Antibiotic Sap/Ants?

[ZergFront]

Found an article about ants eating and dragging spruce sap into their nests to defend against fungal growths. Could this be used safely in arthropod cages? Is spruce any less toxic than cedar? I thought all pine was toxic to spiders but I saw one make a web inside the knot of my redwood tree. :8o

Now I wouldn't be experimenting with tarantulas but maybe spiders I find commonly in my area? However I just wonder if this attempt may fail or not before trying. :?

There's a product for people already out there called Pine Pitch Solution.

Link :

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/274/1621/2013.full

I just need some advice - try it or don't try it?

 

[Malhavoc's]

there is actualy a documentary that mentions this, the secret lives or power of ants or something like that

 

[zonbonzovi]

I think the whole pine = deadly to inverts things has been overblown. Many woods have natural insecticides, yet as you've seen there are creatures that suffer no ill effects from living amongst pines/cedars/etc. Heck, Polyphylla decemlineata eat fir needles. I've noticed a number of inverts living in, on & under these supposedly off limits trees...firs, pines & cedars are dominant where I live.

Now, I would exercise caution with the specific creatures being exposed to spruce sap & I hope others skimming this don't assume that it's a cure-all...that is essentially the problem, though...these woods' properties are thought of as generalist invert killers. As far as a mold inhibitor, that depends. I've seen all manner of molds and their fungal relatives thriving on spruce while out mushroom hunting.

 

[Crysta]

its possible the ant siliva reacts with the spruce inhibiter in some way...

 

[cacoseraph]

it's not that it is going to death curl them in a day

it is a teratogen, maybe a mutagen, and probably other -gens as well



virtually all the animals that live in close proximity to pine family trees have been evolving that way for a long time





just to give you an idea... for a while i was toying with raising fast growing taras (like say obts) on smelly pine chips or bark to see if i could get them to throw mutations (or gods forgive me for my impertinence, a stable mutation) ... but i just never got around to doing it

 

[ZergFront]

Thanks guys. It was just something I was pondering after reading the article. Seems like what you guys said is it would either kill them slowly or it would have no effect on the invertebrate and possibly still have mold growth.

Back to the drawing board. LOL!