7 replies to this topic

[Quackmin]

Today my Camponotus Chromaiodes colony had it's first meal. Some wildflower honey, I was wondering when should I next feed them and what? Should I give them a cricket leg?

[Yourbasicantkeeper]

You should feed them every 2-3 days depending on how big your colony is and definitely feed them that cricket leg because they need protein.

[Quackmin]

Ohh ok cool thank you. They have 3 works and more on the way. Additional question, should I feed them both some honey and the cricket leg or just one of them?

[Quackmin]

Another question for feeder crickets, could I keep feeding my colony from one cricket? Like leg by leg? If so should I refrigerate the dead cricket? Or should I buy a new cricket for each feeding?

[ANTdrew]

Read this: https://www.formicul...view=getnewpost

As for crickets, buy 25 or so and freeze them all. Thaw crickets as needed to feed your colony. Feeding them protein and sugar at the same time is fine. Be careful with honey, though, because it can have pesticides in it. Sugar water is probably safer.

[Quackmin]

Thanks!!  And any specific kind of sugar?

[rptraut]

Hello Quackmin;
I take frozen crickets and cut them up while still frozen. First, I remove the legs and cut off and garbage the spiny part. Slash the hard coating so the ants can get inside the “drumstick”. Then, I hold the body with wide tweezers and cut them in half lengthwise with a scalpel. Then I cut each piece in half again. I fed my founding niger colony small pieces of food every other day.

I keep food pieces in Petri dishes in the freezer. They thaw quickly each time I feed my ants. I have separate dishes for chicken, liver, raw pork, flies, mealworms etc as well as crickets. Rotating through the dishes makes it easy to give my ants variety in their diet.
RPT

[Quackmin]

Thank you guys for the tips.