Saw a single ant on top of the substrate in my B. vagans sling enclosure. It was only one ant that I swiftly removed, but should I still be worried? I've just been seeing ants around the basement, where I keep my tarantulas. I think my T is in premolt, so I'm afraid to rehouse it.
Ants?
- Thread starter oort
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Venom1080
Arachnoemperor
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I'd really keep an eye out. Buy some ant traps as well, there's some really good ones out there I can't remember the name of.
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Terro is a good one. You can also use cinnamon powder as a barrier. I'd stay away from sprays unless you know how to use it without sending it airborn in every direction. It can be done but you have to be really careful. I've sprayed around mine with no issues and I know a lot of farmers have tricks they use to prevent drift. There are also anti drift agents that can be added to sprays that will help keep it from floating around in the air. Good luck with it. Ants are tough to get rid of.
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When I first got into Ts, I thought all ants were basically on the prowl to invade my home & find and eat my Ts (dangers of watching too much youtube).
Thankfully, I've never seen an ant near mine.
That said, I read about keeping Ts on shelving units that have 4 'legs' and setting each 'leg' into a container of water to prevent ants from being able to reach them. Obviously, do not allow shelving unit to touch the wall.
On units without 'legs' - I've also heard about rubbing vaseline around entire base of shelving unit (at floor level), or, instead using double-sided sticky tape at base of unit. Again, don't let unit touch your wall.
Disclaimer: I have not used any of these methods.
Thankfully, I've never seen an ant near mine.
That said, I read about keeping Ts on shelving units that have 4 'legs' and setting each 'leg' into a container of water to prevent ants from being able to reach them. Obviously, do not allow shelving unit to touch the wall.
On units without 'legs' - I've also heard about rubbing vaseline around entire base of shelving unit (at floor level), or, instead using double-sided sticky tape at base of unit. Again, don't let unit touch your wall.
Disclaimer: I have not used any of these methods.
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Sounds like a stray one wandered into the enclosure. If you are seeing ants all around the basement you should probably think about doing some removal procedures. Spraying can be difficult as others have said but it can be done. You can also buy ant traps and other tools to help.
Shamrock
Arachnolover
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I just had a battle with ants around (and in) my enclosures. I used vinegar to clean around them, it blocks the ants sent trail and they dont like the smell. I also dipped wet dead crickets in borax and used that to lore them away so i could petroleum jelly my enclosure sides.
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Diatomaceous earth is a good way to go, easy to find and cheap, and so non toxic you could eat it. The particles are so fine that they chew up the ant's exoskeleton at the joints. Anything that tries to cross your moat of death dries up immediately. Anything insecticide related I won't get near and sticky traps conjure images of an escaped t's grisly end.
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I've tried both double-stick tape and vaseline to keep ants out, and neither was terribly effective. They may help discourage ants from going that way in the first place - but if the ants have discovered something they like (food, water, potted plants they can colonize) then they'll keep coming. Eventually they will get enough corpses stuck in the goo or on the tape to make a bridge and they will just walk across it. The most effective treatment for ants that I've found are the Terro liquid ant baits. They use borax so there are no harmful sprays or fumes that might drift into my enclosures. During the initial treatment phase there is an increase in ant activity while they're collecting the bait and taking it back to the nest - but then it kills off the colony.