6 replies to this topic

[AntPhycho]

Hello, I was just wondering if there was a better way to serve sugar water to ants other than the test tube setup. Currently I have found that the cotton hardens making it impossible for the ants to drink.

[Ant Broski]

You could just put sugar water in a water bottle cap and give to the ants.

[AntsAreUs]

I put cotton on a piece of concave aluminum foil and use a pipette to squirt the sugar water into it.

[drtrmiller]

Liquid feeders specifically designed for ants?

You can even coat the taller glass vials and plastic bottles with Fluon to prevent aggressive ants like Solenopsis invicta from climbing the sides, allowing you to remove them for cleaning and refilling more easily.

Edited by drtrmiller, June 18 2018 - 2:18 PM.

[AntPhycho]

Ok thanks for the advice everyone ,  AntsAreUs seems to have the most reasonable suggestion for me. The price of the liquid feeder is a bit steep for me right now (I may buy it in the future), and I am afraid my ants will drown in the water bottle cap. 

[super_oil]

I usually put sugar water on wax paper to feed my ants and take it out when the sugar solidifies.

[sirjordanncurtis]

I think something you should think about is the placement of your cotton/test tubes. California is not an especially humid place, yet usually cotton doesn't dry out even when I dip it in honey or sugar water. You could try using q-tips too, as it absorbs much more liquid and are pretty easy to handle. Just cut off the tip once you dip it in sugar and place it in the test tube.