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Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Thu May 03, 2018 10:01 pm
by TheRoyalAlate
Hi there, I am new to ant keeping with one Tetramorium Sp. E queen, and I am trying to build my own outworld but I can't find an empty tank that is the right size and has round edges. I can get an acrylic tank thats fairly large, but I am hesitant to buy hit for fear of the ants being able to climb out on the corners. If I put on vaseline, will they still be able to escape? I realize this species of ant is one of the easiest to keep, so I imagine they can't be hard to stop from escaping.
Thanks in advance! :D

Re: Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 1:55 pm
by idahoantgirl
I've kept A tetramaorium for coming on two years now. They fill a hybrid nest completely. Here is what I have found:

Best barrier: DRY baby powder (no rubbing alcohol) When I used baby powder Plus Alcohol, my tetramorium could climb over it real easy. While I haven't tried vasaline, I think they would be able to climb it fairly easy. Also they would start accumulating garbage on the barrier :?

How to apply: dab a cotton ball in dry baby powder and then dap it onto the upper rim of the outworld about an inch deep. It will leave a thin film of powder just barely clinging to the walls. I haven't had hardly any escapes with this method. Note that if you live in a humid area you may have to change out the baby powder more frequently.

As far as a container goes, Yeah I'm pretty sure most aquariums with sharp corners would be pretty escapable for this species. The other downside to aquariums is that you would have to dril a hole in glass. Not fun. I actually use the tip of a hot glue gun to melt a hole in the plastic outworlds big enough for my tube. works great.
I use a Tupperware container with very rounded edges. The only downside is that it isn't perfectly clear, just kinda translucent. I have seen nice Tupperware containers that are really clear and have nice rounded edges. Also I have seen refrigerator trays that look like they would work. They are shallow, but I think that could be really cool. I find it better to have a small outworld (mine is only like 15 by 10 inches or something like that. ) It makes moving around a whole lot easier.

Re: Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 5:41 am
by antnest8
also i think i found the reason the tetramorium can climb over baby powder with alcohol. lots of baby powder is cornstarch based to it works weird. I have not tested this theory because i need talcum powder for it. Anyway i agree that the baby powder no alcohol is ideal (just watch out because it is messy)

Re: Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 12:05 pm
by averagebilly
idahoantgirl wrote:
Fri May 04, 2018 1:55 pm
I've kept A tetramaorium for coming on two years now. They fill a hybrid nest completely. Here is what I have found:

Best barrier: DRY baby powder (no rubbing alcohol) When I used baby powder Plus Alcohol, my tetramorium could climb over it real easy. While I haven't tried vasaline, I think they would be able to climb it fairly easy. Also they would start accumulating garbage on the barrier :?
All the ants that I've used Vaseline barriers with (including tetramorium) haven't crossed it. Although, some lasius ants have gotten stuck to it, and died... Maybe not the safest, but definitely the most escape proof. :lol:

Re: Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 2:50 pm
by antnest8
all the ants i have used Vaseline for got out even lasius and camponotus.

Are we talking about the same vasiline :lol: :? 8-)

Re: Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 8:25 pm
by idahoantgirl
averagebilly wrote:
Tue May 08, 2018 12:05 pm
idahoantgirl wrote:
Fri May 04, 2018 1:55 pm
I've kept A tetramaorium for coming on two years now. They fill a hybrid nest completely. Here is what I have found:

Best barrier: DRY baby powder (no rubbing alcohol) When I used baby powder Plus Alcohol, my tetramorium could climb over it real easy. While I haven't tried vasaline, I think they would be able to climb it fairly easy. Also they would start accumulating garbage on the barrier :?
All the ants that I've used Vaseline barriers with (including tetramorium) haven't crossed it. Although, some lasius ants have gotten stuck to it, and died... Maybe not the safest, but definitely the most escape proof. :lol:
How big was your tetramorium colony?

Re: Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Fri May 11, 2018 2:56 pm
by averagebilly
Fairly small, probably around 15 - 25 workers.

Re: Do Pavement Ants easily climb up corners?

Posted: Sat May 12, 2018 3:16 pm
by idahoantgirl
averagebilly wrote:
Fri May 11, 2018 2:56 pm
Fairly small, probably around 15 - 25 workers.
At that size they are not interested in exploring very far. It is only when colonies grow large that barriers are put to the test. For me, baby powder and rubbing alcohol worked at first but only because my colony was small and not interested in testing the barriers. Later I started having a few escapes, and then pretty soon hundreds of workers all over my dresser. :? That is when i switched to plain baby powder.