460 replies to this topic

[Lazarus]

While I assume that most here have already put their colony's into hibernation, some of mine have stubborn stragglers that still insist on strolling around in their outworld.

I've tried leaving a window open in my 'ant room' hoping the cold overnight temperatures would get them to re-enter their respective nests but when I check in the morning there are still outworld stragglers. I've removed all food/liquids from the outworlds more than a week ago.

 

Any other suggestions / methods I could try?

 

I'm really hoping to get them in the fridge this coming weekend.

[lmbfisherman]

Newbie ant farmer here.  Last weekend I think what I believe I caught were Lasius Clavager.  When I realized what they were and how hard they would be to found a colony, I decided to let them go.  I caught 12 of them.  We found (daughter and I) 2 that removed their wings and one removed their wings while in our snap cap bottles.  I did give two of them away to a colleague who also is in the hobby. 

 

While in the parking lot @ work I also found a winged queen walking around, it was midweek.  I was surprised to see ant nuptial flights happening this late.  (I decided to get into the hobby very late, like Mid September)  It was exciting to catch these queens.  FYI alates were everywhere around my home and park behind our home.  I for sure will be keeping an eye out next Spring.  Another colleague of mine gave me his extra Camponotus Noveboracensis.  She has eggs but none have reached the next stage.  So I'm afraid time has run out to get her first niantic.  From what I am reading I really want to catch a Crematogaster and/or a Lasius Neoniger colony.  I want to keep only a few colonies at first to see if this is something I want to do.  

Edited by lmbfisherman, October 28 2019 - 9:24 AM.

[Lazarus]

Newbie ant farmer here.  Last weekend I think what I believe I caught were Lasius Clavager.  When I realized what they were and how hard they would be to found a colony, I decided to let them go.  I caught 12 of them.  We found (daughter and I) 2 that removed their wings and one removed their wings while in our snap cap bottles.  I did give two of them away to a colleague who also is in the hobby. 

 

While in the parking lot @ work I also found a winged queen walking around, it was midweek.  I was surprised to see ant nuptial flights happening this late.  (I decided to get into the hobby very late, like Mid September)  It was exciting to catch these queens.  FYI alates were everywhere around my home and park behind our home.  I for sure will be keeping an eye out next Spring.  Another colleague of mine gave me his extra Camponotus Noveboracensis.  She has eggs but none have reached the next stage.  So I'm afraid time has run out to get her first niantic.  From what I am reading I really want to catch a Crematogaster and/or a Lasius Neoniger colony.  I want to keep only a few colonies at first to see if this is something I want to do.  

 

Welcome lmbfisherman.

 

Sorry to say, but any queens you may have found wandering in the last few weeks were likely ones that were exiled by their respective colonies and not fertile. It is a way in which the colony reduces wasting precious resources for a queen that will not be useful. Nuptial flights just don't occur this late in the year in Ontario. But good luck next year. In the mean time you have an entire winter to do some reading (here and other sites) to brush up on the hobby.

[rbarreto]

Newbie ant farmer here.  Last weekend I think what I believe I caught were Lasius Clavager.  When I realized what they were and how hard they would be to found a colony, I decided to let them go.  I caught 12 of them.  We found (daughter and I) 2 that removed their wings and one removed their wings while in our snap cap bottles.  I did give two of them away to a colleague who also is in the hobby. 
 
While in the parking lot @ work I also found a winged queen walking around, it was midweek.  I was surprised to see ant nuptial flights happening this late.  (I decided to get into the hobby very late, like Mid September)  It was exciting to catch these queens.  FYI alates were everywhere around my home and park behind our home.  I for sure will be keeping an eye out next Spring.  Another colleague of mine gave me his extra Camponotus Noveboracensis.  She has eggs but none have reached the next stage.  So I'm afraid time has run out to get her first niantic.  From what I am reading I really want to catch a Crematogaster and/or a Lasius Neoniger colony.  I want to keep only a few colonies at first to see if this is something I want to do.

 
Welcome lmbfisherman.
 
