garage door that's opened regularly or if there are air leaks or the door isn't insulated, it may get too cold (below freezing) for safe winter housing of your ants.  Monitor the temperature closely. 

 

If the highest temperature setting of your refrigerator is 50 - 55 degrees or higher, that would be perfect to start them in diapause.  Cooling them by gradually turning down the temperature over a period of time, is best.  You may need something a little bigger than a bar fridge, judging by the number of colonies you've listed.  You still might need someone to come and look after your Tetramorium and Pogonomyrmex colonies, if they're going to be kept warm while you're away, and they could check on your other colonies as well.  

 

One last word of advice.  If you're using something like Fluon, talcum powder, Vaseline, oil etc to contain your ants, give it a refresh before you put your ants into their winter storage.  Some of my ants are still active during diapause, albeit very slow.  They still test barriers, and they have all winter to plan and execute an escape.   

RPT

Edited by rptraut, October 21 2023 - 11:50 PM.

[Izzy]

Thanks for the responses! I ordered a mini fridge but the highest setting is 45-50 so I'll probably keep them in that. Its gotten significantly colder and I've managed to get one of the closets down to 58-65 degrees depending on the time of day and I've been keeping them in there but its only been for about 3-4 days. I plan to move them into my mini fridge tonight and tomorrow since I leave Thursday. I'm not sure all of them have had enough time below 65, but at this point I think I'll just have to put them in at 45-50 and hope for the best. I'm assuming they'll be since that's still a bit above freezing, and I can monitor them a bit more when I get back and make sure that situation is working.

 

Again, thanks for answering and especially so thoroughly. Makes me feel a lot better.

 

Maybe I'll update this thread with what happened in case its helpful to anyone in the future.

[raydr]

Does Utah have an official winter? Like a winter winter with snow. But yeah anyways best of luck!

[ANTdrew]

Does Utah have an official winter? Like a winter winter with snow. But yeah anyways best of luck!

Of course. They hosted the Winter Olympics a few years back.

[Izzy]

Well they all appear to be doing fine after the trip. It looks like everyone is alive and well!

 

I figured this was probably the case, but it seems like they're a lot hardier than I was giving them credit for. 

 

Thanks again for all the help.

[ANTdrew]

Well they all appear to be doing fine after the trip. It looks like everyone is alive and well!

I figured this was probably the case, but it seems like they're a lot hardier than I was giving them credit for.

Thanks again for all the help.

Indeed. Ants literally dominate every terrestrial habitat for a reason.