Feeding ants without buying anything
No need to buy crickets or jellies: with what you have at home and in the garden, you can feed most colonies. Just follow a few safety rules.
Free protein
- Home-bred fruit flies (the best option). A very ripe banana in a jar, outdoors in mild weather. Once a few fruit flies are inside, cover with fine fabric and a rubber band. They lay eggs on the fruit: within 1 to 2 weeks you have an endless supply, perfect for small colonies.
- Cooked egg white or chicken, unsalted and unseasoned, in crumbs the size of a worker. Rich in protein and accepted by most species. Remove leftovers after 24 h.
- Garden insects: flies, small grasshoppers, woodlice, caterpillars. Only from an untreated garden, away from roads and fields. Freeze them for 48 h first to kill parasites and mites.
- Almost free: breed mealworms. A tub, oat bran and a slice of carrot; a few worms bought once will breed for months.
Free sugar
- Sugar water: half sugar, half water, in a feeder or on a cotton ball.
- Honey diluted in a little water.
- Very ripe fruit (apple, pear), a small piece, removed after 24 h.
Free seeds (for harvester ants)
- Dandelion and daisy seed heads, collected from an untreated area.
- Chia, millet, flax from the kitchen, if plain (never coated garden seeds).
Never give
- Fatty or salty food: crisps, cured meat, cheese.
- Bread and ready meals: they go mouldy fast.
- Insects found by roads, near fields, or long dead.
- Ant baits and anything that touched an insecticide.
FAQ
Can I feed my ants human food?
Yes, in small amounts: cooked egg white, plain cooked chicken, diluted honey, sugar water. Avoid fatty or salty food, bread and ready meals.
Are garden insects dangerous for ants?
They can carry pesticides, parasites or mites. Only collect them from an untreated garden, away from roads and fields, and freeze them for 48 h before feeding.
How do I breed fruit flies for free?
Put a very ripe banana in a jar outdoors in mild weather. Once a few fruit flies are inside, cover with fine fabric and a rubber band: they lay eggs on the fruit and the population grows within 1 to 2 weeks.