10 replies to this topic

[TheMicroPlanet]

So I gave my P. imparis colony their first outworld the other day, as well as some earthworm and sugar water which I placed in the outworld. I haven't seen any signs of them  foraging in the outworld though, so I have some questions. A) Will they start foraging when they feel the need? B ) Should I just feed them in the test tube for now?

Edited by TheMicroPlanet, July 1 2020 - 11:14 AM.

[ANTdrew]

New colonies forage very little. Prenolepis probably forage even less because of their huge social stomachs (from what I’ve read, they basically do nothing 99% of the time). Just be patient.

[TheMicroPlanet]

New colonies forage very little. Prenolepis probably forage even less because of their huge social stomachs (from what I’ve read, they basically do nothing 99% of the time). Just be patient.

The thing is though, i'm not sure if they've eaten anything at all yet besides whatever the queen gives them.

[AntsDakota]

They're probably in estivation (summer hibernation) right now. Prenolepis do this to avoid the hot temperatures they hate so much.

[ANTdrew]

Try placing tiny foods like fruit flies or spiders right in their tube. Soak a bit of cotton or paper towel in nectar and put that in there, too. Pardon the lame cliché, but you just gotta trust the process.

[TheMicroPlanet]

Alright, I put a small dish with a boiled/crushed fly and sugar water directly into their test tube.

[Croux]

Liquid feeders are the most reliable, imo.

 

Make a saturated sugar mix and leave the liquid feeder within reach. You may not see them foraging, but you'll see the liquid level dropping and repletes in the nest.

[OhNoNotAgain]

I have an ant nectar feeder right outside the tube and sometimes I put some cut open fly larvae into the tube, on a cut-and-rounded half-straw.

I think I saw nanitics being interested but it's really hard to tell.

[cewtsoul]

i have come to the conclusion that these are the most boring ants i have  had a colony since august 2019 they finally had eggs late may 2020 only to eat them all a month later. i have a 3 queen colony also that have a big batch of eggs that seem to get smaller everyday. What good are ants if they don't do anything and you can't even look at them but once a month if that!  This is the last time i deal with them....moving on the the real honeypot ants!

[OhNoNotAgain]

i have come to the conclusion that these are the most boring ants i have  had a colony since august 2019 they finally had eggs late may 2020 only to eat them all a month later. i have a 3 queen colony also that have a big batch of eggs that seem to get smaller everyday. What good are ants if they don't do anything and you can't even look at them but once a month if that!  This is the last time i deal with them....moving on the the real honeypot ants!

 

Actually my Prenos are sitting out in the open, without a cover, and have been for some weeks now, so I can watch them pretty easily. The nanitics are continuing to hatch out and I they showed a little bit of interest in dead fruit flies. I don't know if there are any new eggs being laid, granted, but they seem to be taking care of brood.

[Kaelwizard]

moving on the the real honeypot ants!

That depends where you live. The only “honeypot” ants I have available are Prenos, and I had a queen with eggs who did fine when I checked on her way more often than I should have. (Pretty much everyday, but I don’t do that anymore). I actually killed her by accident when trying to move her to a tube instead of a vial, but now I know better.