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Tips for going away for 7-10 days?

Started By neonseri , Jul 24 2019 3:07 AM

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#1 Offline neonseri - Posted July 24 2019 - 3:07 AM

neonseri

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Hello Ant World:

 

Here and there, I have to be gone for 7-10 days mostly for consulting work.  In fact, finalizing travel plans for both vacation and work right now.  

 

My ants do know how to feed from a sugar water tube.  But I am worried about their protein intake while I am gone.

 

Question 1:  As long as I feed them with a lot protein before leaving, will they be ok?

 

Question 2:  Has anyone tried mixing sugar water with something else for protein?  I don't think they can FULLY consume complex protein powder (specially casein) but it seems some people do this.  But has anyone else tried BCAA powder in their sugar water as protein source?  

 

Any tips would be appreciated!  

 

 


#2 Offline NickAnter - Posted July 24 2019 - 6:01 AM

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How big is the colony/ies, and what is the species. This info is important. Even without this though, if it is a small colony, I would just give them a mealworm right before you leave(this should work for most species.)

Edited by NickAnter, July 24 2019 - 6:03 AM.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#3 Offline Mercutia - Posted July 24 2019 - 6:21 AM

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xD Loving the idea of giving my ants some of my BCAAs but highly doubtful that would work.

 

A week is not that long a time. For smaller colonies, like NickAnter says, leaving a mealwork or dead cricket in the outworld should be enough to suffice until you can get back. It's even less of a problem in bigger colonies because if the ants are that starved for protein they'll cannibalize some of the larvae or eggs and as horrid as this sounds, it's really not that big a deal and won't make a huge difference in a healthy large colony. 


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