They won’t eat fruit!

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Animalisterra
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2018 9:02 pm

They won’t eat fruit!

Post: # 52261Post Animalisterra
Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:23 am

My new colony of pheidole ants love protein but don’t touch fruit. Some ants will drink the honey but only certain ones who are still very cautious. Why are they doing this?

JoeHostile1
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Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:51 am
Location: Canada
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Re: They won’t eat fruit!

Post: # 52265Post JoeHostile1
Thu Oct 11, 2018 12:06 pm

I actully finding it quite remarkable how timid the First workers can be. I remember giving a Camponotus nanitic a dead fruit fly and she stood as far back from it as possible and literally stretched out her body and antenna as far as she possible could to just barely make contact with the fruit fly. It reminded me of a timid cat that couldn’t resist pawing at something it was unsure of. Of course as soon as the ant touched the fruit fly she freaked out and ran away. But eventually drummed up the courage to approach the fruit fly and drag it deeper into the test tube.

Anyway as the colony gets more and more workers they get more and more bold. The First workers are scared of absolutly everything and they are also aware that there are not enough workers for them to expose themselves to any risk. Once the colony gets large and they start sending out large numbers to forage they pretty much lose all fear when other workers are around them. Except of course for shadows, or light, or vibration they always seem to be scared of that.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfFtn6RegZ3F1NdS1g08NA

Animalisterra
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Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2018 9:02 pm

Re: They won’t eat fruit!

Post: # 52294Post Animalisterra
Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:00 pm

So they will most likely start eating fruit and sugars once the colony grows?

Boomdale
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Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:49 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: They won’t eat fruit!

Post: # 52321Post Boomdale
Fri Oct 12, 2018 3:02 pm

It is essentially a common new colony misconception. When we see ants in the wild or on tv, there are many ants and they devour whatever they are eating right. In the case of a new colony, you’re only looking at a dozen or less ants. Consider how small an individual ant is. Now, consider how small their stomach must be to have room for it and the crop and maybe a stinger / venom sac in their gastor. So when we put a tiny piece of food out for our new colonies, we worry about nothing we can see is missing from it. Be it honey or a piece of protien, when in reality the ant(s) have filled up their tiny tiny stomaches and went back home.

Also from what I have learned, ants don’t actually EAT the fruit, they drink the sugary liquid on the outside of said fruit. They only eat protien in order to feed it back to their larva.
Nylanderia Sp.
Pheidole Sp.

Founding - Cremagastor & Solonopsis Invicta

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: They won’t eat fruit!

Post: # 52424Post AntsDakota
Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:26 am

Animalisterra wrote:
Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:23 am
My new colony of pheidole ants love protein but don’t touch fruit. Some ants will drink the honey but only certain ones who are still very cautious. Why are they doing this?
Pheidole I have kept in the past don't care for sugars very much. It really depends on the species.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: They won’t eat fruit!

Post: # 52425Post AntsDakota
Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:27 am

Boomdale wrote:
Fri Oct 12, 2018 3:02 pm
It is essentially a common new colony misconception. When we see ants in the wild or on tv, there are many ants and they devour whatever they are eating right. In the case of a new colony, you’re only looking at a dozen or less ants. Consider how small an individual ant is. Now, consider how small their stomach must be to have room for it and the crop and maybe a stinger / venom sac in their gastor. So when we put a tiny piece of food out for our new colonies, we worry about nothing we can see is missing from it. Be it honey or a piece of protien, when in reality the ant(s) have filled up their tiny tiny stomaches and went back home.

Also from what I have learned, ants don’t actually EAT the fruit, they drink the sugary liquid on the outside of said fruit. They only eat protien in order to feed it back to their larva.
And don't forget about formic acid glands as well.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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