13 replies to this topic

[Entomologyants]

I'm considering whether feeding my ants with bugs collected from outdoors is safe and good for them. What do you think I should do?

The bugs I usually find are crickets, silverfish, flys, and roaches.

Thanks for the advice!

[Ants_Dakota]

I'm considering whether feeding my ants with bugs collected from outdoors is safe and good for them. What do you think I should do?

The bugs I usually find are crickets, silverfish, flys, and roaches.

Thanks for the advice!

It is recommended that you boil or freeze them first to remove and parasites and germs they may be harboring. Another issue is where you catch them from. A lot of places contain pesticides which may kill your colony, so be careful where you collect from. I lost a Camponotus novaeboracensis colony that way. Many people including myself have fed their ants wild caught bugs in the past with no issues, but it is that occasional colony that is lost due to a preventable mite infestation or fungus that really encourages caution. Personally, I would recommend going to a local pet store and buying a few crickets every week to feed your ants. They cost cents a piece, are accepted by most colonies, and are usually free of mites and fungi, although freezing them is still recommended. Some people will buy them in bulk and freeze them for the rest of the year, so there are many ways of petting that cat so to speak.

[Entomologyants]

So, if I do have a nearby park that's pesticide-free, all I'll have to do is boil the bugs or freeze and my ants should be perfectly fine? Right? No mites or mold?

[Ants_Dakota]

So, if I do have a nearby park that's pesticide-free, all I'll have to do is boil the bugs or freeze and my ants should be perfectly fine? Right? No mites or mold?

Nothing can be perfectly fine but the chances of harmful pathogens or mites goes down to nearly zero, yes. 

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

I have wondered, what happens if you microwave bugs?

Edited by OwlThatLikesAnts, March 21 2025 - 1:10 PM.

[Entomologyants]

I have a question about feeding caught bugs to my ants, are houselfys something to be worried about? My ants onetime accidently caught one and ate it. Will it hurt my ants to feed them houseflys? Or any other inside bug?

[ANTdrew]

Any time I swat a fly, I drop it into one of my lucky colonies.

[cooIboyJ]

I have a question about feeding caught bugs to my ants, are houselfys something to be worried about? My ants onetime accidently caught one and ate it. Will it hurt my ants to feed them houseflys? Or any other inside bug?

No need to be too worried, remember that wild bugs are what ants eat in the wild.

[rptraut]

Hello EntomologyAnts;

 

The most important considerations with wild caught insects are their source and safety.   If you're certain that the insects have come from an area free from pesticides, in particular, they can then be frozen, and heat treated to make them absolutely safe.   Personally, I don't heat treat any of the insects I trap or catch as I think the possibility of them carrying trash mites is low.   I freeze them immediately and cut them up as needed. 

 

A thread discussing the trapping of insects including flies and earwigs is located here    Use Insect Traps to Feed Your Ants - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

I also catch a lot of flying insects, including moths, that are attracted to the window by my plant lights that are on at night.    I think my ants benefit from the varied wild insect diet I'm able to offer them.

 

As an alternative to feeding only insects, I would suggest you add some meat options to your ant's diet.     You'll find many ideas about meat feeding and presentation in this thread    Feeding Time at the Zoo - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum  

 

 

 

 

This colony eagerly takes canned dog food and the other meat products I give them.

 

 

There are many benefits to feeding meats - they're pesticide free (we hope) and have little chance of transferring things like mites or disease, while producing less trash.   And, because many of them can come from your own dinner plate, you should have no concerns about their source or safety. 

RPT

 

 

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

So, if I do have a nearby park that's pesticide-free, all I'll have to do is boil the bugs or freeze and my ants should be perfectly fine? Right? No mites or mold?

Though technically this is an "easier said than done" situation.

Even "organic" honey can be found to have pesticides in it sometimes. The honey farm itself may pass the organic test, but the bees go wherever they want, that may have pesticides in the pollen they collect.
Your "pesticide free" park is probably not enclosed, so there's no telling where any insect you find is or is not free of poisons, just because they happen to be in the park when you found them. As well people passing through the park may carry who knows what that they drop or leave behind. Unlike say your own back yard that you can at least control the human traffic in.

I personally will not feed my ants wild caught anything for this reason, as well i don't do honey but stick to commercial or homebrew sunburst.
I do give them organic labeled fruits and berries for sugars too.

