5 replies to this topic

[Tyrael]

I am new to ant keeping. I will capture a Camponotus species this year.

 

I will feed the ants fruit flies. All the information I've seen about fruit fly cultures suggests using unflavoured instant mashed potatoes as the primary component of the substrate. The instant mashed potatoes I have access to contain BHA, which has a detrimental effect on fruit flies, and presumably ants as well, so I am looking for a substitute. Aside from fruit/vegetables, what is a suitable replacement?

BHA effect on fruitflies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.../pubmed/9207858

 

How often would the colony require feeding of the flies, and approximately how many fruit flies are required per ant of this species? 

 

How often and in what quantity should honey be given? Is "raw pure unpasteurized" honey safe for ants to consume? It very viscous; at room temperature the container can be held upside down with only minor deformation of the surface and no flowing honey. Should it be given directly or diluted with water? Should it be heated?

Edited by Tyrael, April 7 2017 - 10:07 PM.

[Barristan]

hey,

 

there are many working recipes for breeding fruit flies. In Europe most people use oat flask as basis together with water a dash of vinegar. I tested wheat bran and white bread crumbs which worked too. Some add fruit puree (but you don't have to). You can find a lot of recipes on this forum: http://www.dartden.c...topic.php?t=802.

 

A small colony requires almost no food. 1-2 fruit flies a week will be enough at the first time. Ants only eat as much as they need. So you can give them every day a fruit fly. But you'll notice that they will dispose it quickly and not fully eat it. How much proteins they eat depends mostly on the amount of larvae the colony has. If there are no larvae only the queen will need a small amount of protein to produce eggs. So if there are no larvae at all your colony will mostly ignore the proteins you offer.

 

Therefore it isn't necessary at the beginning that you breed your own fruit flies, simply buy some and freeze all so they keep fresh.

 

As for honey: You can always provide them with some honey so that they can eat if they want. But if you do this you often won't see much activity. As for proteins you can't overfeed them. I fed all kinds of honey to my ant colonies and never had any problems but I prefer to feed sugared water.

Edited by Barristan, April 7 2017 - 9:26 PM.

[drtrmiller]

Both BHA and BHT are preservatives designed to prevent oils in food from oxidizing and becoming rancid. You shouldn't encounter any issues with feeder insects consuming foods suitable for human consumption, as the preservatives are in very small, trace amounts. Fruit flies are an excellent food for many smaller ants, but you may find that Camponotus will simply kill them and not eat them.

The problem with honey is the same problem with any natural produce intended for human consumption: you don't know exactly all that's in it. Fortunately, if it didn't kill the bees that made it, it's unlikely to have had anything added into it that is bad for the ants.

Aside from that, unprocessed, unpasteurized honey is going to have lots of bacteria and yeasts in it that will ferment it into nastiness within a few days once you add any amount of water or leave it exposed to air (honey is hygroscopic), so it's not recommended, and provides absolutely no health or nutritional benefit to ants over other sugary solutions. Finally, honey consists of the sugars fructose and glucose, which countless studies show ants don't enjoy as much as regular ol' sucrose.

Sunburst Ant Nectar (links in signature), on the other hand, is precisely formulated for ants, and is highly resistant to bacterial growth, so the only thing you have to worry about is evaporation turning it into a syrup, which the ants don't prefer. For beginners attempting to find the easiest-to-use sugary fix for their ants, Sunburst is a ready-made, no hassle option that works the first time, every time.

Edited by drtrmiller, April 7 2017 - 9:44 PM.

[Antsinmycloset]

You'll find dozens of recipes out there with various added ingredients. Cinnamon, paprika, large doses of vinegar, and methyl paraben all come to mind. These exist to make the media less inviting for mold, but generally will decrease fitness for fruit flies, too, in sufficient quantities. The goal is putting JUST enough "bad" stuff in to keep mold in check and allow the longest time possible to produce, while at the same time maximizing your yield. Drosophila melanogaster (don't get D. hydei) are the definition of exponential growth, though, and jar or two producing will be plenty for your colonies for a long time. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Concerning frequency, my two largest colonies are a Camponotus pennsylvanicus, with ~20 workers and quite a bit of brood, and a Tapinoma sessile with maybe 100 workers and at least 200-300 brood. They could both probably eat 8-12 a day, so I supplement with other feeder insects. You might consider breeding fruit flies just for practice. Who knows what you'll find this year? This goes double if, like me, finding a local, consistent source of fruit flies is something of a hassle.

What Barristan said about the larvae is key. I have a few colonies with no larvae that, as far as I can tell, just nibble on a cricket leg every week or so and throw the vast majority of it away. You're going to see massive spikes of interest in protein, so just be ready for those eggs to start hatching.

Edited by Antsinmycloset, April 7 2017 - 9:58 PM.

[Tyrael]

 I fed all kinds of honey to my ant colonies and never had any problems but I prefer to feed sugared water.

What type of sugar do you use and what sugar to water ratio?

 

Thanks for the tips. I'll try to match feeder production to egg hatching and avoid unpasteurized honey.

Edited by Tyrael, April 7 2017 - 10:50 PM.

[Barristan]

 

 I fed all kinds of honey to my ant colonies and never had any problems but I prefer to feed sugared water.

What type of sugar do you use and what sugar to water ratio?

 

 

I use saccharose. I don't measure it exactly but I mix it at around 1:2 to 1:3 ratio (sugar/water). In summer i sometimes even mix 1:4 because the water evaporates too fast.