2 replies to this topic

[jo16]

So my Tetramorium Immigrans colony is getting pretty big and so they have started to build up trash, I haven't had to deal with this problem before so I was kind of clueless as to how to deal with it.

But as I was feeding my colony some Sunburst on a piece of paper plate I discovered something, after they had finished drinking it they would start to pile all of there trash on top of it, and then it's as easy as removing it along with all of the trash!

I thought this little tip might be helpful, so if you try it out please let me know if it works for you.  

[AntRealm]

I’m not sure if this helps or not, but for my Messor colony, I placed a piece of cotton where they gather their trash, and then I replace the cotton afterward. This behavior is normal.

Edited by AntRealm, November 24 2025 - 4:52 AM.

[rptraut]

Hello Jo16,

 

I have three Tetramorium colonies, and they all exhibit similar behaviour as you've observed, it's one of the reasons I enjoy keeping these ants.    I use feeding trays to feed my small colonies.   You can find more information about the feeding trays and how I feed my ants here   Feeding Time at the Zoo - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

 

You'll see that I feed my ants mostly meat products and this helps to reduce the amount of trash in large colonies.   I use feeding trays to feed meat and insects to my smaller colonies.   They'll often pull insects under cover, and they'll bring the empty husk back to the feeding tray when finished.   They'll also pile all kinds of other trash they don't want on the tray and I'm happy to remove it for them.   They keep their nest and outworld remarkably clean.   

 

I don't use feeding trays for the larger colonies, I feed a quantity of food (meat) I know they'll clean up on a feeding platform in a separate module (see the link above).   I placed the tubing that leads to the rest of the modules, so close to the rock that only ants can pass.   They can't take an insect through the narrow opening, this keeps any trash from the occasional insect I might give them, contained in the one module, so, easy to clean out.   

 

My large colonies produce a fine, light brown waste (ant feces?) that they usually put in one area or module.   I do a "once in a while' cleanup of this material with a small vacuum cleaner. 

 

You can read more and see videos about my colonies in my journal located here     RPT's Journal - Ant Keeping Journals - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

 

Good Luck with your colonies, I welcome your questions.

RPT

Edited by rptraut, November 24 2025 - 4:49 PM.