Managing and Dealing With Escaped Ants - AntsCanada Ant Tutorial #29

Summary

In this informative tutorial, the host of Ant Canada shares their experience in managing ant husbandry, especially in the challenging tropical climate of the Philippines. They discuss the difficulty of containing ants with traditional methods like Vaseline and introduce PTFE, or 'Insecta Slip', as a superior barrier. The video offers practical tips on preventing escapes, dealing with breaches, and maintaining ant colonies, along with insights on the global ant-keeping community and the importance of appreciating local species.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The speaker moved from Canada to the Philippines and had to adapt to different ant species and containment methods.
• 🐜 North American ants were easier to contain compared to the more resourceful and challenging tropical ants in the Philippines.
• 🛡 PTFE, also known as Fluon or Insecta Slip, is recommended as an effective barrier to prevent ants from escaping their enclosures.
• 📦 Fluon can be ordered from a site called buyequip.com and is included in Aunt Canada's habitat nest kits.
• 🔄 To apply Fluon, invert the container and mix every three to four weeks, and apply it to an inverted Outworld to avoid unsightly streaks.
• 🚫 Avoid reapplying Fluon over itself as it creates a gripping surface that ants can use to cross the barrier.
• 🔄 Use packaging tape to line the tops of ant enclosures before applying the barrier for easier maintenance and replacement if needed.
• 🖌️ Paint brushes are useful for handling ants without harming them, and surgical gloves are recommended for protection when dealing with stinging species.
• 🔗 Use a glue gun or silicone caulk for securing joints and connections in ant enclosures to prevent escapes.
• 🐾 If ants escape, use a vacuum with a removable canister to collect them quickly and return them to their enclosure, ensuring not to dehydrate them.
• 🌐 Aunt Canada promotes local ant keeping through the 'Global Ant Keepers Project', encouraging the sale of local ant species to prevent ecological harm.
• 🎉 Aunt Canada is celebrating its fifth anniversary and continues to innovate with new products and DIY kits for ant enthusiasts.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video tutorial?

The main topic of the video tutorial is how to prevent ants from escaping in ant husbandry and what to do if they do escape.

Why did the creator of Ant Canada relocate to the Philippines?

The creator of Ant Canada relocated to the Philippines in December 2011 due to certain circumstances that necessitated the move halfway across the world.

What challenges did the creator face when setting up Ant Canada in Manila?

The creator faced challenges such as finding materials available in Manila to continue making the products loved by customers and adapting to the more difficult-to-manage tropical ants.

What is the significance of PTFE in ant containment?

PTFE, also known as Fluon or Insecta Slip, is a liquid Teflon used as a barrier to prevent ants from escaping. It hardens into a slippery surface that ants cannot cross.

How can one obtain PTFE for ant containment?

PTFE can be ordered from a site called buyequip.com, and it is also included in small bottles with some of Ant Canada's habitat nests.

What is the recommended method for applying PTFE to ant habitats?

The recommended method is to turn the habitat upside down and paint the barrier at the top to avoid unsightly drip marks.

Why is packaging tape used in ant containment setups?

Packaging tape is used to line the tops of formicariums, providing a surface on which a barrier like PTFE can be placed, and it can be easily replaced if the ants find a breach.

What are some tools recommended for handling ants during maintenance or if they escape?

Paint brushes and surgical gloves are recommended for handling ants to prevent injury and to avoid squishing them.

What should one do if ants have already escaped from their habitat?

If ants have escaped, one should use a vacuum with a removable canister to quickly collect the ants and address the breach in the setup to prevent further escapes.

What is the Global Ant Keepers Project and how does it work?

The Global Ant Keepers Project is an initiative where ant keepers from around the world can sell ants they've captured or bred locally to people in their area, promoting local species appreciation and reducing ecological risks associated with mail-order ants.

How does the creator of Ant Canada feel about the ants native to North America after keeping tropical species?

The creator appreciates the ants native to North America more after experiencing the challenges of keeping tropical species, such as their easier containment and simpler care requirements.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Relocation and Challenges of Ant Husbandry in the Tropics

The speaker introduces the video, explaining that while they've covered many ant husbandry topics, they've never discussed preventing ant escapes due to past ease with North American ants. They recount their move from Canada to the Philippines in December 2011 and the challenges of adapting to new materials and ant species. They highlight the difficulty of keeping tropical ants, particularly the solenopsis genus, which are resourceful and challenging to contain, even with tried-and-true methods like petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and PTFE (Insecta slip).

