Ant problem

Petah Parkah

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
54
Hey guys. So my mealworm farm has seen a few ant raids lately. This wasn't a problem when I first started the farm but it just got worse. Any tips on how to prevent them from reaching my farm?
 

Walker253

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
554
Don't know how you're set up. You could put a line is diatomaceous around the enclosure. I hear they won't cross it. Some will eat it and it will kill them. It's known as a natural treatment. Get the food grade, heard it's the stuff
 

Petah Parkah

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
54
Don't know how you're set up. You could put a line is diatomaceous around the enclosure. I hear they won't cross it. Some will eat it and it will kill them. It's known as a natural treatment. Get the food grade, heard it's the stuff
Where can I find that stuff?
 

BishopiMaster

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
356
Hey guys. So my mealworm farm has seen a few ant raids lately. This wasn't a problem when I first started the farm but it just got worse. Any tips on how to prevent them from reaching my farm?
Do you have an ant problem in general?
 

Charlie69

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 1, 2016
Messages
85
Best if you follow their trail, find out where they come in the house, and stop them there. As long as they come in, they can cause problems in other Places to.
 

BishopiMaster

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
356
It's in my living room on the China holder close to a window. It's just a plastic tub with air vents on top
I think if you draw a chalkline around the tank, it interrupts the ants pheromone signaling or something lile that, and they dont cross it
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
Don't know how you're set up. You could put a line is diatomaceous around the enclosure. I hear they won't cross it. Some will eat it and it will kill them. It's known as a natural treatment. Get the food grade, heard it's the stuff
This is sort of true. They will walk right into and across it. It kills ant slowly by cutting them open so they bleed to death more/less. The "earth" is actually little fossils actually.

The problem is that it serves only as a physical barrier and does nothing to get rid of the chemical scent ants have laid down to the source of food, so they will keep coming.

You need wipe out the chemical sent. Involves keeping things clean basically, then laying down defensive agents such as what Walker mentioned, and other agents that disrupt their chemoreception such as pepper, cinnamon if you want all natural items. Even cinnamon is not a guarantee either.
 

Tanner Dzula

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
190
Don't know how you're set up. You could put a line is diatomaceous around the enclosure. I hear they won't cross it. Some will eat it and it will kill them. It's known as a natural treatment. Get the food grade, heard it's the stuff

agreed with the diatomaceous, had an ant problem a bout a year ago this stuff worked wonders with the ants.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
I think if you draw a chalkline around the tank, it interrupts the ants pheromone signaling or something lile that, and they dont cross it
That's a myth.

EDIT: Perhaps a temporary solution like the "earth", though it seems it is a myth.
 
Last edited:

BishopiMaster

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
356
That's a myth.
I dont think you should just blatantly call it a myth, you might say it doesnt work longterm, but a myth implies it doesnt work AT ALL, which is false on your part


You can see that the ants do not cross in this video, maybe it doesnt work forever, but he could use it and distract the ants with another food source
 

Tanner Dzula

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
190
I dont think you should just blatantly call it a myth, you might say it doesnt work longterm, but a myth implies it doesnt work AT ALL, which is false on your part


You can see that the ants do not cross in this video, maybe it doesnt work forever, but he could use it and distract the ants with another food source

heres another video and while it clearly confuses the ants, if you look, plenty of ants walk back and fourth over it.


sure if you use extra wide side walk chalk they are more hesitant to do so, but thats also a huge chalk line.
and in the video we don't even know if they had an existing line/trail formed already, they could just be a ground of ants running around.

this video they clearly had a full on ant trail going, most likely connected to a large food source and while the chalk confuses them, they still crossed it
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
I dont think you should just blatantly call it a myth, you might say it doesnt work longterm, but a myth implies it doesnt work AT ALL, which is false on your part


You can see that the ants do not cross in this video, maybe it doesnt work forever, but he could use it and distract the ants with another food source
You are correct, the same advice you provided me you should follow yourself too as you blatantly wrote the below that was clearly wrong, ie false. :p:D

I'll be more clear, in my thinking I was thinking of a permanent solution. If I was in the OPs situation, I wouldn't be buying chalk hahah, nor using cinnamon.



and they dont cross it
Personally I think the chalk is a myth based on the information below, I've found this on a variety of sites regarding Chinese chalk.

In point of fact, we don't know the source of chalk in the video I saw previously to your post. Perhaps it's Chinese chalk..we don't know. Without knowing the source, one cannot blatantly use it as supporting evidence that ants won't cross a chalk line.

To use that as a supporting evidence is false on your part. ;)

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/...s-afraid-of-chalk-and-wont-cross-a-chalk-line
 
Last edited:
Top