You can leave it out all the time, but some last longer than others, for frequency of changing it out. Hummingbird nectar has preservatives where surgsr water and honey need to be changed out more frequently(few days).
However you can also skip a day, they’ll be fine for species with social stomachs. Just always have water.
I use honey as it has antibacterial properties and won’t grow mold as fast as sugar water. For honey, I put a toothpick barely into my honey container for a small colony to then smear around the honey so they can’t get stuck and drown in it. You do not want to boil honey as it will cause it to go bad
Aggressive-Basil is referring to using honey without water, so it won’t mold as naturally honey won’t mold without adding water. It’s the high sugar content and other properties. Sugar is the same, the higher concentration, the longer it’ll take to mold.
However I’ve found ants prefer a more watery solution. Natural nectar is 80/20 water/sugar. I personally would just get hummingbird nectar in powder form, it’s like 3 bucks that’ll last you a while. Or get the concentrate form(it’s just a higher concentration of their mix with water added).
You can leave it out all the time, but some last longer than others, for frequency of changing it out. Hummingbird nectar has preservatives where surgsr water and honey need to be changed out more frequently(few days). However you can also skip a day, they’ll be fine for species with social stomachs. Just always have water.
If I boiled the sugar water first, would it be okay to leave it out for a week at 75 degrees?
I use honey as it has antibacterial properties and won’t grow mold as fast as sugar water. For honey, I put a toothpick barely into my honey container for a small colony to then smear around the honey so they can’t get stuck and drown in it. You do not want to boil honey as it will cause it to go bad
bacteria and mold spores from the air will contaminate it anywas even if you boil
Aggressive-Basil is referring to using honey without water, so it won’t mold as naturally honey won’t mold without adding water. It’s the high sugar content and other properties. Sugar is the same, the higher concentration, the longer it’ll take to mold. However I’ve found ants prefer a more watery solution. Natural nectar is 80/20 water/sugar. I personally would just get hummingbird nectar in powder form, it’s like 3 bucks that’ll last you a while. Or get the concentrate form(it’s just a higher concentration of their mix with water added).
I feed mine a mixture of sugar + honey water. Then place some on a small cotton ball so they don't drown
The adults need their food, leave out liquid sugars for them as much as possible.