Please help! My honeypot ants (myrmecocystus mexicanus) are not eating!

Posts and questions relating to ant diet & nutrition. Let us know what you’re feeding your ants.

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FishFingers
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Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2017 9:37 am

Please help! My honeypot ants (myrmecocystus mexicanus) are not eating!

Post: # 33279Post FishFingers
Wed Dec 20, 2017 7:52 pm

I recently got my first colony of Myrmecocystus Mexicanus. They are around 1 month old with 30-50 workers, and I have been feeding them mealworms and honey, yet they have taken no interest. At first, they would drag it into their nest only to bring it back up a couple days later, but now they dont even take any interest. They will always burry the honey, as well. I understand that they do thus naturally in the wild to keep other animals away from it, but they do this every time. Please help!

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idahoantgirl
Posts: 1521
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 11:52 am
Location: Idaho, USA

Re: Please help! My honeypot ants (myrmecocystus mexicanus) are not eating!

Post: # 33280Post idahoantgirl
Wed Dec 20, 2017 9:41 pm

If you're in an area that has cold winters, then your ants need to hibernate. They wouldn't eat during this time anyways. If you don't live in a temperate region, then it is just that your ants simply don't need to eat right now. Young colonies go through these phases of not eating much(or appearing not to eat) and then later they Will reach a stage of development in which they need more nourishment. Just keep providing food. Granted, some people claim certain colonies are picky, in which case you might as well try diffeeent food sources. Don't worry about it
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

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