4 replies to this topic

[Zaephyrain]

Hi, this summer I acquired a colony of Camponotus Maculatus from a friend who did not want them anymore and I have a feeding problem with them, I'd like some help troubleshooting it.

Let me first give you some context and lore before telling you what I need help with as well as things that I already tried.
 

Context and lore:

2 years ago, this colony was booming, they were a lot of brood and workers (130-150+) but my friend told me that last year's summer, their numbers were starting to dwindle and he did not know why.

This year's summer he decided to give them to me as he did not want to terminate them cause he thought they were doomed.

Since acquiring them, their numbers continued to dwindle with very very little brood, they were around the 30s when they arrived, now they are only 5 + the Queen.

I was panicking not really knowing what's happening, then it turned out to be a nutrition problem. I usually check on my ants once every 2 weeks, as I only had messor barbarus before, I only had to make sure they had a full tank of water and enough seeds.
 

So ultimately, at my place, they were basically dying of starvation cause my keeping frequency was synced with my Messors.

I started giving them sugar water at first then introduced protein as soon as I saw eggs and changed them every 2 days.

For the proteins, it's a rotation of cooked through chicken/beef with NO SPICE OR ANYTHING and NO OIL, also sometimes hard boiled egg, both white and yolk.

They LATCHED on the sugar water as soon as I put it in their outworld, for the protein, I saw them inspect them and nibble some bits of it but it was then ignored after an hour or two ( I guess since they are only 5 workers + Queen, they don't need as much protein as I put in their nest ).
 

This went on for a month and from the start of october to now, the queen has been able to lay around 10-13 eggs which made me very happy thinking if I keep this up, I could definitely bring up the numbers of the colony to it's former glory.

Since we are arriving into colder months, I've installed heating cables underneath the nest and provides them a gradient of heat.

The thermostat is set between 27.5°C to 28.5°C as the warmest point in the nest. The outworld is at the top of the nest, I don't think the heat is getting up there.
 

The problem and what I need help with:

They stopped latching on the sugar water and this is concerning me and I'd like to ask you guys if you have any idea what's going on, if you had a similar case before and how did you solve it.

I hope that they don't start eating their eggs again out of starvation...
 

What I have tried that did not change anything:

- Different ratios of water/sugar

- I tried using honey along with different ratios of water/honey as well

- Boiled water, filtered water, unfiltered water ( all tap water, and when they were latching on the sugar water, it was only boiled water )

- Boiled AND filtered water

- Different feeding trays => 3d printed trays, folded aluminum foil forming a dish, soaked cotton balls on those sweet liquids (thinking it might be a chemical interference)

- Putting directly on the floor ( they seemed quite intrigued and saw them put their mouths on it by it but since the floor is mostly absorbing most of the liquid, they aren't really getting anything
 

What I'm planning to try:

- Different liquid temperature ( I have hopes for this one, they latched on the liquid when it was warmer outside in general, their outworld is sitting on top of the nest so the heating cable is not reaching it )

- Buy one of those ant nectar

- Jellies

- Juicy fruits pieces

- Change my liquid "deliverer", I'm using a metal spoon, I'll switch with a wooden spoon if that changes anything
 

What I am suspecting:

- They were so deprived of carbs from the lack of sugar water that they needed the balance out their deficiency and now they are at a normal level and don't need that much of sweet liquid right now and just needs plain water (which is always available in a water tank, not in a dish)

- Temperature of the liquid, since this species is from a warm place and their outworld is not heated, they might be attracted to """cold""" liquid, the living, where the nest is has an ambient temp of 20-23°C (windows closed) , 18-19°C (windows open)

Thank you for reading this far, if you need more clarification, I'm happy to provide them for you

[ANTdrew]

I am not familiar with this species, but they may be ignoring foods due to cooler temperatures. Camponotus from northern climates are hardwired to hibernate and will start getting very sluggish and ignore foods. Even Camponotus from warmer areas without a very cold climate may enter into a rest period of sorts when it cools down.
A second issue is nutrition. Ants like Camponotus need a variety of insect protein if they are to thrive. These ants live off liquid foods, either sugars or insect hemolymph. Cooked meats and eggs are solid foods that the ants can really just lick a bit before they dry off and become unappetizing. Mix in crickets, mealworms, fruit flies, or dubia roaches for real colony growth.

[Zaephyrain]

Thank you for answering.

I'm keeping them in my room right now, it's in a constant 21° , they used to drink the hell out of the sugar water at that temp.

So far, I tried apple bits with squeezed apple juices in their dishes, I don't see them flocking on it
I'll be trying slightly warmer sugar water today, I'll update if there are any positives.

As far as their activity in the nest, they are not sluggish at all, the inner nest is at 28.5C° which is pretty warm, and I've been told that this species doesn't do hibernation on winter

One good news is that the eggs/larvae are visibly growing and the queen did lay a few new ones and the one that is usually carrying the clutch of brood always has a bigger abdomen and has a milkier color than the others, I guess they still do take some of the liquid when I'm not looking and feed her and the queen with it.

I could also try using a color dye to check if they are in fact drinking from the sugar water, any recommendations for food coloring safe for ants?

Edited by Zaephyrain, November 25 2025 - 2:27 AM.

[An-Ant]

I wouldn't recommend feeding ants apples. They can have residual insecticide/chemicals on them.

 

As for feeding, ants not eating is not a big problem. In my experience, the ants will eat if hungry and won't if not. This especially is the case for young/small colonies.

They may have just been starving for sugars when you got them, and now they are no longer hungry. 

 Also check if the workers' gasters(abdomen) are swollen with food. If this is the case, then the ants have plenty of food stored. 

Overall, you can trust the ants to know when they are hungry. 

If your are really worried, any food dyes that are safe for human consumption can be applied to their sugar water

 

As for the initial worker die-off, they may have been dehydrated, to cold, to hot, fed insecticide, contracted some sort of virus, or had parasites (usually mites) on them. There are a whole host of ways ants can suddenly die in captivity, but if it seems to have stopped, you should be fine

Good luck!

[rptraut]

Hello Zaephyrain;

 

I keep Camponotus pennsylvanicus ants, so take my comments with that in mind.   I agree with much of what has been posted above, but I'd like to expand on a few points.   The size of your colony (queen and five workers + some larvae and eggs) is very similar in size to a founding colony.    On a daily basis, a colony of this size requires very little sugar/water and only the queen and growing larvae require protein, and not very much of that either.   Camponotus colonies seem to grow slowly compared to other species; larger workers require more sugar/water and protein and more time to grow.   Be patient, disturb them as little as possible, and feed them small amounts of protein every other day.   I use small pieces of sponge soaked in sugar/water and drinking water, on small feeding trays, to constantly supply my colonies with these essentials.   You can read more details about how I feed my ants here    Feeding Time at the Zoo - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

 

Although workers are only able to take in liquids like sugar/water and hemolymph from insects, larvae are able to process solid foods.   Workers will take small pieces of meat products, like chicken and egg yolk, back to the nest and place them where larvae can reach them and eat them.  A few larvae won't require much if fed every other day.   It's important to feed your colony consistently to ensure their food is fresh.  With my small colonies, I feel quite happy if they take all the solid food the first day and then I give them a day to digest it.   I know it's time to increase the amount I give them when they empty the food tray quickly and keep patrolling it, looking for more.   You'll notice that as the number of larvae increases and their size increases, their need for protein will increase as well until they pupate when their protein need is finished.   

 

It'll take time for this colony to grow.   Try not to overstress yourself and the colony.   Patience and persistence are required when keeping slow growing species like Camponotus, relax and enjoy the process. 

RPT