11 replies to this topic

[Temperateants]

Hi all,

I am going to raise earthworms for my ants. My family doesn't use pesticides, but my neighbor's might use it. I'll bring home a breeding population of Earthworms and they might have a chance of being in contact with pesticides. If I were to allow that population to breed and eat pesticides free food, would the offspring and would the worms eventually become pesticide free? Sorry if that was confusing, I can explain.

[ANTdrew]

I think that should work well. To be extra safe, why not gather from a natural area?

[Temperateants]

I'm going to gather from my yard, but I'm not sure if my neighbors use pesticides or how far the effects of pesticides can travel.

[RushmoreAnts]

Or buy from a bait or pet shop.

[Temperateants]

All the shops are closed and I don't think I can order them.

[RushmoreAnts]

In that case, why not dig as far away from the property line as possible? That would decrease the likelihood that they were exposed to pesticides.

[BugFinder]

Hi all,

I am going to raise earthworms for my ants. My family doesn't use pesticides, but my neighbor's might use it. I'll bring home a breeding population of Earthworms and they might have a chance of being in contact with pesticides. If I were to allow that population to breed and eat pesticides free food, would the offspring and would the worms eventually become pesticide free? Sorry if that was confusing, I can explain.

 

Yes, the offspring of parents exposed to pesticide will be safe to eat.  Truth be told, if you just quarantine the worms for 60 days, and pick out any dead ones as soon as you notice them, the remaining survivors should be safe to eat.   Worms are super vulnerable to any toxins in the enviornment and die pretty quickly when exposed to pesticides.

 

Make sure you do not use any soil from the yard.  Put them in soil collected outside the neighborhood, or sterile soil that you innoculate with compost.  The real threat to your ants are not worms exposed to pesticides, it's worms living in soil with pesticides in it.

Edited by BugFinder, April 21 2020 - 6:37 PM.

[Canadant]

My ants just don't seem to want anything to do with earthworms. They look delicious. Not sure why.

[Temperateants]

 

Hi all,

I am going to raise earthworms for my ants. My family doesn't use pesticides, but my neighbor's might use it. I'll bring home a breeding population of Earthworms and they might have a chance of being in contact with pesticides. If I were to allow that population to breed and eat pesticides free food, would the offspring and would the worms eventually become pesticide free? Sorry if that was confusing, I can explain.

 

Yes, the offspring of parents exposed to pesticide will be safe to eat.  Truth be told, if you just quarantine the worms for 60 days, and pick out any dead ones as soon as you notice them, the remaining survivors should be safe to eat.   Worms are super vulnerable to any toxins in the enviornment and die pretty quickly when exposed to pesticides.

 

Make sure you do not use any soil from the yard.  Put them in soil collected outside the neighborhood, or sterile soil that you innoculate with compost.  The real threat to your ants are not worms exposed to pesticides, it's worms living in soil with pesticides in it.

 

Where would be a good place to get soil then? There is a community garden my parents are apart of, that place is probably riddled with pesticides. I could try a forest that's near my house, would soil from there be good?

[ANTdrew]

Find a nature center, nature trail, or any kind of wooded area somewhat removed from people.

[Temperateants]

Ok, after all that I have learned, does the logic of breeding also decrease parasites? My original fruit fly culture died out, (it reached it's natural lifespan of about a month) and I have a very slow homemade culture. Both are D. Hydei, so they reproduce slowly. I am thinking of trapping some wild D. Melanogaster and culturing them for the adults and the maggots. Does boiling also kill parasites inside the fly/maggot?

[ANTdrew]

It most certainly would. Freezing would do the trick, too. Try not to worry too much about all this.