5 replies to this topic

[rptraut]

Hello Everyone;

 

I see that people use UV lights to attract mating ants, often called blacklighting, so I feel you should be aware of the hazards of UV light.   I'm by no means an expert on this subject but my wife worked as an Optometric Assistant for over 30 years.    She says, first of all, UV light from the sun is a dangerous part of the light spectrum and contributes to many things like sunburn and skin cancer.   The light emitted by bulbs, at a reduced level, is capable of being just as dangerous if it is true UV light.   I became concerned when I saw a photo of a large bank of UV lights that would have attracted flying ants from another planet.  All UV light is dangerous.   Most UV bulbs used in industrial settings are covered at all times and I wonder what your opinions are about this.   

 

Numerous examples of warnings exist on the internet but a good summary I found is located here   https://www.hornerli...y-Factsheet.pdf

 

Let me distil it for you.   UV light can cause short and long-term damage, particularly to eyes.   The intensity and duration of exposure are many factors, but a limit I found was five minutes of staring directly into the light.   Further exposure risks things like welders' eye, which doesn't become apparent until much longer after exposure.   Long-term effects are many, but cataracts seem popular.   Suffice to say, it isn't safe to look directly into UV light.   Okay, so as ant keepers trying to attract mating ants, we need to cover those bulbs and don't look directly at the light.   Cloth sheets over the light could be used, but I read that even nylon allows forty percent of UV light to pass through.   Maybe white plastic would be better.   My wife suggests wearing UV filter sunglasses whenever working around an unprotected light.   I don't use this system; I'd like to see some of the setups you use and hear how you operate them.   

 

Another concern I was unaware of is that a UV bulb produces ozone and other dangerous compounds that smell like a photocopier.    When confined in a small space those gases are concentrated and are unsafe to breath.   There's a long list of the harm these compounds cause so provide ventilation and be aware.    Lastly, bulbs that contain mercury are disposed of as hazardous waste.

 

I'd like to add a section on this subject to the "Ant Keeping Health Guide", so I want your opinions and experiences.    Thank you

  RPT

Edited by rptraut, January 13 2025 - 2:02 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

rptraut,
I highly appreciate this caution when using UV lights, as sometimes us ant keepers can get carried away with trying to catch the queens and not thinking about the long term health risks. I have one question however in relation to your excellent post. Is there a difference between mercury UV lights and LED UV lights, and possibly other types as well? I am fairly certain that LED's cannot emit ozone. I have also read that the spectrum of UV light is important, as some claim that certain wavelengths of UV are safe (or safer) for humans. I would love to hear your wife's opinion if she thinks that UV LED's are dangerous. As always, I appreciate your caring and detailed post! As someone who uses a blacklight setup, I will be following this thread, as safety is a number one priority for me.
Ants_Dakota

[rptraut]

Hello Ants Dakota;

 

Thanks for your comments and question, I share your concern for safety, and I think everyone should be aware of the hazards of UV light.   My wife, like many mothers I'm sure, is concerned about children and the protection of the only eyes they will ever get.   Young tissue tends to be more easily affected by UV light and that person has a longer lifetime for the long-term effects to become apparent.   She knows that many ant keepers are young and need to be informed and parents need to be aware.   What looks like an innocent purchase on the internet can be dangerous if not used safely.   She says that no matter how it's generated, if the label says it produces UV light all safety precautions on the label should be strictly adhered to.   Remember, she wants you to wear UV filter sunglasses when working around an unprotected bulb.   

 

I found an article on workplace safety regulations that you might find interesting.       https://www.prophoto...rk-environment/

 

Ozone is produced by UV light, no matter how it's generated.   Ventilation is often recommended.   Also, mercury vapour lights have to be disposed of as hazardous waste because of their mercury content.

 

From my research I learned that led UV bulbs can be manufactured to produce specific wavelengths of the spectrum.  UVA is used for tanning while UVC is used to disinfect water.   Reading and following all safety measures recommended on the label is really the only way to ensure your safety with any particular product.   

RPT

[rptraut]

Hello Everyone:

 

I'm interested to see the way you set up your UV lights to attract mating ants.   Please feel free to post pictures here.   

RPT 

[Ants_Dakota]

Hello Everyone:

 

I'm interested to see the way you set up your UV lights to attract mating ants.   Please feel free to post pictures here.   

RPT 

I would direct you to an old thread I started which helped me create the setup I have myself. In the next year I hope to create a detailed post about my current setup as well.

[rptraut]

Hello Everyone;

 

Here's an old thread posted by jplelito.  Please feel free to post photos of your setups here too.

