Ant Farming Techniques and Management Methods
Ants are social insects. As medicinal species, only the large yellow ants have been discovered, namely a few minority species such as the yellow weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) and the black spiny ant (Polyrhachis vicina), among others. The only one that has been relatively successfully farmed artificially is the black spiny ant, because this kind of ant has strong adaptability, a short cycle, and rapid reproduction, is not affected by geographical environmental conditions, and can be raised in high-density box-type multi-tier farming. Compared with rockery-style and tank-style farming methods, it has many advantages such as saving expenses, lowering costs, and occupying a small area.
1. Site selection:
This should be determined according to the size of the farming quantity. Whether indoors or outdoors, there must be sufficient light, no debris piled up, and no unpleasant odors.
2. Farming facilities:
Use bricks (or plastic film) around the site. Build a water trough 25 cm wide and 5 cm deep. The inner edge of the water trough must maintain a certain slope, which can effectively prevent the seed ants from falling into the water. When building the water trough, leave a drainage hole to facilitate changing the water. At a distance of 20-25 cm from the inner edge of the water trough, set up racks. The material can be bamboo poles or wooden sticks, arranged side by side in a track shape. The first layer of the rack should be more than 30 cm above the ground, and the distance between rack layers should be more than 35 cm. Place 10-15 cm thick humus sandy soil at the bottom of the rack layers.
3. Making and arranging the rearing boxes:
Self-made rearing boxes are generally paper boxes that have held food or clothing, with specifications generally 35-40 cm long, 20-25 cm wide, and 10-15 cm high. Place in the box the masson pine, which ants most like for making nests, followed by legume plant straws such as small beans, soybeans, broad beans, etc. Wild plants include small-leaf camphor, large-leaf camphor, old grass, etc. All must be sun-dried to prevent mildew. The tightness of the grass bundles must be appropriate, neither too tight nor too loose; this point is very important. Ants will not divide and make nests on grass bundles that are about to become moldy or have already become moldy. Place the grass bundle together with the seed ants that have already divided their nests into the box, seal the surroundings with adhesive tape, and just drill a small hole at one end of the box. The arrangement spacing of the ant boxes should be no less than 60 cm. If the spacing is too close, it easily causes ants to fight each other.
4. Feeding and management
Ants have a very wide range of food types. They like to eat all sweet and fragrant foods and animal-based foods. These can be divided into two major categories: A. Animal-based bait: such as meat residues and thick blood of cattle, sheep, fish, pigs, chickens, etc. Various insects are also good food for ants, such as ground beetles, fly maggots, silkworm pupae, earthworms, etc. B. Foods with sweet and fragrant qualities such as brown and white sugar, watermelon, honey, pear cores, apple cores, etc.
Ants eat very little, about 0.1 mg per ant per day. 100,000 ants need about 100 grams of food per day (different varieties also differ; the specific value depends on body size). Generally, feed once every 3-5 days. When feeding, place a food dish at the top of the rearing box, as well as a sponge block soaked with water. To prevent the food from spoiling, feeding should basically follow the principle of finishing each portion. Feed frequently and clean frequently. When feeding, try to use small amounts but many feeding points, so as to avoid competing for food and fighting. In addition, the types of food should be changed frequently to avoid anorexia in the ants. If farming outdoors, in the hot summer, to avoid high temperatures in the ant boxes, plant some vine plants around the box racks to block the strong sunlight. The most suitable temperature for ants' growth and reproduction is 22°C-37°C. Air humidity must be controlled at about 81%, and soil humidity should be kept at 10-15%. If the air is too dry, use a sprayer to frequently spray the ant boxes and the ground to maintain the ants' normal activity and reproduction.