9 replies to this topic

[AntsMAN]

I made a small bottle of nectar 1 part sugar, 4 parts water and simmer. After feeding I found a few dead super majors in my Camponotus colony? Is this sugar okay for them or should I try to find all natural sugar? I was just mixing the sugar in with water and feeding no problems. They don't seem to be as attracted to the nectar, as they were just sugar water. I was using honey water but It keeps molding.

What is the closest thing I can get to aphid nectar?

[Zpence]

IDK id say raw suger would probs be a smart bet if that sugar was bad.

[Ntume]

Just buy a bottle of maple syrup. Camponotus and Formica love it!

[drtrmiller]

This is a bizarre topic. What you are calling "nectar" is identical in composition to that which you are referring to as "sugar water." The only difference appears to be that you heated the former on the stove, and you observe decreased receptivity and possibly increased mortality rates? If that is actually the case, then it is likely that there is a contaminant in the cooking vessel you're using to heat the solution.

Indeed, Teflon-lined pots and cast iron can both leach out different chemicals when heated. Only certain types of stainless steel are relatively inert during cooking.

It sounds more like a common case of not knowing how to make sugar water. You'd be surprised at how many people have difficulty with it, and how many supposed "recipes" exist for using the same two ingredients. It is for that very reason that I pioneered and manufacture a product called Sunburst Ant Nectar, which promises the highest receptivity and convenience of any liquid sugar solution available.

Thanks for reminding me, I need to consign a shipment of goods to Canada. Maybe I'll get to that today.

Edited by drtrmiller, September 28 2016 - 5:10 AM.

[AntsMAN]

This is a bizarre topic. What you are calling "nectar" is identical in composition to that which you are referring to as "sugar water." The only difference appears to be that you heated the former on the stove, and you observe decreased receptivity and possibly increased mortality rates? If that is actually the case, then it is likely that there is a contaminant in the cooking vessel you're using to heat the solution.

Indeed, Teflon-lined pots and cast iron can both leach out different chemicals when heated. Only certain types of stainless steel are relatively inert during cooking.

It sounds more like a common case of not knowing how to make sugar water. You'd be surprised at how many people have difficulty with it, and how many supposed "recipes" exist for using the same two ingredients. It is for that very reason that I pioneered and manufacture a product called Sunburst Ant Nectar, which promises the highest receptivity and convenience of any liquid sugar solution available.

Thanks for reminding me, I need to consign a shipment of goods to Canada. Maybe I'll get to that today.

 

I'm not going to be heating it anymore, just adding sugar to water and mixing. Also going to try some maple syrup.

And once you can ship to Canada I'd like to try your Sunburst nectar.

[drtrmiller]

One of the main issues I have with maple syrup or honey, is the fact that you'll never know what is in it. The composition varies greatly depending on the tree and harvest date, in the case of maple syrup, and the flowers tended and other resources collected, in the case of honey from bees--not to mention other processing factors such as filtering and pasteurization. Even buying from a certain brand will not guarantee the same composition from bottle to bottle, unless they have the same lot and date codes.

Take a look at this abstract, which compared 80 pure maple syrup samples:

http://www.sciencedi...963996996000002

Based on my knowledge and experience with ant diets and how certain chemical composition ratios affect receptivity, I would expect a syrup with a moderate sucrose content, no glucose/fructose content, high mineral content (especially potassium salts (KCl)), and alkaline pH to be an excellent food.

The chances of hitting all those marks are very low. In fact, the lowest level of sucrose was found to be 51.7%, which is nearly twice as high as the optimal level. The pH also varied from slightly acidic to neutral, making diluted solutions highly susceptible to spoilage from bacteria and fungi, including yeasts. As an alternative to diluting the syrup (which would almost certainly go bad after 1-3 days), it may be possible to provide both the undiluted syrup and distilled water separately, as the syrup does not have enough moisture content to keep the ants from becoming dehydrated.

Best of luck with whatever you try!

Edited by drtrmiller, September 28 2016 - 6:19 AM.

[spider_creations]

A local shop called Larry's honey which he has like 20 different kinds of honey i am buying from him Becuase I use his honey and he has mesquite honey which is probably what the wild az ants woukd eat if they could

Edited by spider_creations, September 28 2016 - 9:47 AM.

[RenDragon]

What about Agave Syrup? Anyone had any luck with it? I find it to be more sticky than other syrups or honeys

[AntsMAN]

I have all natural honey which I get from a local bee keeper. I've been giving them some watered down and a drop or two pure.

I just wanted to find a few different sugar sources to offer them. I'm looking for all natural syrup now. And I found all natural sugar to try.

[Yuki]

I gave my ants honey water and it started molding in the test tube after a few days.  They take raw pancake syrup (the cheap fake stuff; my parents hate it and my siblings bought it as a gag gift) eagerly.