It's estimated that there are about 20 quadrillion ants on Earth as of right now. This means that they make up around 1% of the world's insect population.
If you own an ant farm, you need to find ant food. This is a very important part of caring for ants so that they stay healthy and happy.
This is a task that many new ant owners may struggle with at first. This is because there is a formula you should follow when buying ant food.
Keep reading to find out how to choose the right ant food for your ant farm.
1. Food Preferences
The first thing you need to consider with your ant food options is their preferences. Different species of ants are going to prefer different kinds of food.
This is why it is important to understand what species you have so that you can feed them accordingly. If you don’t do this, they may not get the nutrients that they need.
Or they may refuse to eat the food you give them, causing starvation. Some examples include harvester ants that typically prefer eating seeds.
On the other hand, coastal brown ants prefer a diet of protein and fat. If you have sugar ants, they are going to want a diet full of sugar.
You may want to do a bit of research on your ant species before searching for the perfect food source.
2. Protein Options
Caring for ants includes finding just the right diet for them. Most ant species need a certain amount of protein in their diet.
The best source of protein for these insects is other dead insects. This is a very simple protein source that you can catch yourself or buy from a pet store.
Keep in mind that you should never collect dead insects that you find lying around. There’s no telling why they may have died, and you don’t want to make your ants sick.
You could also buy an insect blend of high-protein ant food. This may include things like mealworms, fish flakes, and boonworm.
This is a high-protein insect blend perfect for ants that need a high-protein diet.
3. Sugar Sources
Most kinds of ants also need sugar in their ant diet. How much sugar is required will depend on the types of ants you have and their natural diet.
This is a very easy food source to provide since sugar is abundant. You could cut up a piece of fruit and feed it to your ant colony.
Some ant owners also feed their ants a sugar water solution. This is a great way to incorporate sugar into their diet in an easy way.
Avoid feeding your ants anything excessively sticky. Syrups like honey or maple syrup are sticky, and the ants may become stuck and die.
4. Fatty Foods
Another aspect of an ant diet you need to consider is the fat. In most instances, this is not something you really have to think about too much.
The protein sources for ants usually include plenty of healthy fats. If your ant species enjoy seeds, these are also going to contain fat.
Everything Ants offers a seed blend that is perfect for this. This seed blend includes grass seed, fish food flakes, and other seed varieties.
Some ant owners also feed their ants dog biscuits as a source of fat. As long as your ants have a balanced diet, this is not something you usually have to think about.
Ant Care Basics
Now that you know more about ant food, what about the basics of caring for ants? There are a few things you need to know as a new ant owner.
Ants are delicate creatures, and they require a certain type of care. These are certain details you will need to know if you are new to caring for these insects.
Feeding Frequency
One common question is how often you need to feed your ants. The answer is that you should usually feed your ant colony once a day.
This will depend on what they are eating and the diversity of their diet. If you are feeding them individual things, you may want to spread this out throughout the day.
If the colony is getting larger, you may need to feed them multiple times a day. This ensures that every ant is getting the nutrition that it needs.
How to Feed Ants
Feeding your ants is very simple as you need to drop the food where they can reach it. Make sure you are only providing the amount of food that they need for that day.
This ensures that it will not be left behind and they won’t overeat. This is especially important if they are eating something that is liquid, like sugar syrup.
You don’t want to add so much of the syrup that they could end up drowning in it. You also need to make sure the ants are provided with water so they stay hydrated.
An easy way to do this is to soak a cotton ball in water so they can drink it without falling in.
Finding the Right Ant Food
If you have an ant farm, you need to find the right ant food. If you can do this by looking at the species of ant you have and their diet preferences.
Are you interested in buying ant food or an ant farm? Contact us today at Everything Ant, to view our products.