11 replies to this topic

[AntsMAN]

I week ago or so I noticed some book lice in my formicarium. They were only in the nest and now have infested the outworld. I am getting a little concerned with their growth rate. I'm getting nervous they might infest my worm bins and tarantula enclosures. I seen a few on the table running around. If I let the nest dry out and make sure there is no mold, they should come down in numbers correct?

Edited by AntsMAN, February 28 2017 - 3:31 PM.

[AntsMAN]

Upon better inspection I see less in the nest itself, and more in the out world. I let the nest dry out a bit so they are probably trying to keep hydrated by the water tower. I also noticed a few dead ones. But still a lot of smaller ones. I guess they shouldn't bother by worm bins as they stay dry and I remove the food every two days to replace with fresh to avoid mold. They aren't in any of my other formicariums, so I'm thinking there must have been eggs in the wood I used and when it got to moist they hatched? I usually don't let them get this moist. I have since quarantined them in a rubber maid with fluon.

Edited by AntsMAN, March 1 2017 - 4:30 AM.

[Vendayn]

Well, they do breed REALLY quick. I had them in my ant farm and they went out of control. The ones I had liked it dry and hated wetness. It took an entire month, wiping them up every day and cleaning the formicarium each day, to get rid of them.

 

I thought they were good at first, but not for my formicarium and ant colony. In the future, I'm sticking with springtails. I dunno if Drew ever had that problem with his booklice, but mine just got too many. They also got all over the walls and everything inside the closet I keep my ants in. So, not only did I need to clean (heavily, sometimes multiple times a day for the entire month) the formicariums, I kept having to clean the walls, clothes and cardboard storage moving boxes.

 

To put it lightly, it was VERY annoying. And luckily they didn't get outside the closet.

 

I guess my type of booklice I had (which actually came from a storage container of dried crushed oat, which had no water ,0%, for over a year) was a bad one. Should have known, as the dried crushed oats had countless booklice in it.

[AntsMAN]

I knew this was going to be a problem. I think I'm going to kill the colony. Will freezing them for a few days kill the book lice? Can they climb fluon?

Having my T's and feeders in the same room is starting to worry me.

Edited by AntsMAN, February 28 2017 - 5:59 PM.

[Vendayn]

I never tried freezing mine, and I don't really have much to say about that. Since you are in Canada, its possible the booklice may be able to withstand colder conditions, especially if they are something native to the area and not just brought in from somewhere warmer. I also don't really know how the ants would feel about being put in the freezer, which is why I didn't try it with any of mine (though all mine are warmer climate species). Still, I don't think very many, if any, ants like being in a freezer for long periods. Even acorn ants die a lot, if they are too close to the surface or not insulated enough and they are found in really cold places.

 

Maybe someone else will have feedback on the subject about freezing ants for a short time.

 

Though, I probably would move the ant colony infected with booklice somewhere else and anything else they have gotten into. And clean the area with soap+water+a sponge. The booklice (the ones I had) get EVERYWHERE. With that said, once you remove the source they are from (so my one formicarium, plus the oat container), they disappear really quick and its not that hard to clean them up after that. Mine never actually bred inside any of the clothes or storage containers, they were just exploring for new food sources. So, once I got rid of them inside the formicarium and cleaned up most of them on the walls, they disappeared pretty quick after that. The problem is, whatever they are breeding in (food container, ant farm etc), they just breed so fast, hence why it took an entire month to clean them up. Luckily they are harmless to ants, but I don't have any other "pet" inside the closet.

[AntsMAN]

I never tried freezing mine, and I don't really have much to say about that. Since you are in Canada, its possible the booklice may be able to withstand colder conditions, especially if they are something native to the area and not just brought in from somewhere warmer. I also don't really know how the ants would feel about being put in the freezer, which is why I didn't try it with any of mine (though all mine are warmer climate species). Still, I don't think very many, if any, ants like being in a freezer for long periods. Even acorn ants die a lot, if they are too close to the surface or not insulated enough and they are found in really cold places.

