Hello! I have been keeping ants for a couple years but I am definitely still learning a lot. Last year, I was living in an apartment and had access to a programmable wine fridge so I was able to go through brumation perfectly and with no losses. This year, I am living in an RV with fluctuating temperatures, have more queens that I haven't been able to confirm the ID of, and I have been stressing about how I would be able to go through brumation this year- so I have put it off for way too long.
I am in Massachusetts, the weather has been inconsistent and I don't think my colonies would be safe if I put them outside here.
It is usually around 68-73F in the main part of my RV, I have propane heat which switches to electric if it runs out. I have completely lost power once so far, and had to scramble to clean out water from the nest tubes of most of my colonies when the heat came back on, due to the rapid temperature fluctuation. No queen losses somehow, but it was still a horrible mess and I have done everything I can to prevent it from happening again, including having an alarm which will alert me if the temperature drops below a set point. I need to keep the main part of the RV warm for my other pets, but was considering moving all my colonies other than my T. Immigrans into a bedroom drawer which currently is staying around 52F, keeping them there for about a week, and then moving them into a drawer in my fridge which is around 42F. Would that be enough of a gradual decrease or would I still risk shocking them?
Currently I have 3 Tetramorium Immigrans colonies that are doing well and have never gone through brumation, I am not worried about them in this situation thankfully.
I have one main Camponotus Pennsylvanicus colony that was doing well, then got knocked off a counter by one of my cats. Saved the queen and most workers, but since then I haven't been able to get them to leave their tube. It is a 20mm tube that has about an inch of water left in it, and the rest is a horribly nasty black mess and there is a section of 10mm tubing stuck in the middle of it all. The workers have stuffed both ends of the dislodged tube with trash, and have barricaded themselves in the tube with the queen. If I dislodge the crud at the opening of the tube, they put it back right away, even if there is food in the outworld. I have offered multiple fresh tubes as well as a reasonably small nest and they still have no interest in leaving- I am thinking they are determined to go into brumation and I don't know if I should dump them into the outworld with a clean tube attached and hope for the best, or let them keep their nasty tube and just plug it properly before putting them through. This colony is kept in a different location than the others, is close to the same temperature but since they keep plugging the opening, I have no idea how they have managed to make a small pile of brood? Thoughts?
The other ants I have that would be going through brumation as well, include:
2 Lasius Neoniger colonies with approximately 20-ish workers each, went through brumation last year.
1 Lasius Brevicornis queen with approximately 5 workers- They have not been doing very well... Went through brumation last year with 2 queens, one ended up having a parasitic fly in her and died unfortunately.
10 Camponotus Pennsylvanicus queens / colonies with between 1 and 10 workers each, most have brood and all have been actively taking food, all are kept in the same place and are much more active than my main colony. Caught this year.
3 (Unconfirmed) Aphaenogaster Fulva queens with eggs, Caught September 2024. (Originally thought A. Rudis)
2 (Unconfirmed) Lasius Americanus queens - no brood, Caught September 2024. (Originally thought Formica sp.)
TL;DR: Haven't started brumation, can't put them outside. The coldest places I have are a drawer that is currently about 52F, and a fridge drawer that is about 42F. I don't know if moving them to the drawer for a week and then the fridge would be enough time to get them used to it, and am nervous about putting my unconfirmed species through brumation as well. Unsure if I should dump my main C. pennsylvanicus colony after an accident ruined their nest tube, but they keep barricading themselves in, refusing to forage and won't move to a new tube. My younger C. pennsylvanicus colonies from this year are still active and foraging.
Edited by Doomchibi, December 3 2024 - 9:44 PM.