Sorry to say, but any queens you may have found wandering in the last few weeks were likely ones that were exiled by their respective colonies and not fertile. It is a way in which the colony reduces wasting precious resources for a queen that will not be useful. Nuptial flights just don't occur this late in the year in Ontario. But good luck next year. In the mean time you have an entire winter to do some reading (here and other sites) to brush up on the hobby.

Lasius claviger definitely fly around this time.

[lmbfisherman]

 

Newbie ant farmer here.  Last weekend I think what I believe I caught were Lasius Clavager.  When I realized what they were and how hard they would be to found a colony, I decided to let them go.  I caught 12 of them.  We found (daughter and I) 2 that removed their wings and one removed their wings while in our snap cap bottles.  I did give two of them away to a colleague who also is in the hobby. 

 

While in the parking lot @ work I also found a winged queen walking around, it was midweek.  I was surprised to see ant nuptial flights happening this late.  (I decided to get into the hobby very late, like Mid September)  It was exciting to catch these queens.  FYI alates were everywhere around my home and park behind our home.  I for sure will be keeping an eye out next Spring.  Another colleague of mine gave me his extra Camponotus Noveboracensis.  She has eggs but none have reached the next stage.  So I'm afraid time has run out to get her first niantic.  From what I am reading I really want to catch a Crematogaster and/or a Lasius Neoniger colony.  I want to keep only a few colonies at first to see if this is something I want to do.  

 

Welcome lmbfisherman.

 

Sorry to say, but any queens you may have found wandering in the last few weeks were likely ones that were exiled by their respective colonies and not fertile. It is a way in which the colony reduces wasting precious resources for a queen that will not be useful. Nuptial flights just don't occur this late in the year in Ontario. But good luck next year. In the mean time you have an entire winter to do some reading (here and other sites) to brush up on the hobby.

 

I didn't think any species did it this late too but definitely were Lasius Claviger nuptial flight (colleague who I gave the Queens them too seems to think so as well).  It was the last "warm weekend" we had in Ontario after a rain event from the previous day.  Too bad I wasn't prepared (didn't have my camera or phone with me) we also got to see the ants mating.  Daughter and I thought at first the smaller ant  (until we saw wings on it) was attacking the princess as we saw other ants attacking and killing alates in other areas.  Three of them for sure we knew were fertile literally two of the ones we found were on bbq cover with removed wings on the cover.  1 of the 2 we visually confirmed they were mating removed their wings in the snap cap bottle.  It was good practice for next year at the very least! 

Edited by lmbfisherman, October 30 2019 - 8:35 AM.

[Lazarus]

I didn't think any species did it this late too but definitely were Lasius Claviger nuptial flight (colleague who I gave the Queens them too seems to think so as well).  It was the last "warm weekend" we had in Ontario after a rain event from the previous day.

 

You're right, they do fly this late. Apparently they have late nuptial flights but then wait until spring to lay their eggs. Too bad you did not keep any.

[Canadian anter]

I have seen Lasius claviger into November

[Lazarus]

Finally got the last of my colonies into the fridge last weekend. I placed the largest ones (where most of the colony had migrated to their nests but a few stragglers were still in the outworld) in my garage. The overnight temperature drops did have some of the ants move into the nests, but still a few remained in the outworlds. So the next morning while still cold (when even most of those ants were barely moving) I was able to detach the connecting tubes and simply drop the few remaining ants into the tube sections still connected to the nests.

 

The mini-Fridge I got just for this use ($30-$35 on Kijiji) is already completely full so I'm already worried about next year.

 

In the mean time I have almost completed a small aquarium / terrarium bulld that I hope to move at least on colony into next year. The few weed/plants/moss I placed in them have not done as well as I hoped but it is not in an ideal location now and I hope it rebounds when I get it to a sunnier spot in the house. I've almost finished building a layered mesh plexiglass top that will allow me to both house the ants more securely and provide me a relatively easy access to feed them. If I do successfully move a colony in there next year (one of my 3rd year C. Novae's), I will have no idea on how to hibernate them when the time comes.

[rbarreto]

Got a cold basement or garage?

