5 replies to this topic

[DinoReader11]

I have a colony of Tetramorium immigrans that are refusing to eat for some reason. They recently had a mass die-off returning from hibernation, but the queen is still alive and there are around 10 workers left. However, they are acting very strange. Three of them REFUSE to go down to the nest and keep trying to climb the walls of the tiny outworld they have. The others, including the queen, are all hanging on the wall of the nest, refusing to go to the floor where I've offered a mealworm and some Reese's puffs and a piece of a fruit filled bar, not sure how to describe it, but its not a Nutri-Grain bar. There is also food in the outworld where I've offered a similar assortment. They have water, and I cleaned up the graveyard they made.

How do I get my ants to eat? Thanks!

[ANTdrew]

What temperature are they kept at? Are you using freshly killed mealworms and did you chop them open to make it easier for the ants to reach the juices inside? Try other feeder insects like dubia roaches, fruit flies, or crickets. Save the human food for yourself. 

[DinoReader11]

What temperature are they kept at? Are you using freshly killed mealworms and did you chop them open to make it easier for the ants to reach the juices inside? Try other feeder insects like dubia roaches, fruit flies, or crickets. Save the human food for yourself. 

They are kept at 70F. They are frozen mealworms from a pet store, but they have been split open and they have been inside the cage for a while, plenty of time to thaw. I gave them a piece of strawberry and they seemed to eat it for a bit and now there are 4 on the top, they don't seem to want to back to the nest, which I find weird. I have crickets as an option but they seem not interested in eating at all, is it worth trying or is there another potential reason they aren't eating? They barely touched the strawberry.

 

All they seem to want to do is climb the walls of the outworld space and to climb the nest walls.

Edited by DinoReader11, April 24 2023 - 8:42 AM.

[ANTdrew]

70 degrees is too cool for much of feeding response for Tetramorium. Try to get them a heat source. Aim for 82 degrees.

[rptraut]

My Tetramorium ants usually climb the walls when they want something like drinking water, sugar/water, food or a better nest.  First, does the colony have larvae?  If they don't, only the queen will need a small amount of protein for egg laying.  I haven't seen your setup, but try to give your queen a dark, secluded place to settle in, hide, feel secure and get down to the task of laying eggs.  I think Tetramorium queens appreciate privacy more than many other queens.  Your colony may be unsettled because the queen is unsettled.  I haven't seen my Tetramorium queens since I installed them in their individual setups, but I know by the number of eggs and larvae that they are hiding in there somewhere, pumping out eggs.  Put a cover over the nest section and don't check them for a month, make sure the nest is hydrated but no peeking even for a moment.  In their outworld give them water, sugar/water and some protein like shavings of cooked chicken or even canned dog food.  Mine love both of these.  Once the queen is comfortable and they have eggs and larvae to tend, they should settle down to the task of raising brood.

RPT

[rptraut]

Well, it's been a month. How's the colony doing?