Arcais: Sand in the honey (30. Jul 2007 04:34)

I got some harvester ants from Uncle Milton (they don't sell queens though) since I pretty much had an empty formicarium.

So, I put some honey in for them in a little tin foil bowl. They have filled the whole bowl full of sand.

Now I have honey sand :D

If I keep swapping out the honey every few days, I'm going to need to buy more sand.

Has anyone seen this before?

On a side note. They have done a great job on the tunnels.

MrILoveTheAnts: (30. Jul 2007 04:55)

Yes, it's the ant reaction to an open water source. Usually something they don't consider food, though I'm know a lot of ants that would love honey.

Arcais: (30. Jul 2007 08:05)

It was about a quarter sized amount of honey. Do you think it was too much?

Dr.House: (30. Jul 2007 08:17)

Some ants do that to prevent drowning in honey. Just take a cotton bud or something and put the honey on it.

JimmyVe: (30. Jul 2007 13:01)

Arcais, if i understand it wright, you now have workers without a queen ?
Don't get the point of that. ;)

It is a normal behavior. I refresh it 1 time a week, i take out the dish (i put the honey in) and clean it out, put some new honey in it and it is fine for the next week. ;)
Like Dr.House said, they do it to prevent them self from drowning.

Arcais: (30. Jul 2007 17:53)

Thanks guys.

Jimmy, since we can't order Queens out here in California, we have to go find them. Being in California, it doesn't rain much in the summer. The 10 forecast is 80s every day with no chance of rain. Normally I wouldn't complain about that, but when you are trying to find an ant swarm, it doesn't make it very easy :-D.
So, I got bored looking at my empty formicarium :-\ and broke down and just ordered workers from Uncle Milton. I know... pretty pathetic :-(

Pugberto: (30. Jul 2007 20:43)

I only have workers, I didn't want to take a queen but they do have eggs in the farm which I collected.

JimmyVe: (30. Jul 2007 20:47)

Okay now i understand. ;)
It is a sad view, an empty formicarium. Hoop you find a queen soon so you can start with a nice colony.

Good luck.

Arcais: (31. Jul 2007 00:49)

I might have found one today: http://www.antstore.net/viewtopic.php?p=49918#49918

JimmyVe: (31. Jul 2007 18:19)

Looks like a very nice queen. Hope she will do just fine. ;)