2 replies to this topic

[cap_backfire]

Yeah so my Camponotus Discolor attempted an escape last night/ yesterday at some point.   Apparently they decided, as a group, that petroleum jelly was OK to just walk on.   They didn't care one bit.   Just walked right over it.   

So now I sit and wait for fluon on the mail, and monitor the new, alcohol and talcum powder, classic mix, which seems to be really working.   
I was coming downstairs to shoot my YouTube livestreams (very time sensitive) and had more than a few things to run through and set up beforehand and saw a few dozen girls up to 10 feet away from the tank and scouting all over the outside of their tank/ table.   So... 45 minutes, precious minutes, later, some of them were returned to their home and the talcahol (TRADEMARK!) barrier was put in place.   Then last night and today spent a total of about 2 hours collecting them wtih an aspirator, or simply flicking them back into the tank as they explored the rim, trying to get back home to report on what they had found in this expansive, concrete world.   

 

So yeah... I'm sure I lost a few, but I'm estimating roughly 200 had escaped.   

 

These girls definitely keep me on my toes!  

[AntaholicAnonymous]

Fluon was the only thing that worked for me long term.
All the other options I've tried just stopped the scouts but not serious escape attempts and once a colony of a couple thousand lasius think it's time to expand you better have the fluon barrier ready. lol

[cap_backfire]

Well fluoun applied and seemingly successful.  The only thing I'm worried about are the corners of the tank, so observing and so far it's holding up fine.   Barrier I installed on the electric cord for the waterfall is also doing just fine, so proud of that success.   

After using petroleum jelly successfully for months (4 months?) the girls just decided they could walk right over it whenever and wherever they chose.   Even after reapplying, they simply didn't care.   Then I applied baby powder UNDER the petroleum jelly as a second barrier while I waited for the fluoun to arrive and... apparently that's not much of a deterrent for these girls now either.   Going to reapply some kind of peppermint barrier at the lid of the tank as a repellent to further strengthen the barrier.   

Luckily, there is no other real heat source nearby and these stubborn ladies didn't try to move the queen or any brood out.   They, predictably, moved right into the potted plants I had nearby (on purpose) and I'm currently trying to 'evict' them from this temporary refuge little by little.   

 

Ants are so challenging!  And Camponotus discolor are such a 'simple' species to keep!   Well worth the effort but holy cow, when you come home and find at least 100 loose in your basement, you kinda freak out.   especially when you're JUST about to film your YouTube video livestream.   

I want to thank everyone who has posted about their own escape recoveries and preventions in the past.   Those posts REALLY helped me out in this instance (and many others).   Keep being an awesome community!