Hard food (a half year portion)

Recommended alongside witch doctor beetle larvae and cockroaches as an ant protein source.

You can also substitute the following:

• Raw or cooked meat. Lean meat is a common protein used by some ant keepers, not only in spring. Chicken is preferred since it is tender and lower in fat. If feeding raw meat, cut it into small pieces so ants can handle the fibers more easily (insect flesh is more tender than vertebrate meat, so ant mandibles struggle with regular fibers). Rinse the meat under warm running water to reduce fat before serving. Fat is not proven to harm ants, but it offers little benefit, so it is best trimmed away.
• Boiled egg. A more dietary option since it is tender and easy for ants to break down. Many keepers report that colonies actually prefer egg over meat. Both the white and yolk work, though the yolk is used most often. Serve only small portions; otherwise thrifty ants will drag the extra into the nest, where uneaten pieces spoil and encourage mold. Another feeding trick uses raw egg white mixed with sugar or honey in a feeder or drinker. That method works best for single queens and colonies without larvae, since split feeding (adults on carbs, larvae on protein) usually gives better results overall.
• Shrimp. Essentially the same as gammarus, only not dehydrated. Many ant species readily accept boiled shrimp because its composition is close to insects, spiders, and other natural protein sources. Species is not critical, but smaller, tender shrimp tends to go over best. Ants take both boiled and raw (live) shrimp readily, which pairs well if you also keep aquariums or ornamental crustaceans and have surplus animals to feed off. The main drawback is that shrimp is comparatively expensive.