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Aphaenogaster picea covering their food with debris and refusing to eat it?

Started By Manitobant , Oct 20 2019 2:33 PM

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2 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Manitobant - Posted October 20 2019 - 2:33 PM

Advanced Member

Members
2,901 posts

LocationWinnipeg, Canada

My 75 worker aphaenogaster picea colony has started to no longer accept sugar water and have started covering it with debris in the outworld. I know that ants are known to do this in order to soak up flooded water, but this is strange because the colony still has a ton of brood (well over 100) and are devouring crickets like crazy.

Antennal_Scrobe likes this

My journals:

Polyergus Mexicanus: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry175528
Lasius minutus: https://www.formicul...cs/#entry174811
Lasius latipes: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry206449
General acanthomyops journal: https://www.formicul...yops-with-eggs/

#2 Offline Antennal_Scrobe - Posted October 20 2019 - 2:37 PM

Advanced Member

Members
933 posts

LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin

Aphaenogaster are mostly carnivorous ants, and ants as a whole feed protein to their young and sugar to themselves. Perhaps the workers are just full. You could also try raw honey like the stuff I use; it's very chunky and ants with no social stomach could easily carry in pieces of it.

By the way I am jealous of your colony.

Currently keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Myrmica punctiventris, Formica subsericea

Formica pallidefulva, Aphaeogaster cf. rudis

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Camponotus nearcticus

Crematogaster cerasi

Temnothorax ambiguus

Prenolepis imparis