Carpenter ants are a bit excited

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Toastant
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:21 pm

Carpenter ants are a bit excited

Post: # 92089Post Toastant
Sat May 07, 2022 7:16 am

I have a small carpenter ant colony that seems to have been doing well ever since I started giving them brown sugar flavored protein jelly. (does that work as their main food source for now?) I woke them up from hibernation this year (they still only have the nanitics and some brood) but now the brood pile is growing with some pupae.

In the past few months, they only pulled at the cotton of the test tube when hungry, but I fed them yesterday and now they are doing it again. They only have five weak nanitic workers which are probably nearing their expiration date, and I don't think I can introduce them to a larger setup yet.

They had an AC portal pre-hibernation, but that seemed like too much space. What should I do?

SolenopsisKeeper
Posts: 2402
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2021 11:41 am
Location: United States, Florida

Re: Carpenter ants are a bit excited

Post: # 92091Post SolenopsisKeeper
Sat May 07, 2022 7:45 am

Toastant wrote:
Sat May 07, 2022 7:16 am
I have a small carpenter ant colony that seems to have been doing well ever since I started giving them brown sugar flavored protein jelly. (does that work as their main food source for now?) I woke them up from hibernation this year (they still only have the nanitics and some brood) but now the brood pile is growing with some pupae.

In the past few months, they only pulled at the cotton of the test tube when hungry, but I fed them yesterday and now they are doing it again. They only have five weak nanitic workers which are probably nearing their expiration date, and I don't think I can introduce them to a larger setup yet.

They had an AC portal pre-hibernation, but that seemed like too much space. What should I do?
They probably want a sugar source. What have you been giving them for sugar? Also, maybe try giving them something else with protein to give variety in their diet. Also, I am sure the nantics could use an outworld or test tube portal.

In my Camponotus Floridanus colony, I have only lost 7 workers and it’s well over 120 workers now, and 5 of those were mite deaths, and one was a nantic that I picked up incorrectly, and the other nantic died of age. Still have 3 or 4 nantics though.
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Toastant
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:21 pm

Re: Carpenter ants are a bit excited

Post: # 92111Post Toastant
Sun May 08, 2022 1:21 pm

SolenopsisKeeper wrote:
Sat May 07, 2022 7:45 am
Toastant wrote:
Sat May 07, 2022 7:16 am
I have a small carpenter ant colony that seems to have been doing well ever since I started giving them brown sugar flavored protein jelly. (does that work as their main food source for now?) I woke them up from hibernation this year (they still only have the nanitics and some brood) but now the brood pile is growing with some pupae.

In the past few months, they only pulled at the cotton of the test tube when hungry, but I fed them yesterday and now they are doing it again. They only have five weak nanitic workers which are probably nearing their expiration date, and I don't think I can introduce them to a larger setup yet.

They had an AC portal pre-hibernation, but that seemed like too much space. What should I do?
They probably want a sugar source. What have you been giving them for sugar? Also, maybe try giving them something else with protein to give variety in their diet. Also, I am sure the nantics could use an outworld or test tube portal.

In my Camponotus Floridanus colony, I have only lost 7 workers and it’s well over 120 workers now, and 5 of those were mite deaths, and one was a nantic that I picked up incorrectly, and the other nantic died of age. Still have 3 or 4 nantics though.
That jelly is the only thing I have been able to get them to eat consistently in their past year (In fact, they flock to it), and it (presumably) has brown sugar in it, so I figured that until they grew in numbers I could feed them mostly that.

I could try giving them honey or an apple piece again, but in terms of other proteins they haven't responded much to dubia roach, superworms, or crickets in the past. (These were all in smaller pieces, like the roach's head, 1/3 of a superworm, or a cricket leg/head) Plus, I don't have access to these any more as I got rid of them when my ants didn't enjoy the meat.

Watching one of AntsCanada's latest videos, I had the idea of going to a local park where I'm sure they don't use pesticides and catching something the ants would eat in their natural habitat. That idea still scares me though, as how can I really be sure?

I don't know, I'll give them some honey or an apple piece if we have any later. Thanks!

SolenopsisKeeper
Posts: 2402
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2021 11:41 am
Location: United States, Florida

Re: Carpenter ants are a bit excited

Post: # 92122Post SolenopsisKeeper
Sun May 08, 2022 5:56 pm

Toastant wrote:
Sun May 08, 2022 1:21 pm
SolenopsisKeeper wrote:
Sat May 07, 2022 7:45 am
Toastant wrote:
Sat May 07, 2022 7:16 am
I have a small carpenter ant colony that seems to have been doing well ever since I started giving them brown sugar flavored protein jelly. (does that work as their main food source for now?) I woke them up from hibernation this year (they still only have the nanitics and some brood) but now the brood pile is growing with some pupae.

In the past few months, they only pulled at the cotton of the test tube when hungry, but I fed them yesterday and now they are doing it again. They only have five weak nanitic workers which are probably nearing their expiration date, and I don't think I can introduce them to a larger setup yet.

They had an AC portal pre-hibernation, but that seemed like too much space. What should I do?
They probably want a sugar source. What have you been giving them for sugar? Also, maybe try giving them something else with protein to give variety in their diet. Also, I am sure the nantics could use an outworld or test tube portal.

In my Camponotus Floridanus colony, I have only lost 7 workers and it’s well over 120 workers now, and 5 of those were mite deaths, and one was a nantic that I picked up incorrectly, and the other nantic died of age. Still have 3 or 4 nantics though.
That jelly is the only thing I have been able to get them to eat consistently in their past year (In fact, they flock to it), and it (presumably) has brown sugar in it, so I figured that until they grew in numbers I could feed them mostly that.

I could try giving them honey or an apple piece again, but in terms of other proteins they haven't responded much to dubia roach, superworms, or crickets in the past. (These were all in smaller pieces, like the roach's head, 1/3 of a superworm, or a cricket leg/head) Plus, I don't have access to these any more as I got rid of them when my ants didn't enjoy the meat.

Watching one of AntsCanada's latest videos, I had the idea of going to a local park where I'm sure they don't use pesticides and catching something the ants would eat in their natural habitat. That idea still scares me though, as how can I really be sure?

I don't know, I'll give them some honey or an apple piece if we have any later. Thanks!
NONE of my ants eat cricket legs, I don’t know why. They eat the legs if they are on the body, but not alone. If it has brown sugar in it, it should be fine
When you accidentally reply to yourself…

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