Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

What you feed, where you get it from, basically we will build up a comrehensive list of suitable plants to feed Leaf Cutters. Also in temperate countries, what do you feed them in the Winter?
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Acromyrmexbob
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Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:48 pm

Where I keep the ants, in my house in Trinidad, there is a tree growing outside the window. Every year we chop it down but I have just discovered the ants absolutely love it and I used this as a staple diet for the ants on many occasions over in Trinidad.

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and here are the leaves on the tubs...

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I have no idea what it is but I use it every time. Thought it was interesting.

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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by ben31 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 9:42 pm

that looks to me to be Cedrela odorata or a similar species

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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by ben31 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:15 pm

althogh i am now having doubts, they have even pinnate leaves so should be easy to narrow it down

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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by ben31 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:37 pm

ok so its even pennate, and most probable a type of Fabaceae, an idea on flowers or size that would help a lot

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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by ben31 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:41 pm

does it have seed posts like a pea pod if so that would put it in the pea (Fabaceae) family maybe some sort of acacia

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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by alanhuang » Fri Feb 10, 2017 9:00 am

It look like Senna sulfurea. My Atta Cephalotes colony love it as well.

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Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:33 pm

Leaves are wrong shape for Senna sulfurea, and its a fast growing tree, not a shrub/ bush. But thats a good addition to the acceptable foods database.
Fantastic suggestions in general here.

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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by ben31 » Tue Feb 14, 2017 4:30 am

Palo Brea tree

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Andyj
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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by Andyj » Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:23 pm

This plant has even cropped up in a pc game i play set in S.America :roll:
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Re: Dont know what this is but the ants love it!!

Post by Britishants.com » Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:41 pm

Mimosa

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