3 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

I have 6 colonies. None are huge. They range from 15 to 300 ants each. Various species. I remember the early days when I'd feed them one or two fruit flies or a single cricket leg. These days it's two crickets, or a whole meal worm or 20 to 30 flies each. There are more ants, yes, but they also seem... bottomless. I feed them a little in the morning and if it's gone more in the evening. If they eat all of that by the next morning I feed them again. If there are leftovers I skip a day then start the pattern again. 

 

I'm just shocked how fast they hoover up crickets now. Even the exoskeletons are just... gone...

 

Anyway. I'm going through bugs rather fast, so winter won't be all bad news. 

 

Anyone else find the ramping up a little frantic? 

 

 

[Manitobant]

For most of the season, colonies aren’t this hungry and don’t need to eat as much. Your colonies are probably eating so much because they are getting ready for hibernation. Colonies need to consume as much food as they can to last them through the winter and grow out their remaining brood to a stage that can hibernate (larvae or workers).

Edited by Manitobant, August 18 2021 - 7:03 PM.

[ANTdrew]

I feed my Crematogaster colony 20-30 mealworms, crickets, or dubias every day, and it’s still not enough. I think they are feeding eggs to their new queens to fatten them up.

[ConcordAntman]

My large C. pennsylvanicus colony (~250 ants) goes through a slice of apple and 1-2 crickets or Dubia roaches per day as do my C. americanus, while my other C. penns don’t touch their fresh killed food and barely sip the Sunburst. Go figure