Catching ants without digging into the ground can be quite difficult for some people, and few have the patience to collect them individually one at a time. The methods described in this tutorial will help you capture them easily.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: With Seed Oil and a Jar
Step 1. Dip the end of a tampon in the oil
Step 2. Using the stick, spread the oil around the edges of the top of a jar
Be careful not to spill the oil on the outside of the container.
Step 3. Now it's time to place the trap
Step 4. If you are catching ants from a flower bed, use a garden spade or stick to make a hole in the center of the root ball, as deep as the container
Step 5. Insert the jar (without lid) facing up into the hole
Step 6. If you are catching ants from a log or other shelter, start disturbing the nest and place the jar always facing up in the area where the ants are concentrated
Step 7. Observe how the ants approach and explore the container
When they get over the edge and reach the oil they can't avoid slipping and falling inside.
Step 8. Once you have a satisfactory amount of ants, remove any remaining on the outside of the pot and retrieve the container
Step 9. Put the lid on the jar
Step 10. Place the container in the refrigerator
This way the ants slow down their movements.
Step 11. Once they are cold, you can pour them through a funnel into the anthill you have set up
Method 2 of 2: With a Jar, Sugar and a Cotton Ball
Step 1. Make a hole in the lid of a jar
Step 2. Fill the container with sugary food
Step 3. Fill the hole with a cotton ball
Step 4. Place the jar with the cotton ball in an area where the ants are
Step 5. Wait for the ants to arrive en masse and fall into it
I am unable to get out through the cotton ball.
Step 6. Refrigerate the captured ants to cool them
Make sure you cover the jar carefully first, otherwise you'll find ants all over the fridge!
Step 7. Gently transfer the insects to the anthill
Gently shake the jar to help them fall into their new home.
Advice
- Know that the colony will only live a few months without a queen.
- Have a second container with a lid to put the queen on hand if you're lucky enough to find one.
- If you want your anthill to live and resist for a long time, the presence of a queen ant is required. This one has wings, but it is not the only ant to have them. The best time to catch one is in early spring, when it is ready to leave the colony.
Warnings
- Some people are very allergic to ant bites. Be cautious when handling and moving around these insects.
- Most ants bite and some are even poisonous.
