8 replies to this topic

[evanmancini2011]

All of my species of ants are hibernating and I was wondering what do ant keepers do to keep them busy during this time that's ant related?

 

Thank you for your time!

 

Evan Mancini

[Demoant]

i just keep on anting really. The activity kinda evolved into hiking in general but i still bring along catch cups and my aspirator.
Also worth mentioning my ants are still a bit active as the subtropical winter isn't the coldest so i still have to feed them

[Ernteameise]

Caring for my one tropical species (Acanthomyrmex), checking up on the other colonies at least once a week (mainly if they are still hydrated and have drinking water).

Otherwise, read some scientific ant books, prepare my ant lectures for the German vet conference and play some ant games (Empire of the Ants, Empires of the Undergrowth).

[AntsGodzilla]

All of my species of ants are hibernating and I was wondering what do ant keepers do to keep them busy during this time that's ant related?

 

Thank you for your time!

 

Evan Mancini

I usually build formicariums and prepare for the coming season of growth, and Pogonomyrmex don't have diapause.

Edited by AntsGodzilla, January 14 2025 - 11:23 AM.

[OhNoNotAgain]

I'm trying to finish the fourth book in _The Famous Flying Ant of Arcadia_ series.

You can see a few of the fun science links I dredged up in the process (see my post in the General section ... I mean ants diving for dinner in Nepenthes pitchers, cool stuff).

 

Also yesterday I checked all the water and sugar water for my garage ants, and tried feeding the Prenolepis some protein.

Gave most of the harvester ants some seeds for the heck of it.

Really need to refill some sugar water for some indoor ants.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, January 13 2025 - 12:55 PM.

[MyrmecologyMaven]

Personally I either prepare supplies and formicariums for the next growing season or read books. At the moment I really love "The guests of ants". If you haven't read it you have to! It's very interesting.

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

I keep pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Many if not most Pogonomyrmex do not keep to a scheduled diapause, but use it to get through hard times if needed.
Otherwise their environments are often samey year round, and they just take a pause if life gets harsh enough(weather/food/water) to try and wait out the hard times. So as long as the sun shines they make hay.
Year round ants here.

 

The queen will take an egg laying break every so often, but the colony itself never seems to slow down.

Edited by Full_Frontal_Yeti, January 14 2025 - 8:37 AM.

[CheetoLord02]

Travel. Spend over 100 hours making a guide on how to keep fungus growing ants. Both? Yeah, both this winter.

[rptraut]

Hello evanmancini2011;

 

Winter where I live in Canada can go on for what seems like forever, I've seen years when it's snowed in November, and it finally went away in April.    While my ants are in their winter storage, my root cellar, I try to check on them at least once a month to make sure they're hydrated and okay.    Yesterday the root cellar was at 5.5 C (42 F) at 74% humidity and all my colonies are fine.   It's also a time when I evaluate each colony and try to anticipate their housing needs for the coming season.    I have lots of time to make formicaria that will hopefully be required as my colonies grow next season.   

 

This is the first winter that I've kept a Tetramorium colony out of diapause and under my plant lights.   I've thoroughly enjoyed this colony, and they've helped fill that void I usually experience when I have no ants to care for.    They've been an absolute joy to look after and tending only one colony has allowed me to concentrate on their husbandry.

 

This winter has been particularly bad for snow.   In one storm, we received almost one meter of snow (36 inches) which basically shut everything down.   Luckily, we were away in a warmer, more tropical location in Dominican Rebublic.   We came home to a white disaster.   We usually hope spring will have arrived by the time we return from our tropical escape.   Not this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A winter getaway to a warm destination makes the rest of winter tolerable and brings us that much closer to spring, whenever that might be.

RPT