Lemon = good defense for ants?or any other suggestions?

[BrockiePelma]

So i want to put another line of defense besides petrolium jelly.google suggests that lemon squeeze is a good repelant for ants.

I was planning to put lemon juice in open containers with screen lid along with water,a mixture of maybe one part water one part lemon,acting like some sort of air freshener and place it near the edges.would that have any effect at all?google says to put it around the perimeter,but that is a no go since there is already a petrolium jelly around it.so this is the best i could think of.

Any other suggestions on ant defense would be really appreciated too.

P.S. my T containers are placed in a wall-mounted stand.so a water perimeter wont work for me.

 

[spotropaicsav]

Ive used orange oil to deter house ants before, but I can't speak specially to your set up or situation.

 

[BrockiePelma]

What im really into about is if having a part lemon part water mixture, and placing it in a container with screen lid will repel ants.

 

[boina]

What im really into about is if having a part lemon part water mixture, and placing it in a container with screen lid will repel ants.

No, it won't. Ant's will not cross a line of lemon juice, but just as a repellent it's not good enough.

 

[BrockiePelma]

Alright,thanks!i guess ill have to look for another way to protect my pets from ants.

 

[nicodimus22]

Boric acid (Terro ant traps.) They kill slowly, so that the ants survive long enough to bring it back to the queen and the whole colony is wiped out. It's also a contact only poison (no fumes) so it's safe for your Ts. The ant traffic does increase at first, but then there's nothing after a couple of days.

 

[beaker41]

I like to use a moat of diatomaceous earth. It's non toxic, cheap and easy to find. The particles are so small they they grind up the exoskeleton joints of anything that ventures into the death zone and they dry out.

 

[Tcollector]

I use cinnamon. I have a snake room and a tarantula room with hard wood floors. Just simply sprinkle a bit of cinnamon around the border of the room and your set! You will never see a single ant.

 

[spotropaicsav]

I use cinnamon. I have a snake room and a tarantula room with hard wood floors. Just simply sprinkle a bit of cinnamon around the border of the room and your set! You will never see a single ant.

Sounds delicious. Do you have a link explaining the mechanism behind why the ants are deterred? Just curious

 

[Tcollector]

Sounds delicious. Do you have a link explaining the mechanism behind why the ants are deterred? Just curious

No, just used it for years. I read about it somewhere and then started using it. I do know it throws off their scent trail but that's it. I've just never has a issue with ants after using it.


EDIT*
I just now looked it up and it says that people use cinnamon oil? I never done that. I just use the regular cinnamon powder. I don't really care about looks but it has helped a great deal.

 

[Dovey]

I am reviving this useful thread because it is ant season in the Northern Hemisphere and I recently had a horrible ant assault on my dubia roach colony, the one I keep in my bedroom right next to my bed! I was only able to save a few adults and larger juveniles--it was like something from a Charlton Heston movie in the 50s! Thousands upon thousands of ants assaulting poor helpless dubias--it was just awful! I had to go out with a friend for multiple adult beverages afterwards to get my hands to stop shaking.

Anyway, for many of us it is that time of year when the ants come in for moisture or food or to escape the last of the heat or looking for a winter home or whatever it is ants are doing when they invade our homes. What has worked wonders for us is a 50/50 vinegar and water solution. Makes your room smell like a pickle, which might not be as pleasant as cinnamon, but it is extremely economical and very effective. I use it sprayed on the carpet, the walls, my desk surface, anywhere the little bastards are trying to hunt my insects.

And we need to take ants very seriously as a threat. I lost all of those dubias, but also an adult versicolor that I raised from a sling and that just happened to be sitting on my desk next to the dubia bin, waiting for some habitat upkeep. By the time I realized an attack was underway, the Versi was dead and the dubias were dying. You've never seen anything like it outside of a nature special. Horrifying!

Vinegar and water. It's the way to go. Works on ants, but no fumes to harm other insects in the room.

 

[korlash091]

I am reviving this useful thread because it is ant season in the Northern Hemisphere and I recently had a horrible ant assault on my dubia roach colony, the one I keep in my bedroom right next to my bed! I was only able to save a few adults and larger juveniles--it was like something from a Charlton Heston movie in the 50s! Thousands upon thousands of ants assaulting poor helpless dubias--it was just awful! I had to go out with a friend for multiple adult beverages afterwards to get my hands to stop shaking.

Anyway, for many of us it is that time of year when the ants come in for moisture or food or to escape the last of the heat or looking for a winter home or whatever it is ants are doing when they invade our homes. What has worked wonders for us is a 50/50 vinegar and water solution. Makes your room smell like a pickle, which might not be as pleasant as cinnamon, but it is extremely economical and very effective. I use it sprayed on the carpet, the walls, my desk surface, anywhere the little bastards are trying to hunt my insects.

And we need to take ants very seriously as a threat. I lost all of those dubias, but also an adult versicolor that I raised from a sling and that just happened to be sitting on my desk next to the dubia bin, waiting for some habitat upkeep. By the time I realized an attack was underway, the Versi was dead and the dubias were dying. You've never seen anything like it outside of a nature special. Horrifying!

Vinegar and water. It's the way to go. Works on ants, but no fumes to harm other insects in the room.

something similar happened to me, i bought 100 crickets to feed my t's las sunday.
well i fed them, left the remaining crickets on a table in my room, next day when i woke up i saw a massive carpet of ants marching into my cricket bin, when i took the lid off i saw that all my crickets where dead, and i just had a bin full of dead crickets and an army of ants.

 

[Dovey]

something similar happened to me, i bought 100 crickets to feed my t's las sunday.
well i fed them, left the remaining crickets on a table in my room, next day when i woke up i saw a massive carpet of ants marching into my cricket bin, when i took the lid off i saw that all my crickets where dead, and i just had a bin full of dead crickets and an army of ants.

Realizing I could easily have lost my entire collection has left me feeling just a little terrified. I'm going to invest in a large bin of Vaseline to encircle my more vulnerable specimens. And I'm moving habitats to locations as remote from the site of the attack as possible. I am still seeing the occasional scout ant entering my room, but it hits the vinegar line and backs away.

 

[weibkreux]

I'm using an insect chalk repellent. Just draw a line at the bottom of the rack and ants won't go near it.

 

[Andrea82]

I think if you use the search function it'll come up with more tips and tricks concerning ants. I think it was last year or the year before that when there was a major discussion about ants killing spiders and how to prevent that.