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Bird poop for carpenter ants

Started By Temperateants , Mar 29 2020 7:00 AM

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9 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Temperateants - Posted March 29 2020 - 7:00 AM

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Has anyone ever gave their carpenter ants Urea? I think it's pretty nasty, but does it have any benefits?


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#2 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 29 2020 - 7:07 AM

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Not that I can see. My Camponotus do just fine without me peeing on them.


Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 29 2020 - 7:07 AM.

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#3 Offline Da_NewAntOnTheBlock - Posted March 29 2020 - 7:37 AM

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that took an interesting turn...


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#4 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted March 29 2020 - 7:38 AM

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The nation’s most notorious household pest turned into a top quality toilet cleaner..........
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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#5 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted March 29 2020 - 1:16 PM

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Now that is an interesting business idea...


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#6 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted April 1 2020 - 10:12 AM

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It's kind of the new "thing." There is some suggestion younger colonies are less interested in it. I have no idea as I only have two Camponotus colonies and they have ignored (very old) bird poop and the like.


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#7 Offline SuperFrank - Posted April 5 2020 - 4:11 PM

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https://bmcbiol.biom.../1741-7007-5-48

It has been proven that Camponotus, and many other genera, require urea and seek it out in nature. Urea is used by a symbiotic bacteria within their digestive system to synthesize amino acids essential to their well being.
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#8 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted April 5 2020 - 4:25 PM

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Perhaps this is why Camponotus don’t always do too well in captivity.

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#9 Offline Serafine - Posted April 6 2020 - 2:33 AM

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I was the first to actually test this and it resulted in:

- quite a pile of dead ants

- many batches of new eggs

 

Not sure what it is with the dying ants (it often happens when I give them urea but not always), my guess is that it triggers some "pseudo-epigenetic" mechanisms that cause the colony to discard older workers.

 

For the first tests I just used pee in byformica feeders (it stays okay for around 2 days but I'd recommend replacing it after a day, it goes bad MUCH faster if served in a dish - generally the less contact to air it has the better) but then switched over to pure urea from the pharmacy (because I really don't want my ants to get into contact with all the crap I eat and drink). We've had people trying diluted diesel exhaust fuel (which is basically just urea) and it worked as well.

That said I have always fed my Camponotus a very broad diet (which seems to be very important for this genus - they generally don't seem to to well on a basic diet like just honey and mealworms) and they never really did bad by any standards. Also some feeder insects (roaches in particular) can store urea/urid acid in their bodies if fed a protein-heavy diet which probably helps the ants, too.


Edited by Serafine, April 6 2020 - 2:34 AM.

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#10 Offline Temperateants - Posted April 6 2020 - 6:17 AM

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I was thinking the same thing, Pure urea diluted crystals is probably better then feces or urine LOL.


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