Ants!

[MrTeacherDude]

My parents just delivered some play sand from Lowe's to our house. My dad said he saw a ton of red ants crawling all over/in the bags. How can I get rid of those buggars before using it as sub? It's going to be in my classroom and I don't think they'd like it too much if I brought a colony of piss ants with me...

[Rawrgeous]

I'd suggest baking it- that'd definitely make sure it was bug free. It'll be a tedious task though. :/

[isadoraisacat]

I'd just buy the pre mixed stuff from hermit crab patch i know it's pricey but you can count on proper mix and safety from them

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[soilentgringa]

My parents just delivered some play sand from Lowe's to our house. My dad said he saw a ton of red ants crawling all over/in the bags. How can I get rid of those buggars before using it as sub? It's going to be in my classroom and I don't think they'd like it too much if I brought a colony of piss ants with me...

I would knock all the ants off of the bags, and determine whether or not there were colonies inside the bags. If there are, I would call up to the store and say "Hey, I got some playsand, but it is full of ants, can I please exchange it?" If they will allow you to exchange the anty substrate or will replace it, then do that.

If not, I would dump all the substrate in a tote and make sure that the ants haven't set up shop in there. If they were only on the surface of the bags and not making themselves a "colony in a bag", the substrate should be fine to use.

You can also bake it, but the amount of sand you'd need for a 75 gallon is probably almost twice what I used for my 55, so baking around 400lbs of sand would be a herculean task for sure.

[isadoraisacat]

My parents just delivered some play sand from Lowe's to our house. My dad said he saw a ton of red ants crawling all over/in the bags. How can I get rid of those buggars before using it as sub? It's going to be in my classroom and I don't think they'd like it too much if I brought a colony of piss ants with me...

I would knock all the ants off of the bags, and determine whether or not there were colonies inside the bags. If there are, I would call up to the store and say "Hey, I got some playsand, but it is full of ants, can I please exchange it?" If they will allow you to exchange the anty substrate or will replace it, then do that.

If not, I would dump all the substrate in a tote and make sure that the ants haven't set up shop in there. If they were only on the surface of the bags and not making themselves a "colony in a bag", the substrate should be fine to use.

You can also bake it, but the amount of sand you'd need for a 75 gallon is probably almost twice what I used for my 55, so baking around 400lbs of sand would be a herculean task for sure.

yeah all the baking and what not sounds like too much work. id rather pay 100 bucks for pre-mixed sand.
I'm no baller either, im just a blue collar grunt. But i ain't got time for sand baking.

[soilentgringa]

Yeah, I'm not paying the Hermit Crab Patch for several hundred pounds of substrate that I can make myself for less than $50. A 75 gallon tank needs around 400-500 lbs of playsand and about 6 bricks of Eco Earth.

I bought 5 50lb bags of playsand from my local Lowes. Cost me around $25 with tax. 3 bricks of Eco Earth were less than $10 on clearance.

The Hermit Crab Patch is great, but it is totally not worth it to me to spend the money on their substrate. It is literally the same exact stuff that you can buy on your own.

[isadoraisacat]

Yeah, I'm not paying the Hermit Crab Patch for several hundred pounds of substrate that I can make myself for less than $50. A 75 gallon tank needs around 400-500 lbs of playsand and about 6 bricks of Eco Earth.

I bought 5 50lb bags of playsand from my local Lowes. Cost me around $25 with tax. 3 bricks of Eco Earth were less than $10 on clearance.

The Hermit Crab Patch is great, but it is totally not worth it to me to spend the money on their substrate. It is literally the same exact stuff that you can buy on your own.

fair enough i also can't source playsand in my area NO ONE has it already tried.
I went to lowes and home depot neither had playsand but one brand (and it was listed here as unsafe)
SOOO with that being said, its easier for me to buy it that way. I've never seen the bricks on sale for me.
ive never spent less than 10 on them. but hey if it works for you go for you. I think bring thrifty is cool and all
but I work too much, my wife works too much, and we don't drive so this method works best. And as long as
the sub lasts and doesn't get bacteria i dont find spending 50-100 dollars a big deal once a year.


