# Help! Ants in roach colony



## buddah4207 (Apr 13, 2013)

Last night I put a few orange slices in my dubia colony, this morning there were ants on the lip of the sterlite tub. I have clear packing tape as a barrier for the roaches. Im wondering that if i put a layer of petrolum jelly around the top insted if it will stop both the roaches and ants from crossing it?


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## 3skulls (Apr 13, 2013)

Trace the ants back to where they are coming in and plug the hole. 
I'm pretty sure ants use a chemical trail, so clean their path. They will look for an easier food source.


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## Yoxigan (Apr 15, 2013)

Get some ant poison and put it outside of the cage. The ants will start eating that and then you just wait. I would do the petroleum jelly or vaseline just in case.


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## MrCrackerpants (Apr 15, 2013)

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1


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## buddah4207 (Apr 16, 2013)

So as it turns out the ants were from a camping chair that had been put in my T room. I removed the chair and there are no more ants. I had applied the petroleum jelly to the lip of the tub in order to block more from getting in but now there is a few dozen trapped in there. My question is will they survive with their colony removed?


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## Aviara (Apr 16, 2013)

I'd recommend avoiding pesticides at all costs now and at future dates. These are very nasty chemicals that unfortunately have become commonplace in our society. They can do real damage to your tarantulas and other pets, and you could easily expose those pets to even a powdered form of the chemicals (tarantula escapes and runs through it, other pet tries it to see if it's edible, you carry it from one place to another on your clothing, etc.)

I would remove the ants from your colony by hand. No, they will not survive and breed in your colony long-term. But when they die, it's likely a roach will consume these, and your roaches are feeders for the rest of your animals! The ants could easily have some nasty chemicals they picked up "in the wild", as well as diseases and parasites you may not want to pass on to your collection. In addition, some ant species have naturally occuring toxins that can badly effect species not adapted to consume and digest ants. Personally, I'm paranoid about the health and diet of all my animals, so I would take the ants' presence as a very serious risk!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Bongo Fury (Apr 16, 2013)

Boric acid and "ant moats" have worked well for me in the past.


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## Malhavoc's (Apr 17, 2013)

buddah4207 said:


> So as it turns out the ants were from a camping chair that had been put in my T room. I removed the chair and there are no more ants. I had applied the petroleum jelly to the lip of the tub in order to block more from getting in but now there is a few dozen trapped in there. My question is will they survive with their colony removed?


No, only the quen produces more workers, workers without a queen will eventualy die off.


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