6 replies to this topic

[Huch]

Ok so,I have been working so many hours that I have not even had the time to properly care for my ant colonies. Specifically, I didn't have time to collect the usual meals of spiders and crickets. Then I had thought how often I had seen ants carrying caterpillars to their nests,and I remembered about how some reptile keepers breed wax worms as meals for their reptiles. Needless to say, I am currently testing this out and I have had mixed results.

First, I ordered about 1000 for $30. Setting them up took about 20 minutes,and some have begun to pupate (spelling?). I fed all my colonies the day they arrived. My only problem with the worms is that they smell a little and need to be kept at 84 to 90 Fahrenheit to be renewable and self sustaining. I currently keep them in bins with a heated mat and heat lamp.

Feeding results are mostly poor I believe for two reasons: most of my colonies are small and are not actively foraging right now ie C. pennsylvanicus never even went to the feeding area.

Most of my crematogastor colonies are hardly foraging, though they did pick at the worms. My species E colonies eat the worms so slowly that the worms rot into brown slime puddles before they finish. What I did notice about the species e colonies are that they are still eating older pieces of crickets and spiders. So it could be that I have over fed them.

My biggest crematogastor colony which is quite active eat the worms very quickly. Every day they consume one almost completely. That is at least encouraging.

I will post pictures. I have been too busy for anything as of late.

[Michaelofvancouver]

I have actually never heard of someone breeding waxworms for ants XD. In the reptile hobby they're only used as a snack because of their extremely high fat content.

[Crystals]

I have a tendency to only culture non-smelly and low maintenance feeders. 

I will buy (or catch) and freeze other insects, to thaw as needed.

 

Various feeders: http://www.formicult...ts-and-feeders/

[William. T]

Full of fat and not exactly ant magnets. Use them for fishing bait and order yourself some fruit flies.

[Huch]

Great topic Crystals. I just read it.

Are fruit flies too small? Or do you just increase the amount?

[William. T]

Not small. Perfect sizes for a small colony to handle. Dropping them into the nest will have a great feeding/attacking response, but may stress them out. Remember, ants don't need much.

[Crystals]

Great topic Crystals. I just read it.

Are fruit flies too small? Or do you just increase the amount?

I just feed more.

I find my older Camponotus colonies kill them and ignore them, but all other species love them.  The smaller the ant, the more they seem to like them.

 

For fussy small colonies, I put a bunch of live flightless fruit flies in the outworld for them to slowly hunt.  Works quite well.

 

The only downside of live fruit flies is that they get the side and lid dirty.