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Damming up liquid food sources


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7 replies to this topic

#1 Offline prettycode - Posted December 18 2014 - 7:59 AM

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I've got the new LIGHTYEAR® Liquid Ant Feeder with Blue 100 (liquid form) in it, in my formicarium with a few hundred Harvester ant workers.

 

After leaving the ants be for 8 hours and observing them this morning, they've taking small sand granules in the formicarium and dammed up the base of the feeder to cover the holes. In other words, the ants are blocking off the ability to feed from the liquid feeder. 

 

Has anyone observed this? When there was sugar-water in there, they didn't do this to the feeder. Is this their way of trying to "store" the source of food? Any ideas?

 

I'll take a pic. when I'm back home after work today.


Edited by prettycode, December 18 2014 - 7:59 AM.


#2 Offline dspdrew - Posted December 18 2014 - 8:14 AM

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Are these harvester ants Pogonomyrmex? Pogonomyrmex don't seem to like anything wet near their nests, and will put sand on it until it's completely covered. I took most of the liquid feeders out of my Pogonomyrmex containers because of this. It usually will cause all the liquid in the feeder to soak out and into the sand, making a mess.



#3 Offline Crystals - Posted December 18 2014 - 8:25 AM

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I have found that raising the feeders solves this.  I raise mine on a rock that is about 1" high and 4" in diameter.

Otherwise, I see this in almost all of my colonies.


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#4 Offline prettycode - Posted December 18 2014 - 8:26 AM

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Are these harvester ants Pogonomyrmex? Pogonomyrmex don't seem to like anything wet near their nests, and will put sand on it until it's completely covered. I took most of the liquid feeders out of my Pogonomyrmex containers because of this. It usually will cause all the liquid in the feeder to soak out and into the sand, making a mess.

 

Yes, they're Pogonomyrmex. Interesting that they were okay with the feeder when I first put it in (used the shorter one; they drained it dry in a about 24 hours) with honey water.

 

Maybe since they all had their fill of the honey water, when I then refilled it--this time with Blue formula--they didn't need the nutrition so where okay with covering it up. Funny little guys.



#5 Offline drtrmiller - Posted December 18 2014 - 8:36 AM

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Drew is going to be testing some new bases that will hopefully remedy the problem you're experiencing.  

 

If the tests go well, I may be able to send you out some of the alternate bases in a few days.

 

Yes, they're Pogonomyrmex. Interesting that they were okay with the feeder when I first put it in (used the shorter one; they drained it dry in a about 24 hours) with honey water.

 

Maybe since they all had their fill of the honey water, when I then refilled it--this time with Blue formula--they didn't need the nutrition so where okay with covering it up. Funny little guys.

 

 

Indeed, the behavior seems to be isolated to when the ants have had their fill and are no longer hungry/thirsty.


Edited by drtrmiller, December 18 2014 - 8:51 AM.



byFormica® is the manufacturer of the iconic nectar feeders and Sunburst Ant Nectar.
byFormica ant products always deliver consistent performance, convenience,
and reliability, making them among the most beloved ant foods and kit enjoyed by
ant keeping enthusiasts worldwide. For more information, visit www.byFormica.com.

#6 Offline dspdrew - Posted December 18 2014 - 8:41 AM

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I noticed that very small colonies of about five workers or less will leave them alone for the most part. I mainly have this problem with my larger colonies.



#7 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted December 18 2014 - 9:35 AM

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I think the purpose of putting sand over the base is to soak the liquid up as a sponge, and they then drink from that... :thinking:



#8 Offline drtrmiller - Posted December 18 2014 - 9:41 AM

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I think the purpose of putting sand over the base is to soak the liquid up as a sponge, and they then drink from that...  :thinking:

 

 

I disagree.

 

Firstly, ants have a tendency to place substrate on moistened non-food items, such as oily or sticky matter.  The same ants that cannot be contained by barriers such as oil and vaseline are most often the same ones that have the greatest tendency to exhibit the behavior of placing substrate on top of accessible liquid feeder orifices. 

 

In many cases, hungry foragers will drink their fill, and as soon as a majority in the colony are no longer hungry, they then begin to cover the food source.  This illustrates a discernable behavioral break between foragers and non-foragers, the conclusion of which would be that the behavior is defensive—that is, protecting nestmates from a potential pitfall.

 

I have seldom if ever witnessed hungry workers cover the food first, and then drink from the liquid being soaked up.  Indeed, if the food remains moist even after it has been covered up, the ants will continue to cover it, which can lead to problems.

 

I recommend using the original LIGHTYEAR Liquid Feeders in setups that contain no loose substrate, as that is the only way to guarantee that they will not block access to the liquid.


Edited by drtrmiller, December 18 2014 - 2:43 PM.



byFormica® is the manufacturer of the iconic nectar feeders and Sunburst Ant Nectar.
byFormica ant products always deliver consistent performance, convenience,
and reliability, making them among the most beloved ant foods and kit enjoyed by
ant keeping enthusiasts worldwide. For more information, visit www.byFormica.com.




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