Feeding Honeybee Pollen (Pollen Patties) Substitute to Weaver Ants?

[AussieAnt]

I am wondering if feeding pollen (aka pollen patties) substitute manufactured for use in honeybees to give them protein and essential nutrients will be alright to use as a protein substitute for weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) or ants in general?

Weaver ants are the only natural pollinators in Cape York, due to the lack of bee pollinators there. This got me wondering if they are actually consuming the pollen? Anyway I would assume a pollen protein source would be better for them than whey milk products?

Just trying to minimize the need to kill insects every time I want to feed protein. I was thinking of buying this 'Bee build protein sausage' and dissolving it in water and feeding it to the ants as a complement every now and again to the sugar water, as I have read sugar water is lacking in essential nutrients, and when bees are fed sugar water they find it is an incomplete food. So I guess ants fed only on sugar water lack a lot of essential nutrients.

Bee protein sausage: http://beebuild.com.au/pollen-substitute-products/

I know bees are different to ants, but they are similar that I thought it wasn't too crazy an idea to at least try. My thinking is unless the pollen dissolves in the water( which I don't think it does) then this idea is a dud, but thought there was no harm in asking. My reason for wondering if pollen dissolves in water is because ants can only eat very tiny particles and I am unsure if pollen will be too large or not.

Also another product you can buy is bee pollen from health food stores and dissolve it in water- would this also be an adequate protein source? As it is already partly-digested by the bees so probably easier for the ants to consume and dissolves in water according to this article:

http://www.peashealth.com/bee-pollen-wo ... hay-fever/

Found this study which seems to suggest some tropical ants do eat pollen! http://link.springer.com/article/10.100 ... 015-0402-x

Found this stating that ants also eat the nectar from flowers, so perhaps even just giving your ants flowers could provide them with all the protein and amino acids they need from the flower secretions alone?

http://www.antweb.org/antblog/2011/06/d ... a-usa.html

I have read a lot of people who grow crops like peppers and zucchini mention finding ants all over their plants flowers- so who knows this could be an idea with real potential. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[AussieAnt]

Answered my own question. According to google pollen can range in size from 6 microns to 100 microns.

According to this article the Carpenter Ant Camponotus pennsylvanicus can consume particles up to 100 microns in size. http://blog.wildaboutants.com/2010/06/2 ... digestion/

So that would mean yes depending on their size it is most likely most ants can consume pollen. Especially weaver ants as they are about the same size as a Carpenter ant and I daresay that correlates with the particle size they can consume. This is such a great thing. Imagine how much more healthier our ants can be if we are able to give them all those essential nutrients, amino acids and calcium via pollen! No more killing! And maybe it will help someone keep weaver ants for longer than a year in captivity!