Help with protein

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

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Pabloof7
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:39 pm
Location: Spain

Help with protein

Post: # 46506Post Pabloof7
Fri Aug 03, 2018 2:56 pm

Here is the thing, I have a tapinoma erraticum colony with 7 workers. I have read that ants need a protein source and sugary foods. I am okey with the sugar ones (honey, sugar eater, fruit...). But I dont know what to do with protein, I have heard that wild insects are not good as they may have pesticides or harmful parasites on them. It is recommended to buy them, but I dont want ti spend money on that.

Is there an alternative?? Can I remove the harmful parasites and clean the wild insects??

Pls help
Keeping:
x1 Tapinoma erraticum
x2 Lasius niger

Founding:
x7 Camponotus
x1 Unknown

Wishlist:
Tetramorium sp

🐜❤️

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Whitelotus
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 5:50 pm
Location: San Joaquin County, California

Re: Help with protein

Post: # 46517Post Whitelotus
Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:27 pm

I would recommend going to the local pet store and go the the section for reptiles. They may sell live cricket there. If they put them in a bag and tie it up, get home and place the bag of crickets in a freezer. After five minutes or so the bag should be decompressed and the crickets have died. You can easily put the cricket in pieces them open or feed the entire cricket to your workers. It is working for my tetramorium colony, hopefully it will work for you.

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Help with protein

Post: # 46518Post Batspiderfish
Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:33 pm

For Tapinoma, something small like Drosophila melanogaster flies would be preferable. The wingless forms are available online and at many pet stores. If you want to spend no money, then you can always capture and breed wild ones, although you need to get around the fact that they can fly (probably by chilling them).
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

Pabloof7
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:39 pm
Location: Spain

Re: Help with protein

Post: # 46528Post Pabloof7
Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:33 am

And if I buy those fruit flies, can I have freeze them and keep them in the fridge forever until I used them all.
For example, lets say that they spend 1 month in the fridge, will they spoil or completely lose their properties??
Keeping:
x1 Tapinoma erraticum
x2 Lasius niger

Founding:
x7 Camponotus
x1 Unknown

Wishlist:
Tetramorium sp

🐜❤️

Pabloof7
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:39 pm
Location: Spain

Re: Help with protein

Post: # 46529Post Pabloof7
Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:44 am

And if my family doesnt let me buy insects and I make sure they have no pesticides on, would they be safe for my ants if I boil them.
Is there anything else that is dangerous for the ants and cannot be eliminated with boiling??
Keeping:
x1 Tapinoma erraticum
x2 Lasius niger

Founding:
x7 Camponotus
x1 Unknown

Wishlist:
Tetramorium sp

🐜❤️

Silver
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:37 am
Location: Netherlands

Re: Help with protein

Post: # 46538Post Silver
Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:17 am

You can feed them cut up spiders. If you caught them in your house rather than in a garden, they won’t have any pesticides. You could boil the insects, but this does not always work.
Keeper of Lasius Niger colony. :D

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

Re: Help with protein

Post: # 46562Post idahoantgirl
Sat Aug 04, 2018 1:47 pm

Still too risky for comfort
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

Hunter36o
Posts: 376
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2018 9:57 am
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Re: Help with protein

Post: # 48243Post Hunter36o
Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:00 am

You can give them cooked chicken strips. Not breaded would be best I think. Moist dog food works also. Insects are the best source but not the only sourse of protein.
Research is important before during and even after you have established a colony. There is always time to learn and to listen to others experiences. Live by this and your ants will thrive. Fail to do so and your experience may be brief.

JoeHostile1
Posts: 409
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:51 am
Location: Canada
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Re: Help with protein

Post: # 48250Post JoeHostile1
Wed Aug 22, 2018 8:38 am

The best bet if you don’t want to constantly buy insects is to start a culture of flightless fruit flies. They are super easy to keep and breed. You will just have to buy the first batch of flightless fruit flies.

All you need to do is put porridge in the bottom of a plastic cup which is the food the flies need. And something for the adult flies to walk on like strips of paper or coffee filters. Then put a vented lid on top. About every 30 days you start a new cup with flies in it and you have a never ending supply of fruit flies.

Feeding insects from outside is not recommended as others have mentioned because they could potentially have pathagins or have been exposed to pesticides. Especially you want to stay away from flies because they can travel very long distances and have an immunity to some pesticides.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula

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

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