13 replies to this topic

[vfreedom91]

Hi Everyday,

 

May i know how to check their food demand?

My friend have a colony with around 80 worker...now feeding 3-4 meal worm(small one) daily...how we know is that enough or no?

the colony is weaver ant

[CrazyLegs]

I'm sure the ants would start rejecting food offerings if they have enough. Most ant colonies have a desire to grow to mass proportions though.

I believe you can control your colony size simply with food restriction. It's all about observing and experimenting.

[vfreedom91]

i would like to make it fast grow...so i just feed as much as i can?

 

thx for advise ya

[vfreedom91]

and another question.......if i put soil in my formicarium....will it cause fungus problem and made my ant die?

[Serafine]

You should cook the soil before you add it so there's no mites and stuff in it. If it's a good formicarium design and you don't swamp it there should not be any mold.

[antgenius123]

Also, keep your area clean. That includes cleaning your outworld and anything you use to feed your ants, e.g. tweezers

Edited by antgenius123, January 31 2017 - 12:23 PM.

[vfreedom91]

ok, noted with thank....yesterday i buy some cocopeat to put, to reduce the moitsure level, so far....consider good

[vfreedom91]

Haiz.....my weaver ant queen died without reason.......

i assume it is die due to mold.

 

 

 

 

 

[T.C.]

Could I see a picture of the whole setup you had them in? Weaver ants are a complicated species to keep, and you may not have been giving her a proper set up.

[vfreedom91]

Could I see a picture of the whole setup you had them in? Weaver ants are a complicated species to keep, and you may not have been giving her a proper set up.

Please refer below picture,

 

***Right side have 2x3cm hole cover with net.

***Cover have 1x3cm hole.

[Kevin]

If you raised the colony yourself there are a lot of possible reasons, but if the colony was captured it could be stress and incorrect care.

[vfreedom91]

actually this is a wild colony....i caught 2 colony and 1 colony doing very well, 1 colony dying from 50 worker till 10 worker then queen die

 

If you raised the colony yourself there are a lot of possible reasons, but if the colony was captured it could be stress and incorrect care.

[drtrmiller]

May i know how to check their food demand?

 

You should feed a variety of natural foods and observe the ants' reaction.  Always discard uneaten food after 24 hours to avoid mold.

 

I'm sure the ants would start rejecting food offerings if they have enough. Most ant colonies have a desire to grow to mass proportions though.

I believe you can control your colony size simply with food restriction. It's all about observing and experimenting.

 

Some ants, in particular harvester ants, will generally continue to collect and hoard food inside the nest as long as it is made available.  Other species of ants are at times overeager foragers as a result of evolutionary predisposition to scavenging behavior.

 

i would like to make it fast grow...so i just feed as much as i can?

 

Each small worker ant has a social or community stomach, and food is exchanged among individuals constantly to form the macro-colony stomach.  Consequently, small colonies generally grow slowly, and large colonies can grow much more quickly.

 

The amount of food your colony requires will increase over time, and you may very well end up with an unmanageable number of ants if you are not careful.

 

and another question.......if i put soil in my formicarium....will it cause fungus problem and made my ant die?

 

Certainly any contaminants introduced into the formicarium, especially those found in soil, may result in problems for a captive colony.  With weaver ants, however, soil is probably important to grow the plants on which the ants nest, no?

 

You should cook the soil before you add it so there's no mites and stuff in it. If it's a good formicarium design and you don't swamp it there should not be any mold.

 

Probably a good idea with weaver ants.  Soil dwelling ants, especially those that prefer more moist soil, I might recommend not sterilizing, so that any microbes may be present to consume uneaten food particles, which might otherwise mold in sterilized soil.

[vfreedom91]

 

May i know how to check their food demand?

 

 

wow, your reply is very nice