|
Post by msi on Mar 25, 2012 21:22:39 GMT
I Know I going to sound completely dumb here, but how do adult ants feed their larva? do they drag their meal back to the nest? what if it too big? just something I never seen so I don't know how it happens.
I always place one or two small crickets dead in but they never seem to be moved (touched) at all :s
Also I place in honey on tin folded up tin foil and that never seems to be touched too, I see the adult ants out a foraging, so I am a bit confused as some of these scouts seem really clumsy and one of the four is dead by natural causes.
|
|
|
Post by Blem12 on Mar 26, 2012 6:44:02 GMT
Good morning,
In regards to your questions, yes, workers do feed their larvae. Worker ants or scouts are sent out of the nest to forage. Larvae need a lot of proteins to grow, these proteins come in the form of insects (normally). Once an insect has been captured it is taken back to the nest to be dismembered into smaller parts and fed to the hungry larvae.
Maybe your ants are eating but they may be taking very small parts. What I would recommend is to place tiny body parts of the cricket, maybe two legs and the head as this gives you a better chance to see whether they are eating or not.
All the best, Blem12.
|
|
|
Post by Jenny on Mar 26, 2012 6:53:05 GMT
Are you saying you give them pure honey? They should be having honey water soaked onto cotton wool. This is so they don't get stuck in it and die, they just suck it up from the wool
|
|
|
Post by Wood~Ant on Mar 26, 2012 7:43:25 GMT
Insect prey is carried or dragged back into an ant nest, and small insects may be offered directly to the larvae, or if it is large the adult workers cut it up into more bite sized bits. Ant larvae can be fed via trophallaxis with liquid or semi-liquid food, but generally they are quite capable of chewing up bits of dead insects as like the adults they have strong jaws, although this isn't as evident unless viewed under a microscope. Foraging ants will lick up honey, but sometimes ignore liquid food altogether. Try the plastic bottle cap method where you soak up some honey or sugar water into a wad of cotton wool like Jen advises, as most of our ants seem to accept this rather than just placing a droplet of honey in their foraging area.
|
|
|
Post by msi on Mar 26, 2012 16:59:16 GMT
OK I chop the insects into smaller parts and see if that makes a difference, and what ratio of honey/sugar water because they seem to turn their noses up to mine amounts I give.
|
|
|
Post by Wood~Ant on Mar 26, 2012 17:01:43 GMT
With honey I usually mix it at 5mls of honey to 2mls of water, or about 70% honey and 30% water.
|
|