3 replies to this topic

[rptraut]

Overcaring - Overdoing a Good Thing 

 

As spring approaches and ant keepers prepare for another season, I'd like to discuss the possibility of overcaring, or overdoing the normal operations required to keep a colony healthy and thriving.   I've lost plants before from overcaring.   A favouite African Violet would come into bloom and I'd fuss over it, moving it to a sunny window, diligently watering it, overcaring for it to a point where it would decline from root rot and sunburn.   My attempts to help the plant were actually killing it.   Leaving it alone and following its normal routine would have been a better thing to do.   

 

Most ants, especially founding queens and young colonies, are known to benefit from as little disturbance as possible.   Overcaring can lead to situations like overwatering, overfeeding, overheating, overhandling, colony disturbance and stress.    Also, any time a colony is handled, the risk of an accident increases.   Fingers slip, lids come loose, covers slide off, queens get squished, ants escape, and other such mishaps can occur.   Planning ahead can help reduce these possibilities.   Combining operations and completing as many tasks as possible in one session can help reduce colony stress.   First thing in the morning, my colonies are mostly still in the nest; I can carry out tasks like feeding and cleaning with minimal ant disturbance.  Plan for the unexpected.   Keep an aspirator close for accidental ant escapes and work slowly and purposefully.   Be careful.

 

It's hard to resist the temptation to overcare for a young colony, especially when you see those first nanitics and you want them to succeed so badly.   Just remember, leaving them alone and following their normal routine is often the best thing to do. 

RPT

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Somethinghmm]

I think the stress from checking on queens and small colonies is blown a bit out of proportion. It's fine to check on your queens daily as long as the queen isn't visibly panicking, you aren't shaking the tube, and you aren't shining a very bright light at them. Even then, it's really, really difficult to get queens to eat their brood from stress.

[Stubyvast]

I think the stress from checking on queens and small colonies is blown a bit out of proportion. It's fine to check on your queens daily as long as the queen isn't visibly panicking, you aren't shaking the tube, and you aren't shining a very bright light at them. Even then, it's really, really difficult to get queens to eat their brood from stress.

yeah actually that's definitely true. I feel like most queens will not eat their brood unless under extreme duress. My first year ant-keeping I kept them in a blazing shed in the summer heat, they almost died but there was no egg-eating happening (still don't put ant queens in a blazing-hot shed). 

Although one thing I do notice is that (my ants at least) hate vibrations with a passion. My Lasius niger will go absolutely nuts if I bump the table they're on or nudge their sugar-water while they're drinking.  My queens will stiffen up or run around their test-tube lugging eggs around. But yes as to rptraut definitely don't overcare for them, it's always good to have a set way of doing things such as feeding times and schedules, to keep both the ants undisturbed as much as possible and the antkeeper set in a routine. 

[rptraut]

Hello Everyone;

Thanks to Somethinghmm and Stubyvast for your comments. I've found there can be quite a difference between species, and within a species there can also be a lot of variation as to how much disturbance is tolerated before it becomes stressful to an individual queen or colony.

Queens and colonies can get used to something like light, just like we can get used to noise. My mother, who lives in the city, can’t sleep at our place in the country because it’s too quiet. So, she brings a noise machine. I can ‘t sleep in the noisy city; I wear ear plugs. We get used to what’s normal for us.

I've had observation colonies in the past that I view every day and they get used to it. These are usually colonies that are relaxed about light and disturbance. I can get a pretty good idea from these colonies how the others are doing, so I leave them alone. Even in these observation colonies, I often see the queen sneaking off to a quiet corner to hide.
RPT

Edited by rptraut, March 10 2025 - 10:09 PM.