If you are someone feeding or caring about ants, you might be worrying about can ants eat watermelon. Naturally, watermelon is a fruit that contains sugar in a well-concentrated manner.
Ants can eat watermelon since it provides them energy to work with the amount of Fructose and Glucose sugar contained in watermelon.
Mostly ants are eating anything sweet. But is there any sort of benefits for ants by eating watermelon? Let’s find them out.
Why do ants eat watermelon?
As the same as every other fruit watermelon contains massive amounts of Fructose and Glucose as substances of sugar.
Additionally, the sugar contained in watermelon fruit is more concentrated than in any other kind of fruit. That is why farmers are not watering too much when growing watermelons.
Ants eat watermelon to obtain energy through the concentrated Fructose and Glucose sugar contained in watermelon.
Watermelon is a fruit that is lightweight and easy to break into little carriable particles. That encourages the foragers and worker ants to break down the watermelon and supply it for the colony.
Moreover, once the watermelon ripens or when it is cut, it spreads a sweet aroma all around the room.
Take a look at this time-lapse video. According to that video, ants take more than a week to eat a little piece of watermelon 🙂
Why do ants like eating watermelon?
Ants like eating watermelon, because it is a juicier fruit so they can suck the juice straight away from the fruit with ease.
Additionally, ants like leafcutter ants tend to take pieces out from the watermelon and take them back to their nest. So they can feed them to their larvae or store them for later use.
Why do ants stay on watermelon plants?
If you have ever grown watermelon in your garden, you might have experienced that various kinds of ants are taking over the plants when they start to bear fruits.
What can be the reason behind this?
- Shelter and moisture
Watermelon is usually growing in hot climates in summer. Ants are searching for moisture in this season. Therefore, they might choose to make their nests under the leaves and fruits of watermelons.
- Sweet aroma
When watermelons start ripening or overripening, ants are encouraged to reach there by the aroma they emit.
What ant species eat watermelon?
Now let’s take a look at which ants can eat watermelon. It will give you some clues about whether should you give watermelon to your ants.
I went through an experimental video that was done by an ant keeper. I found these ants keen to eat watermelon.
- Harvester ants
Harvester ants were shown the highest interest in eating the piece of watermelon. Perspective of their diet, they require sugar at least every 3 days and also eat either dead or live insects to fulfill their protein requirement.
- Long legged ants
- Fire ants
- Carpenter ants
Also Read: Can ants eat mealworms?
Also Read: Can fire ants eat termites?