 

Maybe someone else will have feedback on the subject about freezing ants for a short time.

 

Though, I probably would move the ant colony infected with booklice somewhere else and anything else they have gotten into. And clean the area with soap+water+a sponge. The booklice (the ones I had) get EVERYWHERE. With that said, once you remove the source they are from (so my one formicarium, plus the oat container), they disappear really quick and its not that hard to clean them up after that. Mine never actually bred inside any of the clothes or storage containers, they were just exploring for new food sources. So, once I got rid of them inside the formicarium and cleaned up most of them on the walls, they disappeared pretty quick after that. The problem is, whatever they are breeding in (food container, ant farm etc), they just breed so fast, hence why it took an entire month to clean them up. Luckily they are harmless to ants, but I don't have any other "pet" inside the closet.

 

I put the colony in a small rubbermaid container lined with more fluon. I searched my table and the surrounding area a few times now. I checked my worm bins and my T's just in case. I've only found two large adults on the table right where the nest was so, I'm hoping I got it early enough. Tomorrow I'm going to do a full cleaning to make sure.

I'm wondering why they struck all the sudden? and only in the wooden nest. I've check all my other nests over and I haven't seen any of them.

Edited by AntsMAN, March 1 2017 - 8:25 AM.

[AntsMAN]

So after some research. I haven't found any in my worm bins so I'm thinking they are the moisture loving kind, hopefully I'm right.

I read that under 50% humidity they cannot reproduce or continue to survive. So I'm getting the dehumidifier out and getting my area down to 35-40% for a few a days.
I plan on leaving the infested nest right in front of it to keep it super dry, only a small bit of water for the ants. The Camponotus shouldn't mind to much as they like a dryer nest.This along with a very thorough cleaning, should do the trick. As I said I haven't seen them anywhere but the infested nest and the two on the table dexactly where the nest was after I moved it. I've been observing them and it seems they do have a but of trouble walking on the fluon, so I put some on the under side of the lid to hopefully keep them contained in the rubbermaid container. I'm assuming if they were the dry loving sp. I'd already have them everywhere.

I am pretty sure they came off the firewood we bring in so I'll bewashing up a lot better when working with my little critters.

[AntsMAN]

I done a full cleaning and didn't fine anymore of them. I checked everything again to make sure. I vacuumed, and washed everything down with Lysol wipes.

I plan on wiping everything down again tomorrow and probably for the next week to make sure they are gone.

I have the quarantined nest in front of the dehumidifier, and the psocides have slowed down considerably, I also don't see any in the container the nest is in, so hopefully 

they aren't leaving the nest and just dying, the ants seem fine they have just enough water to survive for the time being.

[AntsMAN]

Still taking all precautions. I've been wiping my whole area down for a few days now with disinfectant. I haven't seen anymore outside of the infected nest.

I've kept the humidity down to 35-40% in my area, and it seems to have slowed them down a lot.

I took their out world out (It was infested before) now only a few, I soaked it in 99% ISO and rinsed it well. I fluoned everything because I haven't seen them climb it yet.

I hope I got them in time. The nest is totally dry and their are noticeably less of them moving. The ants don't seem affected by this so I will continue until I don't see anymore of them. If this colony lives I will undoubtedly be paranoid the remainder of keeping them lol.

[Antyman]

won't the ants eat the lice though?  I'd figure they'd be a decent food source?

 

I thought it was more mites that are dangerous to ants

[AntsMAN]

won't the ants eat the lice though?  I'd figure they'd be a decent food source?

 

I thought it was more mites that are dangerous to ants

It's not that they are dangerous to the ants, I just don't want them getting out of control and infesting my T's and feeders. And I think where they are so small the Camponotus don't even notice them.

[AntsMAN]

Looking good, now I'm seeing lots of dead adults in the quarantine container. Still haven't seen them anywhere else in the house.

The nest is still dry but the ants don't seem effected as of yet.