4 replies to this topic

[Justicarab]

I have 1 nanitic, she keeps hatching nanitics and they keep dying, she hasn't have more than 1 or 2. do i start to feed them? 

[T.C.]

I would, get a sugar source of some kind going first to give them energy, such as honey!

[Serafine]

Ants start eating about one week after they hatched (small ants a bit faster), they don't start feeding immediately after they hatched probably because their exoskeletons (including the mouth parts) still needs to harden. They need sugar to keep running so you can offer them a few small drops of honey water or sugar water. Once you have your second batch of larvae they will start to need protein, like dead insects.

 

The only exception from this rule are harvester ants (Messor sp, etc.) which need plant seeds (they don't drink sugar water) and dead insects and fungus-growers (Leafcutter ants like Atta) which need leaves to grow their fungus garden.

[Justicarab]

they are solenopsis invictus 

[Serafine]

Well, RIFA (Solenopsis invicta) isn't exactly a hard species to raise, the difficulty with them is more to keep them contained and provide enough living space as their colonies grow super fast and they are well-known to be escape artists.

 

Just give them sugar water and some dead insects (fruit flies, spiders, grashoppers, whatever you can find - just dip them into boiling water for 5-10 seconds to remove any parasites and pathogens) and they should be fine.

Edited by Serafine, November 22 2016 - 11:24 AM.