6 replies to this topic

[AntsTx]

Has anyone successfully planted a strawberry plant or some other type of fruit and the ants ate the fruit off of it?

I'm making a vivarium for my Camponotus texanus.

[cooIboyJ]

I’m no expert and I’ve never tried this but I’m pretty sure the ants will eat some of the fruit.

[ANTdrew]

Strawberries would need full sun exposure and a pollinator to fruit inside.

[T.C.]

Yeah, they won't grow. I have built several vivarium's. You have to be picky on what plants you choose. If you have an idea of what you want, drop me a PM and I could give you some suggestions on plants and lighting. 

Edited by T.C., August 18 2024 - 1:46 AM.

[rptraut]

Hello AntsTx;

I’ve only kept a Myrmica colony in a vivarium where I grew Oxalis corniculata (Creeping Woodsorrel) which is a low-growing clover-like plant that produces seeds, not fruit. The ants collected the seeds and presumably used them for food.
RPT

[Stubyvast]

I've grown strawberries in terrariums, but not with ants. Yes they need a decent amount of light, and the fruit requires hand pollination. I usually just brush all the flowers with an old paint-brush, and it works great! Insects love the fruit, and in our outdoor garden I've seen Lasius niger sucking out the juices from holes left over from slugs and other insects. I doubt they can split the skin themselves.

[rptraut]

Hello;

You might find wild strawberries easier to grow in shady, vivarium conditions instead of the larger domestic strawberries that need full sun. They might also be more suitable for a vivarium because of their smaller size. Wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca) grow well in the shade in my garden and produce fruit that insects eat. Although the fruit is much smaller than commercial strawberries, they’re sweeter which appeals to ants.
RPT