RPT

 

 

Blacklighting 'traps' - one idea that has worked

Blacklighting for Queens – some thoughts after a years’ practice

I don’t relish being up all night, so I have tried since last year to come up with a reliable ‘ant trap’ like I’ve seen a lot of others doing – thanks for the inspiration from the various ideas.  This is what I settled on in 2021 as the ‘best’ in terms of catching and keeping ants overnight.

 

I tried a mercury vapor bulb last year but those light up the whole backyard and attract more beetles and moths than ants for whatever reason.  Expensive, hot, dangerous, and absolutely not waterproof.  Basically useless in the Southeast US on that last point.  You have got to have a setup here in the East that can deal with the inevitable overnight rain/storms.  

 

I use this combo: 

 

A 56 liter or whatever large size gray plastic Sterilite bin is the base.  Get at Target/Walmart.  Cheap. 

 

Put that under something high - I use the railing of my deck and put the bucket on the ground below, with the LED bulb up top and the string draped over the railing and almost all the way down into the bucket - so things that hit just run down and hide in the layers, like this - 

 

Then add in progressively the layers of absorbent stuff (see below for narrative)

 

 

Make sure to include a rock/brick something heavy to stick the sheet into the bucket in case there is a storm - this is mean to be kind of low-maintenance during the midnight-3 AM downpours we get here.

 

 

 

A twin bed white sheet. 

An outdoor rated power cord (length to your needs).

A splitter or some other method of connecting two lights to your power cord.

An outdoor rated standard light bulb hood.

In the bottom of the plastic bin – line this with whatever you have that’s absorbent.  I’ve settled on absorbent pads and the like because they don’t mold for a really long time even when damp, but I’ve also used bath/kitchen towels (this displeases the spouse because they mildew after a while), crunkled up paper (turns to mush, not recommended), cut up cardboard boxes (longer to mush, but ultimately, still mush), etc. etc. etc.  It’s just important that you have something absorbent (in case it rains) and that is in stacks or layers (so ants can find hiding places – you want them to stay in the bin).   I aim for not less than 15-20 layers, more is better.  This matters – some ants are almost always at the bottom, like Pheidole tysoni and Aphaenogaster – and if there are only a few layers they never stay - see here in the bottom corner under all the stuff:

 

 

A 365 nm LED – best to try not to look at it, it gives off a pretty dim light (as it should).  As soon as I turn this on, insects show up within less than a minute.  If you are going to manually work your light, get a pair of UV safety googles at the hardware store and keep those on while this bulb is in front of you, they will reduce your exposure big time.  I’ve never had one but a sunburn on your eyeballs is probably not swell. 

 

Link to the one I buy - https://www.amazon.c...F9NJSB6C7HMH0H1

 

A 395-405 nm LED strip – make sure you get the waterproof one that’s got the LEDs wrapped in silicone or similar or it’ll cook on the first foggy night never mind an actual rain storm.   JUNWEN BlackLights LED Rope Strip Lights, 110V Outdoor Black Lights Kit, Waterproof 432LEDs 40FT Flexible Purple Rope Light for Birthday Halloween Stage Fluorescent Dance Party Home Decoration - - Amazon.com.  Again - be safe.  Don't stare at it without eye protection.  

 

Note that neither of these are super bright, so you’ll want a white light flashlight if you will work the light manually (meaning you are watching in person waiting for queens). 

 

I use an outdoor rated power cord that’s plugged in in my kitchen and run out onto my deck.  I siliconed the heck out of the lamp fixture too, to ensure almost no moisture can get in by the cord at the top.  I also have this cheapo plastic cookie tub as a hub for the cords to keep rain off - I cut a hole in the side, ran all the cords in one by one, then plugged it in once it was all inside:

 

 

Note also in the image above I like to lay a painters cloth or blanket over the top of the whole thing - this helps prevent things that bounce off the sheet from simply flying straight up out of the bucket.  Like a lid, more or less, but only closed 2/3 of the way, if that makes sense.

 

This trap keeps a lot of stuff – I’ve captured at least one fertile queen of:

 

Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Camponotus nearcticus, Colobopsis (two species), Temnothorax ambiguus, Temnothorax pergandei, Temnothorax curvispinosus, Tetramorium, I can’t even tell how many species of teeny weeny Solenopsis and even the occasional fire ant complex queen (latter always fed to my Sarracenia) Pheidole bicarinata, Phe. tysoni, Phe. dentigula, Phe. dentata, Pseudomrymex, Brachymyrmex, Lasius americanus, Aphaenogaster fulva and A. rudis, various Crematogaster (one type in the summer, one in the fall), and I probably forgot some.  There’s a metric you-know-what-load of things that come to the light in ones and twos that I don’t bother to ID.    

 

In some cases the number of female, dealate animals of one of these species during a prime flight, that remain in the bin in the morning is more than 100.  No foolin'.  This happens all the time with Brachymyrmex and Aphaenogaster.  

 

Happy Anting!

 

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