Food Rotation
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Acromyrmexbob
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Food Rotation
When you are looking after a colony of Leaf Cutters, work out a feeding list of around 7 different leaf types. Start at the beginning and then when you reach the last item after 7 days start at the beginning again. Don't offer the same food for two days in a row. Also remove any uneaten food each day.
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Deansie26
- Major
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Re: Food Rotation
More information on the reasoning behind food rotation.
This was copied from previous thread.
I asked why it's better not to offer more than one.food source per day.
This was Andrew's reply aka AcromyrmexBob:
Well I have found that, based on the ants preference for not overexploiting any one food source, if you give fresh food each day that the ants have not seen for at least 4-5 days then the enthusiasm and therefore the overall leaf gathering is greatly increased. If you offer a mixed table of foods then it is unlikely you will, in winter, be able to offer a variety to that first offering the following day. So the ants are given a homogenized table of food which changes rarely. In public displays where the company want action for the visitor we set up a regime whereby all uneaten food is removed and fresh food put in 20 minutes before their doors open. The ants are very much more enthusiastic when first confronted by a large batch of new food than if they were exposed to the same food as the day before. Having said that, they will feed at a level constantly if given the same food. For instance the Montreal Insectarium feeds theirs hibiscus flowers from their greenhouse every day. I think it is a matter of managing them in the way that best suits.
This was copied from previous thread.
I asked why it's better not to offer more than one.food source per day.
This was Andrew's reply aka AcromyrmexBob:
Well I have found that, based on the ants preference for not overexploiting any one food source, if you give fresh food each day that the ants have not seen for at least 4-5 days then the enthusiasm and therefore the overall leaf gathering is greatly increased. If you offer a mixed table of foods then it is unlikely you will, in winter, be able to offer a variety to that first offering the following day. So the ants are given a homogenized table of food which changes rarely. In public displays where the company want action for the visitor we set up a regime whereby all uneaten food is removed and fresh food put in 20 minutes before their doors open. The ants are very much more enthusiastic when first confronted by a large batch of new food than if they were exposed to the same food as the day before. Having said that, they will feed at a level constantly if given the same food. For instance the Montreal Insectarium feeds theirs hibiscus flowers from their greenhouse every day. I think it is a matter of managing them in the way that best suits.