My Solenopsis molesta colony

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TheRealAntMan
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Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 46599Post TheRealAntMan
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:29 pm

idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
Solenopsis Molesta have a actually been noted to prefer grease over sweets.
An ants' strength can be rivaled by few animals compared to relative body size.

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idahoantgirl
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Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 46600Post idahoantgirl
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:35 pm

TheRealAntMan wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:29 pm
idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
Solenopsis Molesta have a actually been noted to prefer grease over sweets.
Really? Hmm I haven't heard about this. I'd be interested in some sources :)
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

TheRealAntMan
Posts: 620
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2017 5:59 pm
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 46610Post TheRealAntMan
Sat Aug 04, 2018 10:22 pm

idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:35 pm
TheRealAntMan wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:29 pm
idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
Solenopsis Molesta have a actually been noted to prefer grease over sweets.
Really? Hmm I haven't heard about this. I'd be interested in some sources :)
https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/thief-ant


http://www.bugscontrolofindia.com/index.php?*****_content&view=article&id=75%3Athief-ant-facts-identification-a-control&catid=37%3Aants&Itemid=82

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Solenopsis_molesta/

I don’t trust like these sources but even they are fairly accurate: 8-)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/69540-Solenopsis-molesta

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solenopsis_molesta
An ants' strength can be rivaled by few animals compared to relative body size.

AntsDakota
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Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 46650Post AntsDakota
Sun Aug 05, 2018 2:44 pm

idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:35 pm
TheRealAntMan wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:29 pm
idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
Solenopsis Molesta have a actually been noted to prefer grease over sweets.
Really? Hmm I haven't heard about this. I'd be interested in some sources :)
Yeah, Solenopsis molesta have a weird diet.That gives them the common name "Grease ants". Also, I think that butter probably has carbohydrates. For a while I was panicking about what to feed them, since it was difficult to dig up ant nests and steal their brood to feed to them, so I was having trouble feeding them. But I finally found out that they like flies, fruit flies, and butter. I will try peanut butter when they are hungry again.
"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
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Location: South Dakota

Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 46652Post AntsDakota
Sun Aug 05, 2018 2:49 pm

idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
I've seen Solenopsis molesta feeding on grease in the wild (that is, in my kitchen :o :lol: ) They lick grease off empty plates that haven't been thrown away yet, and pretty much ignore sugars I've gave them. And yeah, butter might not have nutritional value (a Formica worker from the colony that shares the out world with the Royal Legion attacked a slab of butter and sprayed it with formic acid :lol: ) But I've heard of Temnothorax eating peanut butter, so if they like it, I'll feed it to them.
"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
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Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 46653Post AntsDakota
Sun Aug 05, 2018 2:51 pm

idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
I forgot to mention that they love the butter. They swarmed all over it and drank it up. I don't think they would be interested if it didn't have any nutritional value to the ants.
"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
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Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 46733Post AntsDakota
Mon Aug 06, 2018 4:45 pm

There are hardly any workers in the outworld now, so I assume they ate butter for hours last night and just don't feel like eating a thing today.
"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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antnest8
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Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 47370Post antnest8
Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:29 pm

AntsDakota wrote:
Sun Aug 05, 2018 2:49 pm
idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
I've seen Solenopsis molesta feeding on grease in the wild (that is, in my kitchen :o :lol: ) They lick grease off empty plates that haven't been thrown away yet, and pretty much ignore sugars I've gave them. And yeah, butter might not have nutritional value (a Formica worker from the colony that shares the out world with the Royal Legion attacked a slab of butter and sprayed it with formic acid :lol: )
Why are you sharing your out worlds with different colonies?
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AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
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Re: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 47467Post AntsDakota
Tue Aug 14, 2018 11:55 am

antnest8 wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:29 pm
AntsDakota wrote:
Sun Aug 05, 2018 2:49 pm
idahoantgirl wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:24 pm
Butter? That's a new one. What are you giving them for sugar? I don't think butter has much nutritional value for ants.
I've seen Solenopsis molesta feeding on grease in the wild (that is, in my kitchen :o :lol: ) They lick grease off empty plates that haven't been thrown away yet, and pretty much ignore sugars I've gave them. And yeah, butter might not have nutritional value (a Formica worker from the colony that shares the out world with the Royal Legion attacked a slab of butter and sprayed it with formic acid :lol: )
Why are you sharing your out worlds with different colonies?
The Solenopsis colony either didn't even know about the Formica colony or just respected its space, and the Formica colony didn't want to forage outside of their test tube. But I took them out just in case the Solenopsis colony started to munch on their eggs.
"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: My Solenopsis molesta colony

Post: # 50318Post AntsDakota
Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:37 pm

Funny story. A month or two ago I checked on them and a queen ejected a whole clump of 20 or so eggs before darting off into the shadows.
"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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