5 replies to this topic

[AntsCali098]

I got a 8 queen 100 worker Aphaenogaster occidentalis colony about 2 years ago. They have grown a bit since that time, maybe 200 workers but have not grown much. They were housed a long time ago when I was not very experienced and are in an ac outworld with test tubes inside (so basically a tubs and tubes setup. They also have a long tube going to a separate space which they use mostly use for garbage. They also have 1 other test tube that they also nest in. They are half filled in around 4 test tube setups and have always had a lot of brood. Any idea why they aren't growing as fast as I've hoped? Thanks!

[VenomousBeast]

How often do you feed them? And what do you feed them? They may not be getting enough food as often as they need to grow or as much as the necessary nutrients to allow faster growth.
Another solution is to warm them up a few degrees, not too much as to kill them, but development is always faster the warmer it is (to a certain point of course😝).

[AntsCali098]

How often do you feed them? And what do you feed them? They may not be getting enough food as often as they need to grow or as much as the necessary nutrients to allow faster growth.
Another solution is to warm them up a few degrees, not too much as to kill them, but development is always faster the warmer it is (to a certain point of course).

A cricket every 3-5 days, they have access to sugar at all times through a feeder.

[VenomousBeast]

How often do you feed them? And what do you feed them? They may not be getting enough food as often as they need to grow or as much as the necessary nutrients to allow faster growth.
Another solution is to warm them up a few degrees, not too much as to kill them, but development is always faster the warmer it is (to a certain point of course).

A cricket every 3-5 days, they have access to sugar at all times through a feeder.

Ah, that's why! I would feed them more often. Give them a cricket every day and see how fast your colony grows! 😁👍 I've noticed that once a colony has over 150 workers, they need daily food to keep the colony growing. And if they don't eat the cricket, that's ok, try something else, and if they don't eat that, you can feed them every other day.

[AntsCali098]

Ah okay. I'll try that and see

[Dumpling]

I second that. It seems like they are being underfed.