Infertile or just that time of year

[broncos503]

Hello all, 

I have several(5) queen ants in test tube set ups in my room and non of which have laid eggs. I caught most of then around mid august and one in the early summer. I was wondering since winter has onset is it regular for queens to not lay before the first winter and stay dormant over the winter or are the queens I have possibly not mated. Another possibility is that I have no idea what I'm doing and I have males haha

Thanks for your time

[Joona]

Yes it is quite normal for them to not lay untill after there hibernation. I have three Lasius flavus that have not laid any eggs at all but two that were caught the same time have. Although I have no idea why they choose to wait (maybe wood will know) its quite normal : )

[Wood~Ant]

If they are all young queens I would have expected a few of them to have laid eggs back in August, and by now they should have a few workers or at the very least mature pupae.
What species did you collect Broncos503 and do you have any photos of your queen ants?

It could be possible you picked up males, but by now they would probably be dead as most male ants cannot feed themselves and what body reserves they might have had would be long depleted.