Burial Chamber

The ants are slowly dying. This is not surprising, since the average lifespan of worker ants is 1-3 months. The instructions said the other ants would probably being any dead ants to the surface, but they've packed the bodies into chamber near the surface instead. The instructions also say we're supposed to remove any dead ants with a small stick or cotton swab (the gel is formulated to prevent this, but bacteria and/or fungus may grow). Hah! When we've cracked the top to let in fresh air, they've all made a dash for freedom and several have escaped (not to freedom, alas, but to squish-dom). If I opened the container for long enough to remove all the dead ants, the remaining live ants would all be running around my house.

Here you can see a few ants roaming around the top, far more in the sleeping/living area at bottom left, and the "burial chamber" near the surface on the right.