Hello all. I have a Lasius niger queen with about 30/40 workers and some new offspring (eggs, larvae, etc..). They are 1 year old now living in a traditional 60x30x1cm formicary with sand/loam mix. Im in the process of inducing spring to the nest being march and that i have hibernated them for 3 months now. A 60 watt light bulb shines down on the thin formicary, but i have noticed that the glass at the bottom is still fairly cold. Ive recently moved for the first time and my new flat can get very cold of a night also. I’m wondering if the ants still think its winter? It can get very hot above the nest, some condensation used to build up on the inside, but now i have attached a low watt air pump for aquariums with a valve, this stops humid air from steaming the inside. My point is that still they are very in-active even though it’s fairly warm above. Shouldn't they be basking in the light or foraging for food? A heating mat just upset my queen, should it be warmer underground? Ants have however had some sugar water and some celler spiders to eat recently, they all look well fed. Just very lazy perhaps? ^^ Or too cold underground because it’s so thin between glass.
Thank you for reading all ^^