According to their feeding habits, ants are divided into: lower species, carnivorous, feeding on insects, small animals and even sick and dead large animals; subspecies of stinky ants, leaf cutter subfamily and formic subfamily The higher species of ants can feed on both animals and plants, especially the "honeydew" secreted by aphids and scale insects; most other ants are omnivorous and feed mostly on seeds, fruits, insects, etc.
For example, spiny ants have higher omnivorous species and can be fed rice bran, wheat bran, beans, sugar, fruits and animal feed such as fish meal, silkworm pupae, bones, eggs, live and alive food. Insects, etc., chicken feed or self-prepared feed can also be used.
Ants in the subfamilies Fermentinae and Armymycinae generally feed only on meat.
Extended information:
Ants have a wide range of food habits and are omnivorous insects. However, in different seasons, ants have slightly different preferences for various foods. Ants like sugar and fruit foods in winter, and sugar and animal foods in spring.
The food composition of black ants has a certain correlation with the types of animals and plants in the living environment.
There is also a certain regularity in the time when black ants leave the nest to feed. In winter, the peak time for black ants to feed every day is from after 10 a.m. to before 4 p.m.
In spring, black ants There are generally two peak times for feeding out of the nest every day, namely 8-10 am and 4-7 pm.
Black ants generally build nests in pine trees, among thorns and next to large rocks. There are nesting activities in spring, summer and autumn. In order to forage for food, black ants often move around in forest areas with dense pine forests, large canopy density, many plants, and moist ground, especially near water sources. In spring, summer and autumn, outdoor activities are most frequent on sunny days after long rains. There are also a small number of ants going out at noon on sunny days in winter.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Ants
Baidu Encyclopedia - Black Ants