Feeding Polyrhachis dives

Polygynous tropical ant, weaves its nest with larval silk, high sugar needs.

Work out the amounts for your colony →Calculator opened with Polyrhachis dives already selected: number of workers, brood, temperature. Free, no account.

What does Polyrhachis dives eat?

How much?

Calculator figures for moderate brood at 24 °C:

WORKERSPROTEINSUGAR
101 fruit fly · Every 5 days1 drop · Every 4 days
505 fruit flies · Every 4 days3 drops · Every 3 days
1504 juvenile crickets · Every 3 days8 drops · Every 3 days
400¾ medium cricket · Every 3 days19 drops · Every 3 days

1 fruit fly ≈ a 2–3 mm insect; a medium cricket (1 cm) is about 50 fruit flies. 1 drop ≈ 0.05 mL.

Adjust to what you see: if food is left after 24 h, give less; if it all goes fast and the brood grows, give more.

Founding

Claustral founding: the queen lives on her reserves, do not feed her before the first workers.

Hibernation

No hibernation: keep it warm all year.

See also

All species · Hibernation calculator

Work out the amounts for your colony →Calculator opened with Polyrhachis dives already selected: number of workers, brood, temperature. Free, no account.