[Entomologyants]

 

So, if I do have a nearby park that's pesticide-free, all I'll have to do is boil the bugs or freeze and my ants should be perfectly fine? Right? No mites or mold?

Though technically this is an "easier said than done" situation.

Even "organic" honey can be found to have pesticides in it sometimes. The honey farm itself may pass the organic test, but the bees go wherever they want, that may have pesticides in the pollen they collect.
Your "pesticide free" park is probably not enclosed, so there's no telling where any insect you find is or is not free of poisons, just because they happen to be in the park when you found them. As well people passing through the park may carry who knows what that they drop or leave behind. Unlike say your own back yard that you can at least control the human traffic in.

I personally will not feed my ants wild caught anything for this reason, as well i don't do honey but stick to commercial or homebrew sunburst.
I do give them organic labeled fruits and berries for sugars too.

 

I think I'll go with feeder insects; I have a Petco nearby with a bunch of bugs like mealworms and crickets. It would be much easier to do that instead of taking a risk.

 

I don't want my ants to die from pesticides that might inside outside bugs. Thanks for the advice!   

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

And just to say for full disclosure here.
I've seen some keepers do feed their ants wild caught bugs. Though the reports i saw were all from their own personal property and home, where they have some measure of control to exert over that environment.
As well i've seen keepers use store bought honey, and some very reputable suppliers like THA sell honey.

 

But basically all of them are rolling some odds because free flying insects can't be controlled and guaranteed like that. And i've seen some reports on die offs after feeding quality organic honey.
 

So for my own time and dime, i just won't risk it what with how cheap fish flakes and other food options are.

A $6 USD 3oz jar of fish flakes is lasting me over 2 years now. It's just too cheap to feed them well, for me to risk their health to save that little.

Do be sure to boil any feeder insect from the store. Only a few seconds is needed to kill of any mites/mite eggs(3-5 seconds), but it is important. Store bought feeders will have good odds to have some form of mite or mite eggs on them, but are able to assure us they were never exposed to any pesticides or other chemicals that may be harmful.
You can freeze the crickets to keep them longer term as a food source, and freezing can kill off some mites/mite eggs. But a lot of insect eggs can handle a lot more cold than they can heat.  Always flash boil the feeders even if they have been frozen a long time.

[OhNoNotAgain]

I saw the honey discussion. Came on to add a few notes.

1. Honey is frequently laundered. Unless you know the local honey source, it's often adulterated with who-knows-what overseas. I would not trust. Even local honey, there's zero control of where the bees forage. They could be picking up pesticides.

2. I've read a few horror stories about feeding apples. I always feed from the middle of solid flesh far away from skin and core - if I do feed. Usually I just use Sunburst ant nectar.

3. I know people say I'm overdoing it, but I freeze bagfuls of store-bought insects and then I actually lightly BOIL them, then re-freeze. I had various mite infestations early on and frankly, it sucked. I hate looking into my colonies and seeing mites. However, lately I have a booklice problem (I have lots of books). The only saving point of booklice is they at least act more like interesting arthropods (they get "scared" of movement, for example) whereas I just view mites as super annoying creeptastic robotic white nano motes of absolute yuck.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, March 26 2025 - 6:58 AM.

[ANTdrew]

I saw the honey discussion. Came on to add a few notes.
1. Honey is frequently laundered. Unless you know the local honey source, it's often adulterated with who-knows-what overseas. I would not trust. Even local honey, there's zero control of where the bees forage. They could be picking up pesticides.
2. I've read a few horror stories about feeding apples. I always feed from the middle of solid flesh far away from skin and core - if I do feed. Usually I just use Sunburst ant nectar.
3. I know people say I'm overdoing it, but I freeze bagfuls of store-bought insects and then I actually lightly BOIL them, then re-freeze. I had various mite infestations early on and frankly, it sucked. I hate looking into my colonies and seeing mites. However, lately I have a booklice problem (I have lots of books). The only saving point of booklice is they at least act more like interesting arthropods (they get "scared" of movement, for example) whereas I just view mites as super annoying creeptastic robotic white nano motes of absolute yuck.

Anyone who’s dealt with a mite infestation knows that there is no “overdoing it” when it comes to mite prevention.