How do you prepare ant food?

Questions from those who are just starting or considering getting into the ant keeping hobby. If you’re intimidated or confused by the in-depth posts of the other sections of this forum, feel free to post here, and we'll start from square one!

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antfussl

How do you prepare ant food?

Post: # 31462Post antfussl
Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:24 am

I'm just getting to the stage that my colony has developed bout 10 workers and I want to know how to prepare their prey insects since their is no video on Mikey's channel. :?: :o :D

Balvine

Re: How do you prepare ant food?

Post: # 31468Post Balvine
Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:24 am

I pre kill all my feeder insects before I put them in to the outworld. This ensures they don't trash around once the anys start feeding in them, since it might harm the ants if the feeder insect is bigger than the ants. Also if the colony is small in size or number I also cut the insect in half so the ants have easier access to the juicy parts.

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: How do you prepare ant food?

Post: # 31471Post Batspiderfish
Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:00 am

Sticking feeder insects in the freezer does the trick.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

AntsArizona
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2017 7:55 am
Location: Arizona

Re: How do you prepare ant food?

Post: # 32262Post AntsArizona
Wed Oct 11, 2017 8:30 am

Everyone else already said it but yup, Freezing works best. For new colonies, if you freeze a cricket, the legs pretty much snap right off and you can use those very easily.

I also cut a small piece of aluminum foil to to put the food on and slide it into the test tubes using tweezers. It makes for much easier cleaning afterwards.

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idahoantgirl
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Location: Idaho, USA

Re: How do you prepare ant food?

Post: # 32265Post idahoantgirl
Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:07 am

I use bottlecaps as feeding dishes
Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

Keeping Tetramorium immigrans, Tapinoma Sessile

CreeperUniverse
Posts: 222
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:22 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: How do you prepare ant food?

Post: # 32700Post CreeperUniverse
Wed Nov 01, 2017 8:45 pm

idahoantgirl wrote:
Wed Oct 11, 2017 10:07 am
I use bottlecaps as feeding dishes
That usually works. Sometimes I get something like a piece of wood, and stick the food in using some sort of pin to hold them in place.
Check out my YouTube channel, Arman's Ants.
https://***/armansants
Also feel free to check out the Discord server, Ant-Keeping & Ethology:
https://discord.me/ants

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