ANTSTORE World of Ants

[SteveUK28]

Hi again guys..
I said before about the queen i snatched in the summer from my garden..
Well yesterday i tried feeding her with a spidey but she has turned her nose up and dragged it to the other end of ther test tube for me to remove... Now she has hardly ate anything since i caught her and not really layed any eggs that i can see.. Im startin to worry about her.. Could it be that she is just going into hibernation or perhaps she was not mated??? Anyways im considerin letting her go.. What do you guys think i should do??

[miszt]

dont let her go, its to cold outside now for her to dig a safe nest

she is probly not mated if shes not laying eggs, happens sumtimes, my advice is leave her in a dark place, and only disturb her for a few seconds every couple of days, maybe she will perk up...but she may not

[JimmyVe]

Could be she is not mated, are maybe she eat her brood ? Did you ever see eggs in the tube ?

[SteveUK28]

she did have some shortly after i caught her..

[JimmyVe]

So she had eggs but not any more ? Than she probably eaten them. Could happen, you could try to feed here but that does not guaranty she will stop eating her eggs and also it still could be she is not fertilized.
(oh, yes you did try to feed her, with a spider, did you tried honey ?)

What species is she ? maybe it would be easier to catch a new one next summer.

[SteveUK28]

Lasius Niger.. tried honey too yes.. i've left a new spidey in with her an a drop of honey. And she is now wrapped up in the shed for hibernation il take a look again in a few days.. Hope she picks up.. after winter lol

[JimmyVe]

Well there is not much you can do now than wait until hibernation is over.