We measured food consumption of starved worker Argentine ants, red imported fire ants (RIFA), and Brachymyrmex sp. Ants were starved (96h) and individual foragers were weighed and exposed to either sucrose-water (20% weight:volume) or pure honey. After individuals fed, they were re-weighed and food consumption was measured. Argentine ants consumed 0.30 µl of sugar water (mean) but only consumed 0.17 µl honey. Although most RIFA workers are larger than Argentine ants, they only consumed 0.19 µl of sugar water and 0.05 µl honey. Brachymyrmex, consumed 0.05 µl honey even though they are 1/4 to 1/3 the size of fire ants.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Formicidae Linepithema humile (Argentine ant)
Species 2: Hymenoptera Formicidae Solenopsis invicta (red imported fire ant, fire ants)
Species 3: Hymenoptera Formicidae Brachymyrmex patagonicus (rover ant)
Keywords: Nutrition, Food capacity
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA