best protein source for ants

[Antloverhuman]

what is the best way to give ants protein? There aren't any shops near me that sells feeder insects. I have seen ants really like raw eggs every time I throw away egg shells there is a swarm of ants all over the bin. Can I give my ants raw eggs. can I also give them flies and other insects that come in my house? I know it's bad because those insects carry pesticides but there isn't any big park or farm type thing where people use alot of pesticides. Can I give them earthworms and termite alates that come after rain

[RuinedDrone]

I feed mine mostly out of the fridge, i do also feed meal worms some times.

but at the moment mine have a bit of pork pie, chicken (raw) strawberry, cucumber, egg (cooked or raw)

They will eat many types of protein so just give them a good selection and change it out frequently. They have the means to capture and kill insects but as for nutrition they can get it from many different sources. provide them with a few different sources at a time and keep it fresh (change every few days). You will soon see what they like and true to make sure whatyou give them is not processed. Ham in packets can have lots of chemicals added forexample.

And of course it does depend on the ant species. Many will eat any thing but some are very specifice so would be good to know what ants you need to feed.

[Antloverhuman]

ok thank you. can I feed them earthworms and flies that I catch in my house??

[TalANTFlame]

Most ants should accept earthworms, but even without pesticides, flies are a risky choice. If you find a termite queen, or a few, they may work as a pretty good food source as they don't require to much. You may also be able to find mealworms in your yard to start a feeder farm. One last thing is that if you can't keep termites, just catch, then only do the ones you find alive and healthy. If they are dead, there's a good chance they have parasites, a disease, or somehow pesticides.

[Antloverhuman]

thank you I will not feed them flies but I do have a really bad termite infestation and I can catch alot of them. I think I am fully ready now that I know everything that I need to know about keeping ants(or at least I hope I do). thank you everyone once again I and will keep posting updates on my c. compressus in my "my queen ant journal" topic.

[Antloverhuman]

can I feed them gnats too? I have seen black crazy ants hunt them

[TalANTFlame]

I'm pretty sure I've seen people feed their ants gnats, but according to the internet, they do transmit some diseases and parasites. All in all, they're safer then flies but you'd best boil or freeze them first.