We also liuve in an old prewar apartment in an urban area, with a stove that gives off carbon monoxide when its turned on
thats probably from 1956....so we dont use an oven (microwaves work great for people who work 60 hours a week).
and i really dont have time to sit there and try to bake sand, even if my oven worked. Its either you put in hours of work,
or you make it simple and shell out some bucks, to me i don't work a full time job for nothing, i see it as a buck worth spent
to save me time to enjoy the minimal free time i already have.

[soilentgringa]

The Hermit Crab Patch substrate is just as at risk for a bacterial bloom as any other, though? There is nothing that is done to it that makes it any more resistant than playsand. (I wanted to clear that up before someone else thought that they had some special bacteria resistant mix.)

I remember you'd said something before about not driving, which can definitely affect purchases.

Sometimes if playsand is not outside in the garden areas or where the pavestones are, it can be found inside the actual store.

[isadoraisacat]

The Hermit Crab Patch substrate is just as at risk for a bacterial bloom as any other, though? There is nothing that is done to it that makes it any more resistant than playsand. (I wanted to clear that up before someone else thought that they had some special bacteria resistant mix.)

I remember you'd said something before about not driving, which can definitely affect purchases.

Sometimes if playsand is not outside in the garden areas or where the pavestones are, it can be found inside the actual store.

I asked multiple people at all the stores and they all said 'we dont have play sand' i asked the next person 'we are out of play sand'
'we don't have play sand' you get the drift. one home depot had it but it was sand that was on the list to be unsafe to use for tanks.
And yes im sure any sand can be a risky factor. But i trust these people because they are about the animals, where as home depot
does not sell items for animals especially exotic and specific ones, thus their care/quality control for ants, bugs etc being in the sand
would be a lot less than company who makes the sand specifically for hermits. At least thats my logic. but you do what works for you
and i will do what works for me. But im no longer going to waste 40 dollars in taxi money flying around looking for sand when i can
just order it all mixed up online.

and i never said it had bacteria resister properties in the sand. I just feel theirs more quality control and better quality in general
coming from a place who actually cares about the animals vs a hardware store who probaly throws open bags in the stock room
and bugs get in. just my opinion but thats how i feel.

[soilentgringa]

The Hermit Crab Patch uses the same sand sold at hardware stores. The same sand.

I understand that you could not find play sand in your area, some people cannot.

If you choose to use the Hermit Crab Patch playsand, that is your prerogative and no one is trying to tell you NOT to do so.

I am simply stating that their mix is not anything special and if you do have the option of mixing it yourself, that is much more economical and easy to do.

We always recommend that when you are looking for playsand, check the bags for moisture, holes, and insects.

I'm not going to comment any further on the sand in this thread, as I feel that we have gotten off topic from the OP and any further remarks need to be about how they can address the ant situation.

[isadoraisacat]

The Hermit Crab Patch uses the same sand sold at hardware stores. The same sand.

I understand that you could not find play sand in your area, some people cannot.

If you choose to use the Hermit Crab Patch playsand, that is your prerogative and no one is trying to tell you NOT to do so.

I am simply stating that their mix is not anything special and if you do have the option of mixing it yourself, that is much more economical and easy to do.

We always recommend that when you are looking for playsand, check the bags for moisture, holes, and insects.

I'm not going to comment any further on the sand in this thread, as I feel that we have gotten off topic from the OP and any further remarks need to be about how they can address the ant situation.

gotcha i was under the impression that their sand is actually florida beach sand thats been baked and treated. but i suppose
i was misread "These 25 lb bags of premixed and moistened substrate mixture are the easiest way to get your tank ready for your crabs. This healthy substrate mixture begins with clean Florida sand. In to that we mix oyster shell and coconut fiber then use Instant Ocean salt water to bring it to the perfect packing consistency." it didn't say 'clean florida home depot sand' maybe im wrong. either way it works for me.

And as far as the ants go i would say if you dont want to order pre-mixed maybe try to find bags at a different store (in case the store has ants). and throw away what you got and try to replace it before the ants start to do their ant things.

[MrTeacherDude]

I did one of those Facebook hacks with a bottle and some sugar vinegar. This morning there were about 200 dead ants. I sifted through the rest and didn't see any movement, so I'm calling that a victory!

