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
