All our liquid food and jelly are produced in sterile conditions. As long as these are unopened they should not perish for several months. Once opened, the shelf life strongly depends on several conditions. In general, high humidity and bad aeration cause products to spoil very quickly. Spoiling “after several days” mentioned below can already take place after less than 2 days. Be carefull not to leave your food with the ants for too long.

Liquid food is best offered to the ants in a small cup or on cotton. This should not remain in the outworld for more than a few days as it will quickly spoil. If you have left-over food in tubes, these can be stored at -20°C. This way, the tube can be used for several weeks after opening. Dropper bottles have better shelf life as contact with contaminants is minimized. Repeated freezing and thawing has no effect on the nutritional value of our liquid products.

The amount of jelly offered to your ants is best adapted to their colony size. This can be done by cutting of a piece of the jelly and storing the rest. It should be removed after several days as spoiling of the jelly could lead to bacterial or fungal infections, which can lead to negative effect on colony health. It is best to store this at 4°C. After opening it can be used for about a week. Freezing the jelly is not recommended as it could lose its integrity.

Seeds should be stored in a dry place. They can be stored for weeks or even months when stored properly. Only offer a specified amount of seeds, especially with species that tend to stockpile them. Once the seeds start germinating they should be removed from the ants.