I'll try the next bag tomorrow. I only purchased 100 lbs, so I'll definitely need some more and I'll inspect it better myself...

[Rawrgeous]

With my ant infestation about 4 months back I just scooped out all the ants I could find, moved the tank away from where they are getting on, and sprayed vinegar in the kid every day and the problem cleared itself. It truly depends on how bad they are.

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[Cortnilin]

Yeah, I'm not paying the Hermit Crab Patch for several hundred pounds of substrate that I can make myself for less than $50. A 75 gallon tank needs around 400-500 lbs of playsand and about 6 bricks of Eco Earth.

I bought 5 50lb bags of playsand from my local Lowes. Cost me around $25 with tax. 3 bricks of Eco Earth were less than $10 on clearance.

The Hermit Crab Patch is great, but it is totally not worth it to me to spend the money on their substrate. It is literally the same exact stuff that you can buy on your own.

fair enough i also can't source playsand in my area NO ONE has it already tried.
I went to lowes and home depot neither had playsand but one brand (and it was listed here as unsafe)
SOOO with that being said, its easier for me to buy it that way. I've never seen the bricks on sale for me.
ive never spent less than 10 on them. but hey if it works for you go for you. I think bring thrifty is cool and all
but I work too much, my wife works too much, and we don't drive so this method works best. And as long as
the sub lasts and doesn't get bacteria i dont find spending 50-100 dollars a big deal once a year.


We also liuve in an old prewar apartment in an urban area, with a stove that gives off carbon monoxide when its turned on
thats probably from 1956....so we dont use an oven (microwaves work great for people who work 60 hours a week).
and i really dont have time to sit there and try to bake sand, even if my oven worked. Its either you put in hours of work,
or you make it simple and shell out some bucks, to me i don't work a full time job for nothing, i see it as a buck worth spent
to save me time to enjoy the minimal free time i already have.

In most lowes/Home Depot stores by me (I live in the Midwest) the play sand is found by the lumber yard and not outside in the garden center. At first, I thought my local stores didn't carry it but I was looking in the wrong area. You may have already looked there, just figured I would mention it....I would have thought for sure that it would be with the rocks, Pavers, garden supplies but it was not and it took me a few trips before I realized...


Sent hastily from my iPhone....

[isadoraisacat]

Yeah, I'm not paying the Hermit Crab Patch for several hundred pounds of substrate that I can make myself for less than $50. A 75 gallon tank needs around 400-500 lbs of playsand and about 6 bricks of Eco Earth.

I bought 5 50lb bags of playsand from my local Lowes. Cost me around $25 with tax. 3 bricks of Eco Earth were less than $10 on clearance.

The Hermit Crab Patch is great, but it is totally not worth it to me to spend the money on their substrate. It is literally the same exact stuff that you can buy on your own.

fair enough i also can't source playsand in my area NO ONE has it already tried.
I went to lowes and home depot neither had playsand but one brand (and it was listed here as unsafe)
SOOO with that being said, its easier for me to buy it that way. I've never seen the bricks on sale for me.
ive never spent less than 10 on them. but hey if it works for you go for you. I think bring thrifty is cool and all
but I work too much, my wife works too much, and we don't drive so this method works best. And as long as
the sub lasts and doesn't get bacteria i dont find spending 50-100 dollars a big deal once a year.


We also liuve in an old prewar apartment in an urban area, with a stove that gives off carbon monoxide when its turned on
thats probably from 1956....so we dont use an oven (microwaves work great for people who work 60 hours a week).
and i really dont have time to sit there and try to bake sand, even if my oven worked. Its either you put in hours of work,
or you make it simple and shell out some bucks, to me i don't work a full time job for nothing, i see it as a buck worth spent
to save me time to enjoy the minimal free time i already have.

In most lowes/Home Depot stores by me (I live in the Midwest) the play sand is found by the lumber yard and not outside in the garden center. At first, I thought my local stores didn't carry it but I was looking in the wrong area. You may have already looked there, just figured I would mention it....I would have thought for sure that it would be with the rocks, Pavers, garden supplies but it was not and it took me a few trips before I realized...


Sent hastily from my iPhone....

I asked the people outside i asked the manager supervisors and all workers no one carries it in my area

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