Ants getting my baby BSF larvae

[Shimmerpuppy]

Hi all!
Hoping to get some insight here. I just started a BSF larvae bin. It is a very simple construction. Just a bin on some cinder blocks with some pipe ramps stuck in it. We put some kitchen scraps along with the dead snake that got 3 of our baby chicks (serves him right) in there...and after about a week I am seeing maggots and BSF larvae. I know that eventually the bad larvae will take care of the maggot population, so I'm not too worried about them. But tonight I noticed a steady stream of ants crawling up into my bin. It seems they've gotten inside and I think they're eating my larvae. Any ideas on how I can keep them out?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have heard orange peel works but I have yet to try it. They were digging into on of my planters and I put an ant trap out and that has done the trick

 

[CrystalAnon]

Hi all!
Hoping to get some insight here. I just started a BSF larvae bin. It is a very simple construction. Just a bin on some cinder blocks with some pipe ramps stuck in it. We put some kitchen scraps along with the dead snake that got 3 of our baby chicks (serves him right) in there...and after about a week I am seeing maggots and BSF larvae. I know that eventually the bad larvae will take care of the maggot population, so I'm not too worried about them. But tonight I noticed a steady stream of ants crawling up into my bin. It seems they've gotten inside and I think they're eating my larvae. Any ideas on how I can keep them out?

Hello,
If you could put your bin up on a small table, with legs, you can get plastic bowls (or whatever you have on hand in your recycling) under the four legs & put water in the bowls. I saw that done on someone’s YT video. Seems like that would work pretty good. Basically an ant moat around each leg.

 

[Hawaii Newbie 2020]

Hi, did you solve this and if so would you mind sharing what worked? I am starting a bin and all I see so far are ants. Plenty ants.

- Jamie on Maui

 

[Al Gerhart]

The bowl idea under the legs will work. Back in the day I made reproduction antiques and we researched among other things, pie safes. They would set the pie safes into four shallow cups filled with some sort of oil, probably vegetable oil, kerosene, anything that is fluid at room temperature. I'd say the bowls were six inches and a pie safe leg was usually around 2.5" to 3" wide, enough room that a couple of ants can't bridge the gap. The baked goods were safe from ants and crawly critters.

The pie safes turned out to be a bust. LOL. No room in a modern kitchen it seems and not that many people keeping them in other rooms. We sold out the first run, repeat orders from the dealers were so slow we closed out the item.

 

[CrystalAnon]

Hi, did you solve this and if so would you mind sharing what worked? I am starting a bin and all I see so far are ants. Plenty ants.

- Jamie on Maui

What Al said will work. Bowls of water or oil under the legs of whatever you elevate your bin with. Ant moats.
For me, once my bin really started going, the ants just stopped coming. I didn’t do anything special. I bought some BSF larvae to kick start my bin & boost the BSF population though. From grubterra.com

 

[TexasBlues]

Tanglefoot on the legs would trap the ants
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Contech-...MI2-HV98PQgwMV5ZZaBR1d9Ac1EAQYAyABEgK84PD_BwE

 

[Penpal]

Cornmeal mixed with sugar. They love the sugar, but can't digest the corn. They will bring it back to the nest.