ANTSTORE World of Ants

[badman]

I can understand moving eggs and larvae into the warmth as it speeds up their development.
Assuming the workers are not too cold in the nest, why do they like to move outside into the sun or under a heat lamp when they have nothing to do?

[donbilbo]

Well, if youre talking about exotic ants then maybe we do not know their natural habitat well enough. If your nest is 26° celsius then you may think it is warm but maybe they would build their nest in a place where it has 35° so they may try to heat up in the sun and then go back into their nest. Or they just like to sunbathe..

[badman]

no I'm talking about European ants. In my experience workers will come out of the nest and just sit in warm spots for long periods of time not doing anything.

[SteveUK28]

Perhaps they do just like to sunbathe lol.. Ive not seen my ants do that.. yet

[Phasmid]

I remember my C.ligniperda doing this when I used a lamp. I know Formica rufa and other red wood ant sp. do this so that, when they go back inside the nest, the heat they trapped on their bodies dissipates and warms the nest. This way they can get heat deep into the whole nest, rather than the warm bits only being near the surface.

This is what they are doing when you see them swarming all over their tall mounds.

[JimmyVe]

In deed, they do this to warm up the nest inside. We all now brood develops faster when its in a good temperature, so they workers, rather than bring the brood to the heat sourch, they bring the heat to the brood.