This article mentions Campontus collect bird poop, which contain uric acid.
https://www.ncbi.nlm...within the host.
You can feed dubia roaches for a good source of uric acid. Fruit flies also generate some, I'd recommend Hydei species. What proteins are you feeding them? There's lots of brood, so that's a good sign. I'd just stick to Humming Bird nectar and safer sources of protein(not wild caught).
What form of hummingbird nectar are you feeding? (premixed,concentrated(mixed with water),powder(mixed with water)?)
Thank you, I have read that article and I am planning on offering bird poop once workers hatch from cocoons, 2 of the cocoons are close to hatching. I have stopped feeding proteins as its only the queen now, I have been giving her honey. I only offered the colony hummingbird nectar once cause I thought the honey I had was making them sick, so I substituted honey with this hummingbird nectar that evening and in the morning I had lost most of the worker ants. There was no interest in the nectar when a worker came across it. I had originally thought it was a food making them sick but I believe it was the flea meds on my dog somehow. The honey the queen is eating now is the same as previously and she is still fine. I probably won't include the hummingbird nectar as part of their diet unless you think it would be beneficial. To add on the uric acid part, I actually have a breeding tub of dubia roaches so I could try that instead of the bird poop, like feed some babies a protein high diet to boost their uric acid content.
Link to the nectar I used
There actually is some preservatives in its ingredients, not sure if they are safe or not. (The nectar definitely isn't the cause of the original issue though, the problem was on-going before nectar introduction)
Edited by MReef, September 23 2024 - 9:18 PM.
