Leaf Cutting Ant Forum

I've done a test this week on different cabbages leaves and one they take and love and the other they just covered it up with soil they won't touch it or anything and all so I've been trying different Brussel leaves one from my uncle which grows them and ones from shops I've found out that they liked ones that was grown from my uncle but best part I washed all of them I just don't get it it like I've got blackberry leaves in my garden I've found but they won't touch them but in I go I woods and get them deep in the woods they take it

Andrew or professor Adam can you explain this plz

Thanks

This is maybe linked to a post Jackie just put up in the Taxonomic Chatter section. Food selection, a mine field. Adam will definately have a better reference to appropriate research on this but heres what I think. Firstly the difference between two leaves, sometimes from the same plant, is obvious to the ants but not necessarily to us. Differences in taste, smell, texture, maturity, everything feeding in to this. I have found that in many instances the ants prefer young new growth and in other instances they prefer older leaves. In small colonies the main criteria, given an appropriate leaf type, is their ability to cut the leaf. Sometimes there simply are not ants present that are big enough to cut older leaves. It could be as simple as that with the blackberry leaves from the woods and the garden. Given they will taste the same, one could be tougher than the one growing under lower light conditions.
You should experiment with that and record your findings here. Try offering different versions of the same food type and remember to record in detail any differences you can see in terms of colour, moisture content, location, time stored etc. Could be an interesting contribution.

Okay Andrew and thanks I'll get note book write down what I find etc

Moving from simple watching to careful observation is the first step in starting and carrying out good science and research. Using a critical eye and recording what you see means others can build on your observations when you share them. But to start with there needs to be an interest in doing it. You seem to have this in abundance, Ricc!

Yeah I do Andrew I watch and look on what they take and how much they are taking in the nest like today I put out 30 almond flakes and 15 are left I've timed and looked it too 1hr 35m to the rest in the nest been doing other tests as well on how they find there new leaves as well

It's amazing how they find fresh leaves it's like little group of them go to it they look like they licking the leafs and then some of them start to cut small bits of them to take back and then later bigger workers come out and go the leafs and they cut bigger bits of the leafs and then there is mass of ants cutting it down taking in the leafs it's not long till all the leafs are been cut up nothing left I seen if the leafs. But I've found out Andrew that they take the grapes skins back to the fungus garden they take all the grape the skin is chewed up and put with fungus I don't why like but the last bits
Of grape they have