Pet Ants and the Weather
I wonder if others have noticed changes in the behaviour of their ants with changes in the weather? There are the obvious things like diapause changes but I'm talking about changes a little more subtle than that. I keep my ants in a workshop that is attached to the house. It has a wall of windows on the sunny south side, but there's ample shade, so the workshop never gets that warm. My ants sort of live in outdoor conditions with a moderation in temperature provided by the building. What I mean is that they can feel the rhythm and cycle and conditions of the day and seasons more so than ants that are kept in constant conditions indoors.
I've noticed that on rainy days my colonies slow right down and foraging is at a minimum. Temperatures are usually cooler and there is less light from the windows which can account for some of the slow down, I wonder if colonies kept in constant conditions react the same. We've had an exceptionally large number of rainy days so I may be aware of this more than in a usual dry year.
Another behaviour I've noticed is that ants will move brood, usually cocoons or pupae to an area that is warmed by the sun. Colonies kept in the window may be in direct sunlight for as much as an hour at a time. All the chambers are constructed of grout and vermiculite, some have rocks imbedded in the grout as well. They're heavy and absorb a lot of heat, so being in the sun isn't an instant death sentence. I use newspaper shields to protect some chambers from direct sun, like queen and larvae chambers, but leave some areas in direct sunshine and they warm nicely on a sunny afternoon. Many of my colonies will move their pupae to these warm areas during the day and return them to the nest at night. Something extra to watch as well as their usual activity. Today was cool and cloudy and my ants slowed right down in their foraging activity, so they're having a fasting day which gave me some time to write this entry.
Has anyone else noticed changes in behaviour triggered by outside influences, even when they're kept in constant conditions?
RPT
