Ant Hibernation and forming new colonies

[sbeone]

Is there some reason over winter that you can't start a new ant Colony? Or does it depend on the species of ant you choose to keep? Or is it the case that the Queen will choose not to lay any brood over the winter months? Any help would be appreciated, struggling to find a book with info on this.

[Wood~Ant]

As ants from colder climates go into a period of dormancy over the next 4 or 5 months, most ants which shut down for this time will not produce brood, even if the species keeps larvae over the winter. Ants from tropical countries will continue all year with brood, as their queens lay eggs for much longer time periods.

I would never try to force a native British ant to carry on during the winter, even though they tend to be more active kept indoors than the same species in the wild. I know some who would say it is safe to let a young queen and her colony to remain active during their first winter, but they should still be allowed a period of rest for the queen to live longer and remain healthy during her lifetime. 

[sbeone]

Oct 10, 2013 10:09:12 GMT Wood~Ant said:

As ants from colder climates go into a period of dormancy over the next 4 or 5 months, most ants which shut down for this time will not produce brood, even if the species keeps larvae over the winter. Ants from tropical countries will continue all year with brood, as their queens lay eggs for much longer time operiods.

I would never try to force a native British ant to carry on during the winter, even though they tend to be more active kept indoors than the same species in the wild. I know some who would say it is safe to let a young queen and her colony to remain active during their first winter, but they should still be allowed a period of rest for the queen to live longer and remain healthy during her lifetime. 

Ok, thanks. While they are hibernating do you feed them less over winter?