05:01

🛠️ Tools and Techniques for Preventing Ant Escapes

This paragraph focuses on the tools and techniques necessary for preventing ant escapes. The speaker recommends using PTFE (also known as Fluon or Insecta slip), a liquid Teflon that hardens into a slippery barrier, and provides tips on its application and maintenance. They also suggest using packaging tape to line the tops of ant habitats, which can be replaced if breached. The importance of using paint brushes for handling ants and wearing surgical gloves for protection from stinging species is emphasized. Additionally, the speaker advises using a glue gun or silicone caulk to secure joins in the ant setup.

10:02

🐜 Dealing with Ant Escapes and Containment Breaches

The speaker describes a personal experience of an ant escape and the steps taken to manage the situation. They recommend using a vacuum with a removable, transparent canister to quickly collect escaped ants and emphasize the importance of identifying and sealing any containment breaches. The use of tape and PTFE to patch up the breach is detailed, along with the need to rehydrate ants post-vacuuming by providing extra water in their habitat. The paragraph concludes with advice on preventing escapes and a reassurance that most ants in Europe and North America are easier to contain.

15:05

🌱 Promoting Local Ant Species and the Global Ant Keeper Community

In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the 'Global Ant Keeper Project,' an initiative to promote local ant species and discourage the purchase of non-native ants through mail. They explain how the project connects ant farmers with potential buyers in their area, fostering appreciation for local species and supporting the global ant-keeping community. The speaker also mentions upcoming products, including DIY kits for ant farms and a celebration of their channel's fifth anniversary, expressing gratitude for the support from the audience.

Keywords

💡Ant Husbandry

Ant husbandry refers to the practice of keeping ants in captivity for observation, study, or hobby purposes. It is central to the video's theme as the speaker discusses his experiences with keeping ants and the challenges he faced, particularly when moving from Canada to the Philippines and dealing with tropical ants.

💡Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)

Petroleum jelly, commonly known as Vaseline, is a byproduct of the petroleum refining process and is used in the video as an example of a traditional barrier to prevent ants from escaping their enclosures. The speaker mentions that Vaseline was effective for containing North American ants but not the more resourceful tropical ants in the Philippines.

💡Tropical Ants

Tropical ants are a specific type of ant species native to tropical regions, which the speaker found to be more challenging to keep in captivity compared to North American ants. They are highlighted in the script as being more resourceful and difficult to contain, thus requiring innovative solutions for ant husbandry.

💡PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene)

PTFE, also known as Teflon, is a material used in the video as an advanced barrier against ants escaping. The speaker discusses using a product called 'flow-on' PTFE, which is a liquid form of Teflon, to create a slippery surface that ants cannot traverse, illustrating its importance in the context of ant containment.

💡Insecta Slip

Insecta Slip is a product mentioned in the video that contains PTFE, making surfaces slippery for insects. It is used as a deterrent to prevent ants from escaping their enclosures and is a key solution the speaker found effective against the tenacious tropical ants.

💡Breach

A breach in the context of the video refers to a failure in the containment barrier that allows ants to escape. The speaker discusses how tropical ants found weaknesses in the PTFE barriers, necessitating the development of new strategies to prevent escapes.

💡Solenopsis

Solenopsis is a genus of stinging ants that the speaker specifically mentions as being particularly difficult to keep due to their rapid growth and high resource requirements. The mention of Solenopsis illustrates the challenges of keeping tropical ants and the need for robust containment methods.

💡Red Tropical Fire Ant

The red tropical fire ant is a specific species of Solenopsis that the speaker has kept and found to be the most difficult to manage. This term is used in the script to exemplify the extreme case of ant containment challenges faced by the speaker.

💡Global Ant Keepers Project

The Global Ant Keepers Project is an initiative mentioned in the video that aims to promote local ant keeping by connecting ant sellers with potential buyers in their region. This project is related to the video's theme as it represents a community effort to support and grow the hobby of ant husbandry sustainably.

