30 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Every ant loves termites. I wouldn't even be surprised if leaf cutters would eat them. 

[rptraut]

Now I kind’a wish we had termites here, they look like great ant food!
My lights are attracting loads of June bugs every night right now. Split in half, my ants keep busy for hours cleaning out every crevice.
RPT

[AntBoi3030]

The temite trap worked great! I left the cardboard for around 10 days. I placed it underneath a stone where I had found termites previously. Despite a relatively cold week, I still got over a hundred termites. My Pheidole bicarinata says thank you!

[rptraut]

Hello Everyone;

 

I used my pop bottle fly trap for the first time this season and below are the results.    I used a ripe dead mouse for bait and placed the trap near a dead raccoon that was already attracting a lot of fly attention.   I caught over 100 Greenbottle (Lucilia) flies in an afternoon, and I know my ants will absolutely love them.   I transfer the flies from the trap to a plastic bag because I'm not allowed to put the trap with a dead mouse in the freezer.   These flies are particularly beneficial for feeding small and founding colonies.    I split them in half and they're readily accepted.    

 

 

 

I'll be taking my colonies out of winter storage very soon and flies like these will help get them off to a good start.  

RPT

 

 

 

 

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Hey guys?, do fly carry diseases? Because my mom does not like them because she thinks they are dirty and can make you sick.

 

Oh yeah, I also have a form of a bug trap for my ants, it involves the larvae of carpet beetles, other insects that live in cloth, a piece of fabric and my home, it is very simple, just put a piece of cloth (preferably something that is old and has places to hide) somewhere that has carpet beetles and make sure there is no other pieces of cloth, the beetles and their larva should swarm to it to eat and hide, then you can pick it up after a day or two, doesn’t really matter, and grab all the larva you find on it. My ants love carpet beetles. This method not just feeds your ants but gets rid of pests!

[ANTdrew]

Obviously they can make you sick. Ants love the loathsome things, though.

[rptraut]

Hello OwlThatLikesAnts;

 

You've raised a very good point about the unsanitary nature of insects and flies, in particular.   I consider any insect, dead animal, and numerous other things, to be a high risk for carrying some kind of pathogen.    I handle dead creatures and things like my fly trap while wearing gloves that I keep solely for that purpose.   I only touch the cuffs with my bare hands.   I always handle feeder insects for my ants using surgical tools like various sized tweezers, forceps, and scalpel.   I found them at a local surplus store, and I sanitize them regularly.   

 

I feel hand washing before and after feeding my ants is important to prevent the spread of disease to my ants, and to me.   Sure, I'll pick up a dead fly off the floor, but then I'll wash my hands.   

 

I'm surprised your mom doesn't like flies, but she tolerates carpet beetles.   They sound much creepier than flies.  

RPT

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

I'm surprised your mom doesn't like flies, but she tolerates carpet beetles. They sound much creepier than flies.  

RPT

That’s because she views me feeding carpet beetles to my ants as more sanitary and a way to control pests 

[ANTdrew]

Tell her that if you trap just one female fly, you are potentially keeping hundreds of fly eggs from being laid in your neighborhood.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Tell her that if you trap just one female fly, you are potentially keeping hundreds of fly eggs from being laid in your neighborhood.

Flys aren’t the problem though, the dang Japanese beetles , infinite food though! And my ants love them

[RushmoreAnts]

Hey guys?, do fly carry diseases?

 

 

I concur with rptraut; I have noticed that insects I feed my Formica colonies turn black within hours (unlike those I feed to my Myrmicinae colonies). I have read that Formica sanitize their food, nest, and things they interact with with formic acid, which I believe is the cause of the darkening. I would say that aside from pesticides, wild insects pose more of a risk to you than to the ants.