9 replies to this topic

[MaxGen]

Hey all, this is my first year keeping ants.  I've had what i would consider to be a successful year catching queens so far.  I have some Tetramorium, Formica, Camponotus, Lasius and Solenopsis.

 

My Tetramorium queens have their first nanitics now, and I'm expecting my Formica and Camponotus next.

 

For the colonies with nanitics, how often should I be placing protein and sugar in the tube for them to feed on?  Should I be rotating what I am offering? ie: protein one day, sugar next, or sugar every x number of days?

 

I also have a Lasius Murphyi queen in a tube, with about 15 Lasius workers, don't know the species.  I used the chill method to get them to accept each other.  I have that tube open and in a small outworld container and was going to place a byFormica liquid feeder with sunburst in it, then drop a frozen pinhead cricket in every day.  Is that too much?

 

Thanks

[ColKurtz]

I have this same question about tetramorium. Thank you for asking it.

[ultraex2]

I would recommend feeding 1 drop of honey + 1 small insect once per week, then ramping it up to twice a week once the colony gets larger.

[ColKurtz]

I would recommend feeding 1 drop of honey + 1 small insect once per week, then ramping it up to twice a week once the colony gets larger.

Wow, thank you for your advice. I was thinking they needed more, and was going in and out of the tube trying different things. I have not observed them taking the food, so I just kept trying different things every day. Best then to put something in, and then leave them alone in the darkness for a couple of days?

[lucas3431]

Don't forget if you see them pulling at the cotton it could mean they're hungry.

[Russell]

I started feeding my camponotus twice a week, honey and cricket and their gasters looked fuller. After a few weeks though the workers gasters look over full( gaps between black with seni clear parts). So I have cut back to once.

Edited by Russell, August 6 2017 - 7:42 PM.

[ultraex2]

 

I would recommend feeding 1 drop of honey + 1 small insect once per week, then ramping it up to twice a week once the colony gets larger.

Wow, thank you for your advice. I was thinking they needed more, and was going in and out of the tube trying different things. I have not observed them taking the food, so I just kept trying different things every day. Best then to put something in, and then leave them alone in the darkness for a couple of days?

 

Yeah, they really don't eat much until the colonies get huge and have tons of brood to feed all the time.  I also would recommend trying to switch up what you feed them every week if you can - fruit flies 1 week, meal worms the next, then crickets, then back to fruit flies etc.

[drtrmiller]

For the Lasius colony of 15 workers--

Every 2-3 days: Use a single 1 ml (short) byFormica liquid feeder, half filled with 0.5 ml of Sunburst Ant Nectar. Remove the feeder after about 4 hours, or until the most vigorous feeding activity has subsided, and replace the Sunburst with plain water, which should be offered at all times.

For protein, I recommend freezing a large number of flightless fruit flies or pinhead crickets in a test tube—I get them in the test tube using a funnel. Feed 1 insect every 5 to 7 days. Keep an eye on the amount they are consuming, and never offer more than they can feed to larvae within a couple of days.

Remember: Only offer Sunburst every 2-3 days for a couple hours. This way, you'll be able to observe vigorous feeding activity, in contrast to offering sweet sugary items all the time. Never feed homemade sugar water, honey, or other sweets when also offering Sunburst, as they will be redundant and decrease receptivity to Sunburst, resulting in wasted product.

Thank you for being a byFormica customer. If you ever need help with byFormica products, don't hesitate to contact us by PM, email, or by visiting the byFormica Facebook page!

Edited by drtrmiller, August 3 2017 - 4:36 PM.

[MaxGen]

Thanks for all the info guys, and thanks for addressing my little parasite drtrmiller. I really wasn't sure how that colony and queen would feed.

[xTNxANTMANx]

Yes definitely make sure you mix up their diet. This is my second year keeping ants and I noticed right from the start that they are not big on eating the same thing over and over. They like a varied diet for sure.