What just happened...

[AntsAntsAnts]

As you might know, I have three polyrhachis queens. When I checked up on them today, one of them was trying to get out and the other two were just laying around. Is it that the queen was kicked out by the others or was it trying to get food bc they are semi-claustral. I do believe that it is the second one as the queen went back to the two queens and they didn't do anything to her. But there was like a bit of raw honey so...

[Antloverhuman]

I guess you could feed them some protein. If she still tries to escape put her in another test tube with some eggs if you can

[AntsAntsAnts]

Hmm... only problem is I ran out. I know this is unethical but do queen ants eat worker ants????? bc that is the only quick source of protein I have Or should I just dig up some worms outside?

[Antloverhuman]

Getting worms or insects from outside can be dangerous as they may contain pesticides which could kill them. You could feed them wild ants but i have heard that the taste of ants is very bad so they won't eat it. You can give them boiled eggs. I have seen my ants like hard boiled egg yolks.

[AntsLuxembourg]

Getting worms or insects from outside can be dangerous as they may contain pesticides which could kill them. You could feed them wild ants but i have heard that the taste of ants is very bad so they won't eat it. You can give them boiled eggs. I have seen my ants like hard boiled egg yolks.

I'm not exactly sure why but I heard / read that egg yolks aren't good for ants. However I don't remember why or even if that is true. I also looked up what is better and apparently egg yolk beats egg white in regards to protein per gram. What you can do to preserve as much protein as possible, you can try to soft boil an egg and then take a bit of that for your colony. Don't boil the egg until it is hard and solid. It first will preserve more protein and second make it easier for the ants to consume.
I would say try to put an egg into a pot with water heat until the water is boiling, and then reduce the heat a bit so it's not bubbling like crazy. Let it boil for at least 5 minutes and then take it out. Put it in cold water for a few seconds. I don't know why but I think it makes it easier to peel.

[AntsAntsAnts]

Okay, uh, they are all just camping at the front which is weird and also makes it very hard to feed them. Also, I think they kinda ditched their eggs... or maybe they just aren't getting it now or they are hiding it. It's hard to tell with ants... very strange.

[AntsAntsAnts]

Also how does putting an egg into cold water make it easier to peel? ANyways, regarding the worms, they will probably be cultivated from my pot which has no pesticides but might have parasites. There are a bunch of springtails there too so are springtails - live or dead - an okay solution for protein? Otherwise I will go with the eggs.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

Insects needed… you could try table food, but I don’t know with genus

[AntsLuxembourg]

Not sure how cold water helps, however it does help with the hot egg. xD

About the spring tails, that would make a possible protein source. But I would recommend you go to a pet store or fishing store to get some feeder insects.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

Not sure how cold water helps, however it does help with the hot egg. xD

About the spring tails, that would make a possible protein source. But I would recommend you go to a pet store or fishing store to get some feeder insects.

Springtails take a lot of energy to catch and is probably not enough to feed a growing colony