[Lazarus]

Got a cold basement or garage?

Garage gets too cold at times during the winter when we get into those deep freezes from time to time.

 

Basement is too warm even in the coldest corners. I finished off half of my basement years ago, but the other unfinished half is where my heating system is located so just the excess from the ducts coming off it are enough warm that entire half of the basement. Ideally I would have a to "cold room" isolated from the rest of the unfinished side of the basement. A section that has at least one wall that is exposed to the foundation (to get some cold off it) and then with a door and good thermal insulation on the other walls.

 

I actually do have a section in my basement that has potential to become such a cold room which may even become an 'ant room' in the summer. But it's a lot work for that conversion, and until I do it I would not know if it would get cold enough in the winter until I tried.

 

If I was in Montreal I would just use my dad's "Vino" cantina.

Edited by Lazarus, November 6 2019 - 1:21 PM.

[Lazarus]

Just a quick note to see what other Ontario Anters are up to as our ants hibernate.

 

Did a quick checkup/rehydration of the setups in my fridge this week and all looks good so far.

 

I have an aquarium setup as a vivarium at the moment for which I finished of building a plexiglass roof with a removable insert that has a large 100 micron mesh. (I guess I should upload a photo). I hope to put in one of my Camponotus colonies in there this spring although I have no idea of how I'm going to handle hibernation with that next winter. Will have to do some soil rescaping to make sure they have a good spot to dig. I'd like to include another 'small' plant in there.

 

Picked up some K23 blocks just today to try carving out some formicarium designs in the coming weeks.

 

I also picked up another large multi-chamber acrylic bead box that I will use to make another nest with (along with some improvement designs from the one I made last year).  Will be picking up some PVA sponges for that one.

 

Hope all is good with everyone else.

[TennesseeAnts]

Hehe. Ants still flying here.

[Nare]

Just a quick note to see what other Ontario Anters are up to as our ants hibernate.

 

Haven't put my Pogonomyrmex in (yet?), might just not hibernate them this year. Would like to figure out fi they need hibernation seeing as they presumably don't hibernate in the southern part of their range.

 

Otherwise it's just been termite stuff (no hibernation required).

[rbarreto]

Yea my Pogonomyrmex are my only colony not in hibernation, really going to focus more on parasitic Formica this summer.

[ANTdrew]

Just a quick note to see what other Ontario Anters are up to as our ants hibernate.

Did a quick checkup/rehydration of the setups in my fridge this week and all looks good so far.

I have an aquarium setup as a vivarium at the moment for which I finished of building a plexiglass roof with a removable insert that has a large 100 micron mesh. (I guess I should upload a photo). I hope to put in one of my Camponotus colonies in there this spring although I have no idea of how I'm going to handle hibernation with that next winter. Will have to do some soil rescaping to make sure they have a good spot to dig. I'd like to include another 'small' plant in there.

Picked up some K23 blocks just today to try carving out some formicarium designs in the coming weeks.

I also picked up another large multi-chamber acrylic bead box that I will use to make another nest with (along with some improvement designs from the one I made last year). Will be picking up some PVA sponges for that one.

Hope all is good with everyone else.

Glad to hear from all of you guys again. Please post pictures of your creations, Lazarus. You’re right, though, the large size of terrariums make hibernation a challenge. What’s working for me is an unheated basement in my parent’s house (my mom loves the arrangement, believe me).
Just make sure your ants can’t pile up enough excavated soil to climb right out of their tank. I learned this lesson the hard way with my dear Tetramorium mega-colony.

[Lazarus]

Ok here are some pics I just took. Plexiglass mesh lid I made for an aquarium setup I will populate next season and the fully loaded mini-fridge with my currently hibernating ants,

 

 

[ANTdrew]

Nice looking lid. Can you describe how you made it?

[Canadian anter]

I like putting my ants on a cycle, so I actually already have a ton of ants out Already

[RushmoreAnts]

I like putting my ants on a cycle

What sort of a cycle?

[Canadian anter]

Hibernating a portion of my ants, then switching them out, then switching again, etc