💡DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Kits

DIY Kits are products that the speaker mentions will be released, allowing hobbyists to create their own ant farms and enclosures. These kits are relevant to the video's theme as they provide tools for viewers to engage in ant husbandry and learn from the speaker's experiences.

💡Ant Escape

Ant escape is a situation described in the video where ants manage to get out of their enclosure. The speaker provides a detailed account of dealing with such an incident, including the use of a vacuum and sealing the breach, which is a practical aspect of ant husbandry discussed in the script.

Highlights

Introduction to the Ant Canada channel and its focus on ant husbandry and containment.

Relocation from Canada to the Philippines and the challenges of setting up a new ant station.

Discovery of new materials and craftsmanship in Asia that were not available in Canada.

The difficulty of keeping tropical ants compared to North American ants.

Ineffectiveness of Vaseline as a barrier for tropical ants.

Introduction of PTFE (Insecta Slip) as a superior barrier for ant containment.

Recommendation to order PTFE from buyequip.com and its inclusion in Ant Canada habitat kits.

Instructions for preparing and applying PTFE to prevent ant escapes.

Use of packaging tape to line the tops of ant habitats for additional barrier protection.

Importance of using paint brushes for handling ants and avoiding direct contact.

Recommendation to use surgical gloves when handling stinging ant species.

Advice on using a glue gun or silicone caulk for securing joints in ant setups.

Dealing with ant escapes using a vacuum with a removable canister.

How to find and fix breaches in ant setups to prevent further escapes.

The importance of quickly relocating ants back to their habitat after vacuuming to prevent dehydration.

Introduction of the Global Ant Keepers Project for local ant sales and its ecological benefits.

Announcement of new products and DIY kits from Ant Canada.

Ant Canada's fifth anniversary and commitment to continue supporting the ant keeping community.

