ANTSTORE World of Ants

[badman]

I got a Tetramorium caespitum queen last year and before hibernation she had about a dozen workers and some eggs etc. After hibernation I checked on the colony and everything seemed fine. They are living in a small glass tank with some loam, they have chosen a lump of loam which has gone very hard, almost like a stone, and dug into it. I have never seen these ants out foraging, I have only seen them when I lifted the stone to check they were still alive. I have never seen any evidence that they are taking food, but with the amount of ants in the colony - they must be. So I usually just check their food and water and leave them be.

Today I put half a grasshopper and half a pea in the tank, then waited 20 mins and went back to check - the queen was out foraging. I'm pretty sure it was the queen, the workers are very small and they don't have majors right?
Anyway, I see no reason for her to be out, there havent been any dead workers dumped outside of the nest, I checked the stone they live in and I don't see anything under there anymore, no eggs, brood or workers. just the queen out by herself wandering around. Did she eat her whole colony?

[badman]

Mystery solved. unfortunately the ants had moved into a tiny crack in the hard loam on the bottom of the tank. I just moved a piece of wood and found a lot of dead ants. It was very dry there, so I think this is why they died. Damn!

WHat do I do with the poor queen now? Leave her to die slowly or put her out of her misery?

[SteveUK28]

if it was me id put her back in a test tube.. offer her a small fly and keep her somwhere dark.. n hope she can start again.

[badman]

I kept the basin very moist and just left her, she buried under the loam and I checked her periodically offering dry food, and this week, there is a tiny worker whizzing around. These ants are really tiny and fast. Anyway, seems like sometimes queens can recover when all their workers die