Ant Invasion in cricket tank!

[carol5208]

I posted a thread a few weeks back about ants invading my cricket tank on my patio and my ingenius moat I built so they could not access the tank anymore. Well the ants went away and I got too complacent and removed the moat. They attacked last night with a vengeance!!! Yesterday I bought 100 crickets from the pet store and this morning I have about 15 left! I looked in the tank this morning and the ants were not only eating the food but the crickets! They tore all the legs off the ants so they could not move and all the bodies were laying there with no legs!! I could not believe what I was seeing! My god they are little cannibals!!! Anyone else ever experience this??? They were fire ants btw...

 

[SSimsswiSS]

This time of year is primetime for ants. They are in full swing, for hunting and gathering mode. I spray a outline around my cages and garage to keep them at bay, at lease once a week to be safe.

 

[ataraxia]

Ants in general are to be reckon with.

bit off topic..
I was born here in indiana but lived in ocala for a little while. when i first moved down there. I knew about fire ants but didnt know where to find them until i was cleaning the yard and stood on a mound of them. All it takes is once and you will have fire ant radar for life.

 

[Wykd]

oh yeah those fire ants are nasty!

You can put a ring of Vaseline around the top of the container to keep them out I think. I know it works on ants but not sure about fire ants 100%, we do that on the dog dishes outside.My granddad used to sprikle salt along the threshholds to make sure they didnt come in. /shrug i guess that would wok on a door way. lol

I guess you could also turn some tape over and cover the sticky side in salt also and lay that around it.

I have heard that fire ants will form up to make a raft and cross water.

 

[SpartyTessy]

Like I said in your other thread make a border using vegetable oil. Mine have not been attacked since as I also had a big ant problem getting to mine before. Even fire ants, wolf spiders, etc will not make it across the vegetable oil to get to the crickets Yes I found two very large dead wolf spiders caught in the river of death.

I place the cricket container on a rubber maid container lid allowing me to make a river of vegetable oil around the edge. It works great and no mess on the cage itself.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Don't complain until you have a few thousand ants destroy a hand built cage. God that was a nightmare, between barely seeing the cage through the hoard and fixing parts that were ruined, I'm extra careful about covering the wood now. Ants are complete jerks. I read liquid peppermint on a paper towel deters them, I'm going to try that.

 

[carol5208]

I am going back to using my moat with soapy water. They just caught me off guard as I thought they had left for good! I just could no believe how they dismembered the legs off the crickets. There were so many legs at first I was like WTF!!? John, I know they are a force to be reckoned with! I swear when you step in a mound, they all yell "BITE" at once. They hurt like a SOB!

 

[SSimsswiSS]

I just could no believe how they dismembered the legs off the crickets. There were so many legs at first I was like WTF!!?

They must be into dark meat. Going for the drumstick.

 

[Wykd]

Most my family is in/from florida, i am just glad the fire ants are not really above the south carolina border!

 

[ataraxia]

haha, im telling ya..use the liquid peppermint. They wont be back

edit: is my boys foot any better yet?

 

[carol5208]

haha, im telling ya..use the liquid peppermint. They wont be back

edit: is my boys foot any better yet?

sending you a pm now!