Transcripts

hey guys what's up at lovers of the

world welcome to the ant Canada and

channel you know we've had ant tutorials

about pretty much everything in terms of

and keeping and ant husbandry keeping

ants in captivity but I haven't created

a tutorial on this topic

mostly because well I kind of never had

any basis to UM to create this this

tutorial my aunt's back when I was in

Canada we're fairly easy to contain you

know I would just use a band of

petroleum jelly Vaseline and the ants

for the most part remained in the form

aquariums in their out worlds and you

know I never had to worry about escapes

but for those of you who've been

following my channel for a while you

know that in 2011 December I relocated

here to Philippines uh certain

circumstances necessitated me to move

halfway across the world and although

were still called ants Canada I had to

set up a station here in Manila

Philippines to um you know to keep and

Canada calm going and you know at first

it was kind of hard for about a year I

had to you know figure out materials

that were available here so I could

continue doing the products that you

guys all love for your ends and after a

year I was able to reestablish and

Canada on here in in Manila and it's

been amazing it was actually a blessing

in disguise moving here because there

are certain materials and great

craftsmanship here here in Asia actually

so you know that wasn't readily

available to me in Canada so that kind

of was a great thing and also um it gave

me a new test sample of tropical ends

and you know for the most part North

American ants were fairly easy to keep

and you know take care of but I promise

you these tropical ends have been such a

handful um I kind of call them and

steroids here in the tropics the ants

are insane um

Vaseline will not keep ant within their

outworlds and in their for materials and

I've been you know forced to try other

barriers for example to keep ensign site

as well the ants are just so resourceful

they'll use their own bodies to you know

problem-solve and cross any barrier that

that I might use I've had to order flew

on PTFE which is the famous Insecta slip

that apparently is the best insect

repellent and still the tropical ends

here have managed to find weaknesses in

the barriers and so again this too was

kind of a blessing in disguise because

it allowed us to test our products on

the most Hardy most escaping ant in the

world you know um and the colony that I

have now for those of you who are

following my channel it's a red tropical

fire end which is solenopsis genera

found in most tropical countries and I

can tell you of all the species that

I've kept they are definitely the most

difficult to keep and well I say that

because no they're not hard to feed they

actually are explosive in growth but

they require a lot of resources a lot of

food a lot of water you know I have to

be there to constantly clean their out

world there are stinging species and

they've been able to cross Vaseline even

powder baby powder mixed with alcohol

that I use usually brush at the top they

can cross that also um PTFE they've

managed to find a weakness in the

barrier and I've had to figure out ways

to keep them in and I managed to find a

way so this tutorial then is to cover

the ways on how you can continue ends

and keep them from escaping okay so for

the first part of this video I'm going

to explain what you guys need to prevent

escapes and then in the second part of

this video I'm going to

show you how to deal with a breach in

your end set up where ends are already

escaping so first things first what you

need is a very good deterrent in my

experience flu on also known as PTFE

also known as Insecta slip is the best

barrier for keeping insects in their

setups and what it is is it's liquid

Teflon it's the same material that's

used to coat your pots and pans makes it

very slippery and ants just slip off it

I love it because it hardens into a sort

of enamel sort of candle like candle wax

like substance and even if you touch it

it doesn't rub off unlike you know baby

powder or even Vaseline now where can

you get blue on um floor one can be

ordered from a site called buy equip

calm and it's very fast very affordable

shipping is is great really convenient

way of getting this for those of you who

have ordered our habitat nest any of our

habitat nests we include a small bottle

of this flow-on for you to use it comes

with the kit and there are certain

instructions you know it says do not

shake or use mechanical stirrers as it

causes clogging and clumping so what you

have to do is every three to four weeks

you just got to turn the bottle upside

down and mix it that way

also it really helps to turn the

Outworld upside down when you're

applying the layer of flow on because it

does drip and then when it does drip it

leaves unsightly like white streaks I

guess on your out world which isn't

harmful but it doesn't look so neat now

the weakness in this I found is that you

cannot go over it twice if you place a

band of this insect the slip onto the

top part of your outworlds you can't go

over it and why it's because it causes a

lot of gripping surface for the ends to

really to actually cross it so what I do

is I turn the out

upside down and paint the barrier at the

top which brings me to my next item that

I think is very very important whether

you are using flow-on or whatever um

barrier you choose to use a tape

packaging tape very cheap you could buy

it um at most hardware stores craft

shops all that and what this would be

used for is to line the tops of your

form aquariums

so basically with tape what you do is

you line the top of your world with this

tape and then on top of the tape you

place your barrier and I found out the

most effective because if ever the ants

find you know a breach in the barrier

where they can actually cross it you can

remove the tape place another tape and

then reapply it a new fresh layer and

that helps to for those of you guys who

are fond of using Vaseline and tend to

put garbage and then bodies on the

Vaseline and if you put enough really

crafty ends we'll be able to create a

bridge of dead bodies and debris and

garbage and eventually cross out and

escape from your out world so with this

it gives you an opportunity to really

replace the barrier if you need to

especially important for flow on another

thing you should use is paint brushes

invest in paint brushes maybe get four

of them and what these are used for is

for actually handling the ends so you

know when I'm working around the ants

when I'm disconnecting tubes or if any

ants escape I just grab two of these

paint brushes and use them to scoop up

the ends it's actually better than using

your hands because it's a it's good for

handling ants and not entering them of

course you know you're a giant and

you'll squish them inevitably so I find

paint brushes work really well another

