15 replies to this topic

[DevinTheAntKeeper]

What's a good escape barrier other than fluon? Ima move my cao2 colony out of the test tube and into a mini hearth. (Ill make a journal later). Thanks 

[Ernteameise]

Paraffin oil works best for me. Tried fluon, but maybe my humidity is to high, it did not work for me.

[DevinTheAntKeeper]

Thanks, also heard Vaseline worked too?  Is it true

[bmb1bee]

I wouldn't recommend oil or Vaseline. Those are horrible to wipe off and clean. I find that talcum/baby powder works very well. Still experimenting on the most effective ways to mix it, but it should work almost as well as Fluon (and better than oil or Vaseline).

[Virginian_ants]

I've had good success with Olive oil it is a little annoying to clean but not too hard. I tried Vaseline but it was a pain to wash and it didn't worked for most my colonies.

[bmb1bee]

I wouldn't recommend oil or Vaseline. Those are horrible to wipe off and clean. I find that talcum/baby powder works very well. Still experimenting on the most effective ways to mix it, but it should work almost as well as Fluon (and better than oil or Vaseline).

Forgot to mention, mix the powder with isopropyl alcohol. This way should hopefully give the best results.

[aznphenom]

Paraffin oil works best for me. Tried fluon, but maybe my humidity is to high, it did not work for me.

Interesting. Did you mixed it with alcohol? What species walked over it? Did you actually let it dry completely? its normally 1-2 hours with 96% alcohol for me. I know when I can't smell alcohol anymore. 

[antsriondel]

I use Olive oil for all of my barriers and as long as you reapply it every two-three months it works incredibly well. 

[azzaaazzzz00]

I used olive oil but the oil keeps seperating into little sepertate drops with space in between, kind of like this:

Idk if its the type of container I'm using, the type of olive oil (extra virgin olive oil), or how I applied it, but I'm looking to see if there are better options. So, olive oil hasn't worked for me

Edited by azzaaazzzz00, August 18 2023 - 9:36 AM.

[Virginian_ants]

I have that problem too but if you don't add as much into the cotton ball it won't happen I've had ants drown in these droplets. While feeding some fruit flies to my ants I saw they slipped on the barrier so I will be testing to see if it works and they don't lay eggs in it for my culture.

[AntPerson76]

I've had good success with Olive oil it is a little annoying to clean but not too hard. I tried Vaseline but it was a pain to wash and it didn't worked for most my colonies.

I used olive oil once, and it looked like it was working at first, but then it starting getting everywhere and was a pain to clean.

[katzenhai2]

Talc powder is the best - if the particle size is small enough. There is a scientific article here:
https://blog.myrmeco...-from-escaping/
(you can also find the scientific paper as a PDF on the blog. There are electron micrographs showing the differences in particle size)

They found that talc powder with a maximum particle size of less than 3 µm (D97) can prevent even Monomorium intrudens from escaping for over one year. For larger ant species the particles can also be larger (they have tested up to 22 µm max size) - but the smaller the particles the better the protection. Problem is that baby powder or talcum in general sometimes has a very large max. particle size (30-44 µm) that doesn't hold together so well and crumbles down.

I received a very fine talc powder from my private known restorer of porcelain figures. This powder behaves differently when mixed with ethanol. Under a laboratory microscope I was able to make a comparison between "normal" talc and this finer one:

Particle size: ~30 µm (normal talc)


Particle size:~10 µm (finer talc)


(the free area between the particles is designed intentionally and the particle size can be better recognized. Normally you spread it thicker so that all the particles overlap)

Very few manufacturers specify the particle size. But you can get in China finer talc if neccessary.

Edited by katzenhai2, August 19 2023 - 4:51 PM.

[AntsCali098]

Talcum powder, olive oil, or vaseline although vaseline can get super dirty and it a big pain to clean off, but works with most small species.

[DevinTheAntKeeper]

Would rubbing alcohol and baby powder work as well?

[AntsCali098]

Yes, but I've found it to be less effective, maybe I just made mine bad.

[100lols]

The problem with baby powder is many companies don’t make it with talc anymore. It’s made with cornstarch.

I use an old baby powder bottle made from talc and it works great for my larger ants.