23 replies to this topic

[AntsMAN]

So I had someone tell me flies are a bad food source for ants.

Quote "Flies are generally a bad source of food, according to most ant-keepers. I would go with crickets or meal worms".

 

I don't live close enough to depend on stores for my feeder insects, so I started my fly cultures. Now I'm being told they are no good?

The ants love them and my colonies are growing well, no die offs. I just wanted to know if I am overreacting or not.

[William. T]

So I had someone tell me flies are a bad food source for ants.

Quote "Flies are generally a bad source of food, according to most ant-keepers. I would go with crickets or meal worms".

 

I don't live close enough to depend on stores for my feeder insects, so I started my fly cultures. Now I'm being told they are no good?

The ants love them and my colonies are growing well, no die offs. I just wanted to know if I am overreacting or not.

 

I feed houseflies to my ants all the time. They are doing well, and I have seen wild ants feast on the juices on the fly swatter. I haven't had any issues, but it's best to have a diverse diet, so even if there are issues, the would be no die - offs.

[AntsMAN]

I dropped a piece of scallop on the ground earlier today and now there are hundreds of ants all over it.

I think ill try it, the only con is the smell but with small pieces it shouldn't be to bad.

[LC3]

Seafood is good for ants?

[Trailandstreet]

Seafood is good for ants?

Yes, some like fish. I already put a dead one of my tank to my Myrmica. Next day there where only fishbones to see.

[LC3]

Myrmica eat nearly just about anything! Even gave them popy seeds and they took them.

[AntsMAN]

I sent an email to Mikey of ants Canada and he told me this.

 

I have had colony wipe outs from feeding flies so I would recommend you do not feed wild-caught insects. Crickets and mealworms are the best protein sources for ants. You can also try fish and scallops yes.

 

So I broke down and bought 1000 mealworms from the the worm lady for $50.00.

[LC3]

Haha. I only trust mosquitoes since they don't fly long distances and they breed in my yard so I know where they came from. I might get mealworms later but all I have are queens in test tubes and a tiny colony of Camponotus.

[kellakk]

I sent an email to Mikey of ants Canada and he told me this.

 

I have had colony wipe outs from feeding flies so I would recommend you do not feed wild-caught insects. Crickets and mealworms are the best protein sources for ants. You can also try fish and scallops yes.

 

So I broke down and bought 1000 mealworms from the the worm lady for $50.00.

 

... You can buy 1000 mealworms for $7 plus $6 shipping from Rainbow Mealworms

[AntsMAN]

$43.00 went to next day shipping and they're located in Ontario. Rainbow Mealworms are located in Compton, CA.

[Crystals]

You can start a mealworm culture, or freeze the extras for longer storage.  I have two mealworm cultures at this point to try and keep up with the consumption rate of my colonies.  I seperate a dozen mealworms or so and feed them with goodies like apples, oranges, etc to gut load them for a few days.

Actual blue bottle flies do tend to get into more chemicals than other flies, especially flying around the house.  I feed wild insects often, but only if collected from locations with no chemicals and if they have been frozen.

 

I usually offer mealworms, crickets, and fruit flies as the main fare.  I also offer my ants some table scraps.  Bit of apple, bit of chicken, or just little bits of anything not salty or spicy.  I buy and freeze my crickets from a pet store, too noisy and smelly.

 

A blacklight or bug zapper in a remote field can attract a lot of bugs for easy collection.

[Miles]

The reason that wild-caught flies are generally avoided is because they are so mobile, and can easily be exposed to pesticides on their travels. 

 

Home cultured flies are a different story, and will normally be a safe and effective food source.

[AntsMAN]

Thank you all for the great information.

My plan is to put 200 in the freezer and the other 800 to start my mealworm farm.

One 12" x 8" dish with the bottom cut out and screen glued in, on top of another dish to catch the eggs, to keep them seperate from the beetles.

I have started a bottle fly culture, still waiting for them to hatch. I froze all the wild flies for 24h before feeding them to my ants.

Also going to get some scallops for them to try.

[kellakk]

$43.00 went to next day shipping and they're located in Ontario. Rainbow Mealworms are located in Compton, CA.

 

Sorry, I missed your location for some reason. I'm not sure why you need next day shipping though, mealworms are extremely hardy.

[AntsMAN]

My green bottle fly culture had four flies in it today, so I picked out all the pupae and transferred them along with the flies to a new container with some scallops and fresh soil.

My plan is to breed them again and use the next culture for feeders.

How long does it usually take for them to mate in captivity?

 

[dermy]

I've never heard of breeding "Flies" in captivity before. All I know is get read for a mess! Magots make a lot of nasty film junk when they feed and liquify the food they are given, which is usually meat so it will stink pretty rancidly too!

 

Your not doing this in a house are you?

[AntsMAN]

I have them in the garage. But believe it or not they don't give off that bad of a smell unless you really dig into them.

[Ants4fun]

I believe wet dog food will suffice.

[Pulliamj]

I can confirm that. I found an entire dog food bag full of maggots. They love the stuff. Just wet it up.

[LC3]

Sea urchins.