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Solenopsis Molesta Thief ants Diet tips?


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#1 Offline TinyAnts248 - Posted August 22 2023 - 8:43 PM

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I currently house a 4 queen thief ant colony that has 5 workers and a small pile of brood/eggs. I rarely see them forage, as they use to forage a lot more when they had 9 workers. I also am not sure how often I should feed them. I don't think they ate any of the fruit flies I gave them and I feed 3-5 at a time. Idk if that's too much for a colony of this size. They do drink honey from time to time and hunt the springtails in the nest. I guess my question is: How often should I feed them and what are some insects I can feed besides fruit flies? General Diet tips would be great. 


Currently keeping Solenopsis Molesta, Brachymyrmex Patagonicus, and a new Dorymyrmex insanus queen. I hate argentine ants. 

Previously kept: pheidole pilifera, solenopsis geminata


#2 Offline bmb1bee - Posted August 22 2023 - 9:34 PM

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Try feeding them tiny bits of seeds, nuts, or fish food. Items like that usually work with my thief ants and similar small species. Thief ants will also eat the brood of other ants in the wild, so you could try that if you have invasive ants around your house.


"Float like a butterfly sting like a bee, his eyes can't hit what the eyes can't see." - Muhammad Ali

 

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#3 Offline TinyAnts248 - Posted August 23 2023 - 4:37 PM

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Try feeding them tiny bits of seeds, nuts, or fish food. Items like that usually work with my thief ants and similar small species. Thief ants will also eat the brood of other ants in the wild, so you could try that if you have invasive ants around your house.

You mean like bird seeds or fish flakes or those tiny fish pellets you feed betta fish?


Currently keeping Solenopsis Molesta, Brachymyrmex Patagonicus, and a new Dorymyrmex insanus queen. I hate argentine ants. 

Previously kept: pheidole pilifera, solenopsis geminata


#4 Offline bmb1bee - Posted August 23 2023 - 8:17 PM

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Try feeding them tiny bits of seeds, nuts, or fish food. Items like that usually work with my thief ants and similar small species. Thief ants will also eat the brood of other ants in the wild, so you could try that if you have invasive ants around your house.

You mean like bird seeds or fish flakes or those tiny fish pellets you feed betta fish?

 

Yes, those will work if crumbled up into very small pieces. 


"Float like a butterfly sting like a bee, his eyes can't hit what the eyes can't see." - Muhammad Ali

 

Check out my shop and Camponotus journal! Discord user is bmb1bee if you'd like to chat.


#5 Offline 100lols - Posted September 10 2023 - 2:42 PM

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They also love my cats dry food, Kirkland brand lol. I gusss you could try that.

#6 Offline TinyAnts248 - Posted September 14 2023 - 9:15 PM

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bruh, the ants killed the queen. They are queenless now. Why did they do that. 


Currently keeping Solenopsis Molesta, Brachymyrmex Patagonicus, and a new Dorymyrmex insanus queen. I hate argentine ants. 

Previously kept: pheidole pilifera, solenopsis geminata


#7 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 15 2023 - 1:56 AM

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The queen probably died of some other cause, and you saw the ants not letting a good protein source go to waste.
  • bmb1bee and 100lols like this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.




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