# Catching Ants !



## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

I was looking for something else besides FF to feed my PDF's , so I thought ants would be easy to catch . after several days of setting out sugar and seeing very few ants I decided to try something else . I cut off the end of a tupperware lid and placed a single " Chile Chesse Frito " in the middle , in about an hour I had thousands of ants on that single Frito . I tapped the Frito on the lid to knock off the ants and dumped the ants into a plastic container . I have not fed them to my frogs yet , but thought i would share this easy capture system . Just be sure to rince the cement with a garden hose real good and let dry , then your ready to collect .


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

Also does anyone know if it is safe to feed " pavement ants " ? All advice is welcome . After a search I get mixed opions . Some say yes some say never try it ????????????????????????????? :?


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2006)

there are so many species, and I think you will never know till you try. Scarry I know.
I have been lucky enough to find an indoor colony where I work. I give them peanuts and waxworms whenever I can and collect them when I need to, using the peanuts as lure. I take a brush and collect them with that. These ants (I don't know the species) have not been able to sting or pinch me, and trust me I see them trying, but I just don't feel anything. I have fed them regularly to my tiny toads(see avatar) and are relished.


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## SusannahJoy (Jul 3, 2006)

my frogs LOVE ants, but unfortunatly i live in an apartment complex so i cant catch the ones here (i dont know how much pesticides they use). i've found that the easiest way to catch them is to just find an ant hole and tap it a few times and they tend to freak out and crawl right into the container. i dont really have anything to add to this thread though, i just wanted to whine about not being able to use the ones here. damn pesticides! they dont even work, this place is covered in bugs. grrs!


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

I'm gonna dust one ant and put it in , if they go for it I may feed ants carefully and slowly to be sure everything that goes in is eaten . I'm new to this hobby and DO NOT want to ruin my viv by having it over run with ants . I have researched this board and others and after reading all the threads , decided to proceed with extream caution . At my work place I can catch these very tiny ants through the cracks in the pavement by the thousands with no effort at all .


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## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

i feed my frogs ants. around here there's two kinds i typically see. one kind is dark brown and very slow moving compared to the other kind which is a lighter brown, almost orangish. both are really small, and appear to be harmless. i'll put a tupperware container with food in it, usually cheese or a chip, under some plants by my front door and get lots of the dark brown ones. my frogs eat them readily and seem to love them, so i figure why not feed them, a little diversity in food is usually good.


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

COOL 8) , I'm hoping for the same results...... I'll post next week and let everyone know how it turned out .


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

I just trapped a bunch in a cup from my greenhouse. Feed a few to the Azureus and they went nuts, they loved them. Guess I know what they're getting for breakfast tomorrow.


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

GREAT  i hope mine do the same...... i can catch enough in one hour to feed for six months easy . In fact I don't think they will all stay alive long enough to feed them all .


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2006)

how good are ants nutritionally though?
I suppose its always best to feed freshly cought ants and to try to feed the colony the best you can.


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

Khamul , don't know how good nutritionally they are , but it's a varied diet and in the wild they eat all sorts of insects . Besides that there free and there is no culturing involved . I figure it's worth a shot . :?


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

Not to mention, the percent of their food from colony insects is well above 50%, dont remember what it is though.


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2006)

I suppose my real question is how well fed does the colony keep its workers??? The colony where I get my ants, I feed with all sorts of food items. I give em worms, peanuts, ham, cheese, sugar, fruit, anything I have for lunch, they get little pieces. So I wonder how much of that nutrition goes into the worker ants that get eaten by my frogs.


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

I think the workers are well fed IMO , notice how they sit on the food for awile and work to break it down so they can carry it away . Just a guess but I think they break it down with there mouths , thus eating till the item is small enough to carry .


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

One word of advise guys. I collected at least 200 of these little beasties the other day from my greenhouse. I feed a few to my Azureus and they went nuts over them. I put the remainder in a 16oz. deli cup with one of those lids from a FF culture, you know, the one with the paper covered holes in it!!! Well, guess what? That paper is no barrier for those ants. They ate right through it. And now I have 200 ants loose in the house!! :shock: :shock: 
Not only do I now have FF everywhere, an infestation of gnats from god knows where, now I have ants on the kitchen counter. I think I should build a seperate house just for this hobby!! Or better yet, I should find a used research containment room, you know, the ones that are totally sealed to prevent leakage of what ever. Then when the bugs get loose, I just close the door. :lol: :lol:


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

Dragonfrog , I hear ya and was affraid of that myself . On friday I had at least 300 or so in a container with a coffee filter rubberbanded to the top . This morning I went into the shop to see if they lived thru the weekend and found that the ants chewed three little holes in the filter and escaped ! And I mean all of them WOW :shock: My wife would have killed me if this happened in the house . So seeing how they got loose in the barn no big deal I waited till the end of the day and went to where the " Frito's" were and took about four or five home . I dusted them and put them in the tank and the frogs ate them up in no time flat . I'm very happy about this and will feed these along with FF . I'll just never bring home more than I'm going to feed in one day . All and all SUCCESS


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

Yea, I am not too sure how I feel about the ants. I think they will be good food for the frogs but they are not like the FF. The FF are already near two weeks old when you put them in the viv so they are not going to live much longer. So it is no big deal if they get out of the viv; they're going to die anyway. But those ants!! If some of them get out of the viv, They will be around for quite some time, loose in the house.
It is just a good thing I don't have a wife or she would have shot me!! :lol: :lol: 
I will probably keep on using them, I will just fedd a very small amount at a time, 10 or so.


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

I understand..... here is how I make my viv escape proof . I have been in the reef tank hobby for years and new to PDF's . I use " Lifeguard Silicone O Ring Lubricant " around the entire rim of the viv , when the lid is closed the tank is totally sealed . This silicone can be bought at Doctors Foster & Smith . It is safe and works very well . I also use " Gorilla Tape " around all the glass except the lid . It is much stronger than duct tape and the color black to boot . For ventilation the back behind the light has plastic screen drilled with holes and covered with " bridel vale " . There is no escape out of this viv and I have the dead FF caught in the silicone lube to prove it . Give it a try and I think you will agree , then you won't have to wonder if food is escaping .


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

Cooool, Thanks.


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## Frogger 415 (May 28, 2006)

Your Welcome !


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