8 replies to this topic

[AntsMAN]

They are walking over the Fluon no problem, when I first put it on it worked fine. It has been very humid and I put the Fluon on months ago. Would it be okay to put on another coat? While the ants are still  present or will it harm them?

 

I should have read up more on barriers I though Fluon was permanent, is there anything better to use for smaller ants.

 

99% ISO and baby powder works great for my Camponotus, does it work well with small ants?

 

They are in a Tarheel talus.

[dermy]

If you've only put it on every few months then I think [correct me if I'm wrong] doing it wrong I think you need to apply and reapply it every few weeks or so. I'm sure if you reapply another layer they shouldn't be able to get over it.

 

To be honest Fluon works the best, I find the whole ISO and Baby-powder to be a mess, and from my experience little ants walk over it like nothing.

[William. T]

As eople say, 90% of the barrier is on your application. Redo it. Baby Powder and Alcholol is a mess.

[Works4TheGood]

According to our beginner's guide, fluon should last for 6 months. However, it degrades faster in high humidity and low temperatures. Additionally, the Barriers thread stated that no species of ants have been known to walk across it.

Edited by Works4TheGood, September 12 2015 - 6:26 PM.

[drtrmiller]

From http://www.byformica.com/Fluon

 

I bolded the sections that are relevant to your questions.

 

 

 

Keep applied Fluon away from high-humidity and high temperatures. Formicary must be well ventilated (open top works best), and well away from heat lamps.

 

Best Practices

• Always apply Fluon to a clean, smooth surface. Oily, dirty, or textured surfaces will ruin the permanent applicator tips and will cause the Fluon not to work properly.
• Apply as smoothly as possible, and do not over-apply. If product drips, you have used too much.
• Always allow Fluon to dry for 5-10 minutes before introducing ants. Heavier applications are not recommended, and will take longer to dry.
• If the Fluon stops working, the old Fluon must be removed completely with a damp sponge or lint-free cloth before reapplying fresh Fluon.

[dspdrew]

Yeah, you don't need to reapply it every few weeks. It should last a long time unless you have thousands of ants constantly trying to cross it. I'm not sure high humidity permanently ruins a coating of Fluon; I think it just fails to work right once the humidity reaches a certain level. I could be wrong, but this is kind of what I have experienced.

[drtrmiller]

I'm not sure high humidity permanently ruins a coating of Fluon; I think it just fails to work right once the humidity reaches a certain level. I could be wrong, but this is kind of what I have experienced.

Something to look into.

[kellakk]

I've soaked a container coated in fluon in water and then air-dried it. The fluon survived and worked just fine afterward. I sometimes do this when I find out that I applied too much of it, as the water thins out the layer a little bit and some of it runs off when it's drying.

 

They are walking over the Fluon no problem, when I first put it on it worked fine. It has been very humid and I put the Fluon on months ago. Would it be okay to put on another coat? While the ants are still  present or will it harm them?

 

I should have read up more on barriers I though Fluon was permanent, is there anything better to use for smaller ants.

 

99% ISO and baby powder works great for my Camponotus, does it work well with small ants?

 

They are in a Tarheel talus.

 

Applying extra will only make it worse by giving the ants more of a surface to grab onto.  The best way to fix the problem would be to dehumidify the area.  You could also try talcum powder (baby powder), although I have no experience using it.

[andrew]

Hi,

 

for humid areas I would recommend to dilute fluon a bit. Usually the dispersion contains 60% of solid particles. Going down to 30-40 should be fine. And definitely do not apply another layer of fluon on the old one - always clean the surface.

 

I highly recommend Slippy Insect Barrier from Oobleck.