thing you can use if you are dealing

with a stinging species like my

solenopsis jamming era is you can add

you could buy surgical gloves very

important to protect yourself you know I

still have marks from three

ago when ants were attacking me when I

was working in the out world so having

gloves really is worth it protecting

yourself another thing I would recommend

is to glue gun or silicone caulk all the

parts where you are joining parts

together especially if you are splitting

tubes you know where you have a tube

entering another tube that you've cut

yourself

be sure to silicone caulk those areas

because you never know someone might

come along and knock it open and you

know the ants will escape and as well

certain ants are good at chewing parts

of the rubber of the tubing so having

that extra enforcement there to keep the

ants in is definitely helpful I've

experienced this again with solenopsis

giannetta alright so what do you do if

the ants are already escaped well I woke

up this morning to a monstrosity escape

mission I went downstairs and all over

my table there were ants everywhere I

mean they were starting to move out into

the floor etc luckily it didn't look

like that the entire colony was out and

I assumed the Queen was still in the

nest thank goodness and in that case

what I recommend is to have handy a

vacuum with a removable canister

dustbusters you know those dust devil

sucker up things are great any canister

that's see-through is particularly

helpful what I recommend is using the

flat head like this and you see here's

the canister see through the ants get

sucked up and what I do is I kind of

just use the brush to kind of sweep them

into the path of the vacuum and they

collect in this canister and I find that

very very effective I can collect many

many ants quickly which is so important

all right another thing to keep in mind

is that first you need to find out where

the breach in your setup is in my case

what the ants had done was they had

found a play

to grip onto the flu on and using their

bodies they formed a bridge over that

that area now so what I did was I took

some tape and I painted some fluent on

to it then used it to cover that section

that they were crossing thank God so I

dealt with the breach and they could no

longer cross so at that point I can go

on and suck the ends um now one thing to

keep in mind is that when you're sucking

the ends you have to do it as quickly as

possible you don't want the ants to stay

in the canister you know blowing around

for a long period of time you know

because well and muscular systems I

guess let's call them that work on

hydraulics so if they get dehydrated

they become immobile and they die so

with all that wind blowing around it

really dries them out and so you know

every four minutes or so I recommend you

remove the canister and empty it into

the out world just so the ants you know

don't dry up and die in the canister and

of course in their out world give them

extra water so that they can drink after

that suckage and so overall um I guess

the best way to prepare for escapes is

to make sure they don't happen in the

first place for those of you guys who

don't have ants yet and are panicking

don't panic because for most of you in

Europe North America the ants are fairly

containable like I said my experience

living in Canada I had never had any

escapes maybe one small isolated

incident involving Tetra more ium

pavement ants but it was very easy to to

fix that problem but again these ants

here in the tropics are pretty crazy um

it should be reassuring to those of you

guys who buy our products that they're

now being tested on the toughest of the

tough

ants around in the world so good luck

you guys on securing your ant setups

and thank you guys so much for the

support I also wanted to mention that

for those of you who don't know we

actually have a I guess let's call it a

a market an international market where

ant keepers are able to sell ants that

they capture colonies you know

specifically Queens with workers to

people in their area and I wanted to set

up this project because I basically

wanted to I guess promote keeping ants

from your area you know we've always

been against purchasing ants in the mail

especially ants that aren't from your

area because you know of the ecological

dangers it's also dangerous to the

colony in transit and you know the

project was there to foster an

appreciation for your local species and

moving here to Philippines actually also

gave me a broader perspective on how

awesome the species in North America

were you know um I do miss hibernation I

miss simple things like that and you

know ants that are easily contained that

I appreciate now more than ever after

having kept the tropical species that I

always wanted to keep back when I was

living in Canada so yeah we have this

thing called the global adversary'

project and what it is is we recruit and

farmers from all over the world in major

cities to sell ants in their area so

what happens is if you have some ants

that you'd like to sell you contact us

that's contact that us at ncaa.com

and we sign you up you sign an agreement

with us and we find customers for you we

list you up on our website in the Queens

for sales section and we just wait for

customers to message us inquiring about

your ends and you guys get to decide how

much you want to sell your ants for and

what we do is we add $10 Canadian onto

your asking price just to cover our

correspondence emails that I myself and

a friend of mine

um or managing and you get to keep your

entire asking price once the the

purchase is made and then we hook you

guys up so you guys could arrange to

meet together and you know deliver the

colony it actually is also a great way

to foster the relationships within the

global and community so it's really a

great thing be sure to check out our

website and Canada comm under the

Queen's for sale section to learn more

about that and I guess that's it guys

wishing you the best of luck thank you

so much for the support a lot more new

products are coming out including these

awesome out worlds you know the ones

you've seen in past videos we're finally

having our worlds for sale again so look

out for that on our website and we've

got some new do-it-yourself kits called

aunt Canada and cement and I'll create

more videos coming up on how you can use

it to make your own ant farms and as

well to use it to make your out worlds

as well and make a really naturalistic

looking setup anyways thanks guys for

the support really appreciate everything

oh and hence Canada turn five years old

a few days ago so for all of you guys

who have been watching my videos on ants

and who've gotten into end keeping we

really appreciate the support and you

can always count on me to continue to

make n videos to help you guys and to

spread the ant love take care bye