58 replies to this topic

[rbarreto]

Superworms are great!

[Thunder_Birds]

Awesome, thanks for the tip!

[aznphenom]

Meat in general (like mammal or bird) is surprisingly effective.

Cooked or raw? I’m looking for something new to try with my ants. Fruit flies aren’t providing enough protein for them.

[ANTdrew]

With meats, boiled is best. Whenever my wife makes a soup, I pull bits off whatever meat is in it for my colonies. Small bits of meat dry rock hard in an amazingly short period of time, though.

[ConcordAntman]

Helpful thread. Two questions, are any of you concerned about potential insecticide or microbial contamination of your colonies from wild caught feeder insects? Also, any concerns about mite contamination from pet store bought feeder insects over those bought from an insect farm distributor like Rainbow? It would sure be cheaper to catch critters outside but where I live there are 3 farms within spitting distance. All three use fertilizer and some (minimal) insecticides so I’ve avoided home-caught feeders. 

[ANTdrew]

I’ve been feeding all my colonies wild caught arthropods for years now with no issues. I even think this is one of the keys to my success. That said, you definitely don’t want to collect anything near agriculture. Sadly, hyper-manicured Chemlawn/Trugreen neighbors are probably far worse even than agriculture.

Edited by ANTdrew, April 4 2020 - 5:34 AM.

[AntsDakota]

I’ve been feeding all my colonies wild caught arthropods for years now with no issues. I even think this is one of the keys to my success. That said, you definitely don’t want to collect anything near agriculture. Sadly, hyper-manicured Chemlawn/Trugreen neighbors are probably far worse even than agriculture, too.

Same here. I mostly feed mine flies of all types and mosquitoes, which they love.........

[ANTdrew]

I actually try to avoid collecting flying things because there’s no telling how far away they’ve been and what they’ve been exposed to. I like terrestrial things like grubs, termites, earwigs, and wild roaches.

[AntsDakota]

True, although earwigs are the only things on that list I can at least somewhat collect, although they’re quite uncommon. The rest don’t exist in my yard or anywhere else around.

[ANTdrew]

Crickets are a good bet for me, too, once it warms up.

[AntsDakota]

I could catch a couple, but I couldn’t catch them consistently enough to feed all my colonies.

[ConcordAntman]

Well, my Dubia roaches have arrived. The girls will get some different food today. What about local pet store vs farm distributor mite question?

Edited by ConcordAntman, April 4 2020 - 12:02 PM.

[FSTP]

I usually use the typical protein most people feed thier ants. Crickets, meal worms, fruit flies, blood worms. 

 

But recently I started a colony of "Little Kenyan" roaches. I must say I love these things. They stay small maxing out at about .5 inches. The nymphs are small enough to be a fruit fly replacement. They don't breed so fast that my ants can't keep up with the supply. If any escape they're not a pest risk as they need some humidity and would just end up desiccating. They can't crawl up smooth surfaces, they can't fly. the males only have small vestigial wings. They don't smell. I think they are just about the perfect feeder. Also for those that may be put off by the sight of a roach they don't look like typical roaches either. They look more like a cross between a small beetle and an isopod. I have mine housed in damp cypress bark and feed them vegetable scraps. All my ants love them. 

 

 

I can't recommend them enough. Anyone else keeping Little Kenyan Roaches Blaberidae sp. ? I'll make a seperate thread on how I care for them soon. 

Edited by FSTP, April 5 2020 - 3:13 AM.

[Temperateants]

I like fruit flies, because my ants are more comfortable with things they can drag back to their nesting area. Going with this logic, baby mealworms would most likely be favourable. In addition, fruit fly maggots are also great. Going on the discussion about the wild caught species, would maggots that grow in my compost be good? Going off of what Antdrew said, these grubs are terrestrial and spend their whole life in the compost.

[Broncos]

I use fruit flies, dubia roaches, mealworms, and crickets. Also some protein jelly and Nurbs' bloodworm soup!

[Canadant]

Haha! Flies are welcome in my home. But BEWARE you may end up in the Pit of Carkoon. Muhahahahahha! (That's my evil laugh).

House flies are great!

[ANTdrew]

I like fruit flies, because my ants are more comfortable with things they can drag back to their nesting area. Going with this logic, baby mealworms would most likely be favourable. In addition, fruit fly maggots are also great. Going on the discussion about the wild caught species, would maggots that grow in my compost be good? Going off of what Antdrew said, these grubs are terrestrial and spend their whole life in the compost.

I think the maggots should be fine. I feed stuff from my compost bin from time to time, including the teeming fruitflies. I just clap my hands and get fivd or six that way.

[Serafine]

There is no one best food. Most ants prefer a diverse diet, some even need it.

The more different arthropods you can feed the better. Many ants will also eat stuff like wet cat food, minced meat, ham and shrimps (those are particularly good to provide them with salt).

[Thunder_Birds]

Haha! Flies are welcome in my home. But BEWARE you may end up in the Pit of Carkoon. Muhahahahahha! (That's my evil laugh).

House flies are great!

Crickets are a good bet for me, too, once it warms up.

Yeah, Crickets and flies are great. Pretty much all colonies like these.