8 replies to this topic

[CamponotusLover]

Now, I have had a very artificial honey in the past that my ant queens denied completely, today I got honey that's only ingredient is legit just HONEY, it also has the true source checked, the brand is called thrifty bee.

Is it ok for my ants?

Edited by CamponotusLover, March 10 2017 - 2:15 PM.

[drtrmiller]

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 someone going through so much trouble finding a good sugary fix for their ants, Sunburst is a ready-made, no hassle option that works the first time, every time.

[Works4TheGood]

"... provides absolutely no health or nutritional benefit to ants over other sugary solutions"

 

I never knew this!  Very useful information!  Thanks!

[Serafine]

My ants have so far taken any sugary stuff I offered them - honey, honey water, sugar water (1:1, 3:1, 4:1), maple syrup, raspberry bits... the only things they haven't found yet (because they are fat lazy buggers sitting in their tube all day long) are the Sunburst and the coconut flower syrup, but I'm pretty sure they won't say no to them either.

Just experiment around and give them what they love most. They know what's good for them.

Edited by Serafine, March 11 2017 - 8:20 AM.

[Kevin]

I recommend a sugar substance over honey. My ants all seem to enjoy it more, and several studies show that as well.

[Bracchymyrmex]

Sugar water is widely accepted by most species, my ants are quick to accept sugar water, but much slower to accept honey water.

[thosaka]

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 someone going through so much trouble finding a good sugary fix for their ants, Sunburst is a ready-made, no hassle option that works the first time, every time.

Hello. How bout organic agave nectar?

[Serafine]

Agave nectar is almost 100% fructose which isn't ideal for ants. But I'd say try a lot of different stuff and see how they like it. Simple sugar water is probably still the best.

[Vendayn]

I always use honey and never had a problem. I've used all brands of natural honey. All my ants, even ants that don't particularly go for it (like Pogonomyrmex) go for it at least a bit. It never molds (except with contact to water), which is a nice bonus and never goes bad unless (again) you put water on it. Honey is the first thing I give an ant colony when I first get them, or when the queen gets her first workers. 

 

I actually have tried what is supposed to be raw natural cane sugar (though not sure how natural, it was a light brownish color. Maybe the brown color is normal)...and three times I've used it, resulted in the death of the entire colony within 24 hours. 

 

I also tried a couple other sugars that had a brownish color to it, and the ant colonies either die after or just ignore it completely.

 

Honey I find is most natural and always had success with it. Its what ants would get outside if there is a bee hive nearby. I've seen Argentine ants swarming over honey from conquered bee colonies, along with other ants joining in on the fun (like Brachymyrmex, Solenopsis invicta and some other tiny ant all joining in on the fun of getting the conquered bee hive's honey). 

Edited by Vendayn, March 13 2017 - 6:44 PM.