9 replies to this topic

[sunrunner4kr]

Hi all,

 

I have recently received a Lasius Niger queen and a handful of workers.

 

I've been feeding them honey water on a piece of baking paper, but within a day or so the ants seem to used it as a rubbish pile, or added what looks like the cotton wall fibres to it,  and no longer seems edible. The ants have been keeping a rubbish area, and every time I feed them i clear out the rubbish.

 

Any ideas what I might be doing wrong? I'm worried the ants aren't feeding.

 

Any help much appreciated!!

 

Simon

 

 

[Acutus]

All my ants throw stuff in the honey. I personally think they do it to assure they don't get stuck. They still eat it and eventually, (What you think is inedible is very edible to them) and all that is left in the little water bottle cap I feed them in is the garbage. When that happens I clean the top out and replace with more honey. Sometimes it takes awhile for the ants to eat it all sometimes it's gone very quickly.

 

Are you feeding them anything else?

Edited by Acutus, May 19 2019 - 7:43 AM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Yeah they do it to not get stuck, or hide it from other ants.

[ANTdrew]

I can’t recommend byFormica liquid feeders enough! Get your Lasius an out world with a feeder in it, and your life will be a lot easier.

Edited by ANTdrew, May 19 2019 - 8:31 AM.

[sunrunner4kr]

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

All the advice I got was to keep the ants in the test tube until there was enough workers to move them. Do you think an outworld just for feeding is the better option? And keep the test tube in the outworld, and covered?

[rbarreto]

Depends on how many workers. If feeding in the test tube becomes unmanageable (i.e. lots of escapes). You should give them an outworld.

[sunrunner4kr]

All my ants throw stuff in the honey. I personally think they do it to assure they don't get stuck. They still eat it and eventually, (What you think is inedible is very edible to them) and all that is left in the little water bottle cap I feed them in is the garbage. When that happens I clean the top out and replace with more honey. Sometimes it takes awhile for the ants to eat it all sometimes it's gone very quickly.

 

Are you feeding them anything else?

 

I've been giving them dead fruit flies. Not sure whether to move to protein jelly?

[Acutus]

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

All the advice I got was to keep the ants in the test tube until there was enough workers to move them. Do you think an outworld just for feeding is the better option? And keep the test tube in the outworld, and covered?

 

Like others said that depends on how many workers a "handful" is. relatively speaking a lot of ants could fit in a handful.

 

I use Ants Canada Test tube portals for out worlds when a colony is small. Others place the tube in a small out world 

 

Never used the gels I use dead insects mostly like meal-worms or crickets or others. Pieces in a colony as small as yours. Fruit-flies are fine

Edited by Acutus, May 19 2019 - 9:54 AM.

[sunrunner4kr]

 

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

All the advice I got was to keep the ants in the test tube until there was enough workers to move them. Do you think an outworld just for feeding is the better option? And keep the test tube in the outworld, and covered?

 

Like others said that depends on how many workers a "handful" is. relatively speaking a lot of ants could fit in a handful.

 

I use Ants Canada Test tube portals for out worlds when a colony is small. Others place the tube in a small out world 

 

Never used the gels I use dead insects mostly like meal-worms or crickets or others. Pieces in a colony as small as yours. Fruit-flies are fine

 

 

Haha good point. I have 4-5 workers. I'll check those out, thanks

[ANTdrew]

From personal experience, I think waiting until you have a lot of workers for an out world is bogus. Put the tube in an escape proof container and let the ants decide if they’re ready to explore. Feeding in test tubes is problematic in my opinion.