Q&A for How to Care for Ants

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Can I feed ants chocolate?

Community Answer

Yes, ants can be fed small amounts of chocolate.

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Question

Do I need to cover the jar with black paper to care for my ants?

Community Answer

No, it is optional. But ants prefer the dark to simulate a underground tunnel.

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Question

Can't an ant climb out of the fish bowl?

Community Answer

The way the bowl is shaped, they can not escape without turning upside-down, causing them to fall back down into the bowl. Fire ants are the exception to this rule, though, as their saliva contains a very sticky acid and they lick their feet and can occasionally walk upside-down.

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Question

Can an ant live if there is no dirt in its ant farm?

Community Answer

It can live, but ants like to dig around in dirt, so it's nice to provide dirt - if just a little.

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Question

What is the best species of ant for a beginner?

Community Answer

Your typical black ant. I feel like it's the easiest choice since you can feed it anything.

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Question

Can I feed my ant colony fish food or cat food?

Community Answer

Bits of cat food can be fed to your ants, but fish food cannot. Also add some fruits as well. Sometimes mix up their diet with some fruit and maybe bread in small sizes.

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Question

Can I use a plastic container instead?

ConnorFisher

Community Answer

Yes. In fact, many commercial ant farms are made out of plastic rather than glass. So, instead of 2 glass jars, you could use 2 large plastic containers to form your ant farm.

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Question

What do I do if I go on a holiday?

Community Answer

If a family member or at least a friend is available, have them take care of the ants every day, until you come back.

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Question

Do ants need company?

Community Answer

Ants live and work with other ants. They depend on one another, so add a few more ants.

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Question

Can I put seashells in my jar?

Community Answer

Yes, they can live with almost any ornament as long as you don't overload your ant farm with them. Make sure the seashells have no other critters that could be a threat to them living inside.

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Question

What happens if an ants colony has no dirt? Will it die or will it just hang around a corner?

ConnorFisher

Community Answer

Ant colonies need dirt to tunnel through and to incubate their larvae in. If the colony were placed in an empty container, they would be able to survive for awhile but not have any young.

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Question

Won't the ants get bored?

Community Answer

They might, so you could provide them with some things to climb on, like pieces of cardboard and piles of leaves/sticks.

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Question

How long do I have to soak the cotton ball?

Community Answer

About 1-5 seconds. When you see it puffing up and looking like it might dissolve, that is when it is completely soaked.

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Question

Can I place an ant in a terrarium?

Community Answer

Yes, you can if you have an ant colony in need of a larger area.

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Question

How do I care for a newly mated queen ant?

Community Answer

Newly mated queen ants require almost no care. The high amount of food stored in their thorax (intended for the wings) will allow them to subsist, at least until she's given birth to the first generation of workers. All she requires is a little cotton soaked with moisture, as larvae require some humidity. Still, some people like to feed them a few drops of sugar water every day.

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Question

Will an ant escape from a normal jar?

Community Answer

An ant will escape from a normal jar if there is no lid to contain it. If you place a lid on the jar, you will need to ensure there are air holes small enough that the ant cannot get through.

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Question

Can I feed my ants tea or coffee?

Community Answer

You cannot feed them tea or coffee because it will burn them.

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Question

How do I know if an ant is male or female?

Community Answer

A female ant often has a larger gaster (end section) and thorax (middle section), as well as wings; although, some males also have wings.

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Question

If I go on a vacation and no one wants to take care of my ants, what do I do?

Community Answer

Provide them with as many test tubes of sugared water as you think is necessary for the colony. It may not be so nutritious for them, but I think it will suffice for a week or two.

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Question

Can I put two different ants into one jar?

Community Answer

If they're from the same colony, yes.

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Question

Can I make a document on how to care for queen ants?

Community Answer

Yes, of course. Just make sure that you have all of the correct information.

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Question

Could I use cotton balls?

Soldier Scout

Community Answer

Cotton balls are good for a test tube setup, but if you’re talking about a bigger area, cotton balls might not be the best idea.

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Question

How long can ants live without a queen?

FlappyDoggie

Community Answer

Ants can normally live a month or two without a queen if they're given enough food and water.

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Question

How many times do I have to feed them?

Sean Roi Cau Tarape

Community Answer

When hungry, multiple numbers of ant workers go out to forage or hunt for food to eat. Remember they do not only eat sweet stuff. They love protein. You can give protein to them by feeding them dead cockroaches, spiders, flies, etc. You can leave a small food source out for your ants daily. If they don't eat it that day, leave it for the next day.

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Question

Can I feed an ant candy or ice cream?

Community Answer

Maybe not ice cream, but adult ants love sugar cubes, candy and cereals.

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Question

Would an ant die if there's not a lot of mud?

Soldier Scout

Community Answer

No. You don’t even have to use mud for your setup, and you could just barely sprinkle a thin layer of sand or dirt and it would be fine.

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Question

What do I do if my ants have no queen?

Community Answer

Your ants won't live very long without a queen. Try to find a queen as well.

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Question

Can I transplant a queen?

FlappyDoggie

Community Answer

No. If the worker ants realize it's not their queen, they're going to kill the queen.You can only transplant a queen in her own colony.

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Question

If I put a queen ant in a bottle with other ants and many of them disappeared when I moved them, what happened to the missing ones?

Community Answer

They probably were eaten, they escaped, or they may just be hiding in the dirt.

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Question

My ants dig a lot of dirt. The tunnels are extremely big. Some ants are missing, but not escaped. Are they underground?

Andreaslag

Community Answer

It's possible that the ants are underground, in a place where it's not seen by the outside. Make sure you seal your farm so they will not escape.

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