My ants won't eat honey

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

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rafa0814
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:28 pm
Location: Kissimmee

My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 47377Post rafa0814
Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:54 pm

back in June i found 4 solenopisis invicta queens. I read they are polygenous so i connected all 4 test tubes via a test tube portal. they started laying eggs waited around 3 weeks for them to develop into adults. When they had around 10 workers i fed them some honey on a piece of toilet paper (Ants Australia did a video saying this method of putting the honey in the toilet paper was a easy way of clean up. i placed the honey but no ant drank it. they could have drank the honey after i put the away but it seems very unlikely as the honey puddle didn't shrink in size. but one of the queens died recently and i was wondering if she died because she didn't eat. (i couldn't feed then crushed insects because my local pet store was out of meal worms and crickets, and the dead ones were frozen and dried). I hope someone could give me advise on why the small colony ins't eating honey. (also, they have 30 to 40 workers now and still growing).

Thanks for your help! :)
Keeping: solenopsis invicta

AntnoobSG
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 8:33 am
Location: singapore

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 47380Post AntnoobSG
Mon Aug 13, 2018 5:23 pm

Maybe your colony drank too little for you to notice
Keeper of :
Camponotus albosparsus x2 :o
Camponotus Irritans ;)
Hoping for pheidole colony :D

rafa0814
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:28 pm
Location: Kissimmee

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 47382Post rafa0814
Mon Aug 13, 2018 5:31 pm

thanks for the response!

maybe they have drank too little, as i only leave the food about 2 days. I am fairly new to this and this is my first time feeding a colony.
Keeping: solenopsis invicta

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

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 47386Post idahoantgirl
Mon Aug 13, 2018 5:45 pm

They could just be at a stage of development when they just don't need as much food, but it's highly likely that they drank an unnoticeable amount. Supply them with protein. Even if it has to be moist dog food for now or shreds of chicken.
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

rafa0814
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:28 pm
Location: Kissimmee

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 47476Post rafa0814
Tue Aug 14, 2018 2:42 pm

Do you guys think they are ready for a formicarium?
Keeping: solenopsis invicta

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

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 47491Post idahoantgirl
Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:36 pm

The reccomended number is 25-50 so yeah I think they'd be fine :)
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

JoeHostile1
Posts: 409
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:51 am
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 48242Post JoeHostile1
Wed Aug 22, 2018 7:51 am

Try soaking a cotton ball or piece of a cotton ball in sugar water. Most of my colonies never ever touch honey even though I always provide it for them. But they all eat the sugar water. Honey can be dangerous for workers as well especially the smaller ones.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula

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

rafa0814
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:28 pm
Location: Kissimmee

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 48592Post rafa0814
Sun Aug 26, 2018 6:35 pm

Thanks y'all for the answers!

By the way here's an update: the colony hasn't grown much but they did start to eat honey, and my local pet store provided some superworms. their size is about 65, but i noticed one other thing. My workers keep vibrating their gasters. Can anyone tell me why?
They also have trouble moving. I placed a hair dryer so it would generate some discomfort, but it didn't work. I also placed lighting there, but they didn't seem to bother. But again, they are solenopsis invicta, so that might have to do with the species.

Thank a'll for the support!
Keeping: solenopsis invicta

AntnoobSG
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 8:33 am
Location: singapore

Re: My ants won't eat honey

Post: # 48612Post AntnoobSG
Mon Aug 27, 2018 1:39 am

The vibrating of gasters is probably them communicating
Keeper of :
Camponotus albosparsus x2 :o
Camponotus Irritans ;)
Hoping for pheidole colony :D

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