Ants!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:25 am

Hello, I need your help! We purchased two Land Hermit Crabs for my 8 year old son for Christmas. He is working hard at being a responsible caretaker, and has been reading and taking good care of Pinchy and Scratchy. They are eating well, playing well, and have enjoyed a bath in the 10 days they have been with us. We installed a heater a few days ago to get the humidity up (placed it partially under the water dish) and everything seemed to be fine. However, my son awoke this morning and found tons of black ants inside the crabitat. We know that we cannot use any pesticides in or near the crabitat, but what CAN we do? Is it safe to use pesticides where the ants are entering the room? Can I wipe the shelf where the crabitat sits with borax without harming the critters? Is there a better alternative? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. We moved the crabitat to the kitchen sink, where my son is removing the ants by hand. Thanks, Jill (and Joe)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:49 am

I'm sure you can spray the areas where theants are coming in if you open some windowsuntil the odor dissapates. I've seen naturalpesticides too, which would be better. Neverspray anything in the crabitat (of course). I've also heard spreading vaseline aroundthe rim of the tank will prevent the ants fromentering

Crabby Abby · Post by **Crabby Abby** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:53 am

I'm going to try to answer this accurately and I hope someone jumps in and backs me up. Picking them out may be okay for a few but if you're swarmed with them then something in the crabitat is attracting them. I'm not going to recommend bathing them because they're new, you've done it to them once already and it may not be necessary to stress them with another.- Remove the crabs and put them in a makeshift tank, tupperware tub or something with a pale towel for them to sit on and a damp towel over it while you clean their home. I say pale towel so if any ants come out of the shells, you'll see them easier.- Empty the crabitat and wipe down the insides with a wet towel making sure to get in the corners and crevices. If it were any other bug I might suggest flushing with hot water and a vinegar wipedown but I don't think it's necessary.- Toss any moss they may be hiding inside.- You can visually inspect and wipe down anything smooth and solid. If you think they could be inside cholla or grapevine crevices, seal them in a bag for two days. Anything inside will smother.- Borax is a powdered cleanser like Ajax, right? As long as you don't use it on the tank or hermie items, it should be okay to wipe down the shelf with it. As I recall, it doesn't have a strong odor like liquids do so it would be safe to clean with. Strong odors are quite harmful to hermies.- I set Bay Leaves in places where I get ants and they don't come around. That's a Heloise tip and it's always worked for me.- When all is clean, if you haven't found any ants on the crabs or towel, you should be able to return your hermies to a clean home.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:29 am

Thanks so much for your quick replies! My son took great delight in removing the ants by hand (8 year old boy, sigh) and we cleaned the driftwood, and feeding/water dishes with non chlorinated water. My son decided to sift thru the calci-sand with a plastic fork that had been rinsed in clean water as well. We put Pinchy and Scratchy in a clean bowl with a towel, and haven't seen any ants for a while. I did spray around the baseboard entry to the room and the window, but the crabitat is waist high, and at least 4 feet away from the spray sites. I will go ahead and wipe down the shelf with borax (I usually clean tile floors with borax, as it keeps ants away - they won't cross a borax line). The slight residue should turn them away, if there's any left alive. I'm not one to use pesticides willy nilly, but it just poured rain here for a few days (which is why there are ants in the house anyways). Thanks again for all the tips, I have just one more question about bay leaves....do I use the dried kind, or can I use fresh from my garden? Can I put them in the tank, or should I put them around it? Will the hermies eat the leaves? Is it safe if they do, or do I need to place them outside the crabitat? Ok, so that's far more than one question, but I still appreciate all the help. Thanks again, Jill (and Joe)

KittyCaller · Post by **KittyCaller** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:54 am

I would not use anything that's meant to kill or repel the ants directly in the tank. Hermit crabs are related to insects, so there's a chance you'll end up hurting the crabs as well. Be VERY careful with any chemicals you use. They are super sensitive to them. Even if the pesticides are used outside, if the window is open the crabs could be affected. Definitely not good. What I've used with fruit flies is I wiped down the outside of the tank with a dish detergent/water mixture and let it dry. I also wiped down the wall behind the tank. If you did that, it might work on the ants as well, though I'm not certain. Just be sure none gets where the crabs have any exposure whatsoever.

Crabby Abby · Post by **Crabby Abby** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:12 am

Jill,I can't find whether bay leaves are harmful or not so I would err on the side of caution and keep them out of the tank. I lay them on a cabinet shelf or tuck them in crevices. You could probably put one on either side of the tank to discourage ants coming from either direction or tape them by the stem low on the outer glass. I use dried because they're easier to keep on hand but I'm sure fresh would work the same or better.Tell your son he did a great job taking care of his hermies and I'm sure they appreciated it!