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Ant Feeding

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18 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Tpro4 - Posted October 1 2014 - 12:11 PM

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I think termites queens would be extremely useful to feed ants with. They are easy to keep and can reproduce faster. What do you think? I recently caught a couple of termite altars so far only two died.
Remember Dragon Warrior, anything is possible when you have inner peace. - Master Shifu

Current Queens:
1 Unknown Pogomyemex
1 Solenopsis Xyloni

#2 Offline Mercutia - Posted October 1 2014 - 12:17 PM

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I know a few people who keep termite farms as feeder colonies for their ants. Definitely the perfect protein source for them. Most ants go crazy for termites.



#3 Offline Tpro4 - Posted October 1 2014 - 3:28 PM

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I heard that termite excremental contains sugar from the cellulose from the bark, to bad I don't have a colony
Remember Dragon Warrior, anything is possible when you have inner peace. - Master Shifu

Current Queens:
1 Unknown Pogomyemex
1 Solenopsis Xyloni

#4 Offline 123LordOfAnts123 - Posted October 1 2014 - 4:35 PM

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Raising a large number of termites from a single pair of sexuals will take a long time. Although their reproductive output is usually higher than ants, it can take them much longer to found colonies.

 

Ideally, you will want to start a culture using a large number (1,000 or more) of subterranean termite workers. After separated from a queen for some time, nymphs will molt into secondary reproductives and things will continue from there. There's a good guide on arachnoboards that I can't seem to link, just google "culturing termites".

 

Also, I doubt termite feces is of any worth to ants. The termites themselves often use it as a defense mechanism; often smearing it on assailants when grabbed.



#5 Offline DesertAntz - Posted October 1 2014 - 4:44 PM

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 often smearing it on assailants when grabbed.

:sick2: 


The good man is the friend of all living things. - Gandhi 


#6 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted October 1 2014 - 4:52 PM

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Also, I doubt termite feces is of any worth to ants. The termites themselves often use it as a defense mechanism; often smearing it on assailants when grabbed.

 

Gotta be good for a Cyphomyrmex colony. ;)



#7 Offline dean_k - Posted October 2 2014 - 6:27 AM

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I know it's off topic but kinda goes with the theme of the topic.

 

If one's brave enough to culture termites for ants, why not culture aphids as well?



#8 Offline dspdrew - Posted October 2 2014 - 7:33 AM

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I have a couple of termite colonies I started from a king and queen, but they are still very small. The colonies seem to grow very slowly.



#9 Offline Mercutia - Posted October 2 2014 - 7:44 AM

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People have but using aphids as herding insects for ants, they are hard to maintain because you need to put the live plant and aphids in the actual outworld which means soil the ants might choose to move into



#10 Offline Tpro4 - Posted October 2 2014 - 7:50 AM

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Also, I doubt termite feces is of any worth to ants. The termites themselves often use it as a defense mechanism; often smearing it on assailants when grabbed.



Remember Dragon Warrior, anything is possible when you have inner peace. - Master Shifu

Current Queens:
1 Unknown Pogomyemex
1 Solenopsis Xyloni

#11 Offline Mercutia - Posted October 2 2014 - 10:07 AM

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Looks like more a defense mechanism than anything else. Not that their poop has nutritional value to ants.



#12 Offline 123LordOfAnts123 - Posted October 2 2014 - 11:50 AM

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Solenopsis will literally eat ANYTHING.



#13 Offline DesertAntz - Posted October 2 2014 - 12:26 PM

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I have a couple of termite colonies I started from a king and queen, but they are still very small. The colonies seem to grow very slowly.

So basically they have no value as feeders, unless you get a lot of reproductive termites, due to their slow colony growth? 


The good man is the friend of all living things. - Gandhi 


#14 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted October 2 2014 - 2:32 PM

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Just come here, during summer I catch anything from 10-50 drywood termite alates daily. :| They seem to have stopped flying for this year though.



#15 Offline Tpro4 - Posted November 5 2014 - 11:00 AM

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Today I checked in the termite altae, they're all in The same container, the have two workers and some larvae and bunch of eggs. I'm probably gonna make a dirt formicariums for them and move them all
Remember Dragon Warrior, anything is possible when you have inner peace. - Master Shifu

Current Queens:
1 Unknown Pogomyemex
1 Solenopsis Xyloni

#16 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted November 5 2014 - 12:58 PM

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Nymphs already? When did you catch them?

#17 Offline Tpro4 - Posted November 5 2014 - 1:45 PM

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About two months ago
I dropped in pieces of Togo chopsticks for them, they seem to like it.
Remember Dragon Warrior, anything is possible when you have inner peace. - Master Shifu

Current Queens:
1 Unknown Pogomyemex
1 Solenopsis Xyloni

#18 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted November 5 2014 - 4:34 PM

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Nice, the little white guys that you may be calling workers are actually called nymphs. There is no larva or pupa stage in termites, they go from eggs straight to nymphs, which then become either workers, soldiers, or alates.



#19 Offline Tpro4 - Posted November 10 2014 - 9:52 PM

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Today two termite queens or kings were found dead I got a third worker today.
Remember Dragon Warrior, anything is possible when you have inner peace. - Master Shifu

Current Queens:
1 Unknown Pogomyemex
1 Solenopsis Xyloni





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