Creepy-Crawlies

[RheaZen]

And then there are parasites of the parasites... the longest link is 4, I think.

[RheaZen]

I've got an ant problem. They appear to be living under the floorboards. After setting out poison and still seeing many wandering around, I got fed up and decided to clean up after their trails (they leave chemical trails). I looked around, found my almost-full bottle of ear cleaner (for earring holes), and, thinking it was alcohol, decided to see whether it'd deter the ants any. It did, it see,s as they panicked and are almost all gone now. However, after checking the bottle, it doesn't use just alcohol - it has Benzalkonium chloride. I looked it up on wiki and it didn't say much. So, what is it, exactly, and does it really deter ants?

[Catspwndogs29]

I've got an ant problem. They appear to be living under the floorboards. After setting out poison and still seeing many wandering around, I got fed up and decided to clean up after their trails (they leave chemical trails). I looked around, found my almost-full bottle of ear cleaner (for earring holes), and, thinking it was alcohol, decided to see whether it'd deter the ants any. It did, it see,s as they panicked and are almost all gone now. However, after checking the bottle, it doesn't use just alcohol - it has Benzalkonium chloride. I looked it up on wiki and it didn't say much. So, what is it, exactly, and does it really deter ants?

http://chemicalland21.com/lifescience/phar...%20chloride.htm

[RheaZen]

Yes, but nothing about ants.

 

... I suppose it means it does nothing. Damn.

 

Stupid things.

[Catspwndogs29]

Yes, but nothing about ants.

 

... I suppose it means it does nothing. Damn.

 

Stupid things.

It says it kills micro-organisms. :/ Maybe that has something to do with it?

 

Are there any other ingredients in the ear stuff?

[Akrona]

I legitimately don't understand why people find insects gross.

 

I think they're adorable.

Especially beetles and the jumping kind of spiders.

 

 

Then again I have my own weird irrational fears, but still. They're like tiny many-legged kittens! : D

[RheaZen]

They are, but ants are pesky. So many, plus they bite. And they get in my food.

 

Outside, they're okay. In the house, GET OUT.

[Crisis]

I legitimately don't understand why people find insects gross.

 

I think they're adorable.

Especially beetles and the jumping kind of spiders.

 

 

Then again I have my own weird irrational fears, but still. They're like tiny many-legged kittens! : D

*has a large, irrational fear of bugs* w-what?

[AngelKitty]

Jumping spiders are awesome.

 

My personal favorites, even though they're borderline-microscopic and most people never see them, are tardigrades. Not only are they absolutely adorable, but they can live through anything. Forget roaches, when the world erupts into nuclear war, these are the things that are going to live through it and replace us. They can live in outer space. How awesome is that?

[Aureliette]

Behold! The mother of all creepy crawlies, the giant isopod!

 

 

http://whiskeywords.files.wordpress.com/20...opod-764949.jpg

http://www.emailvirals.com/data/media/1/giant_isopod.jpg

 

I kind of want one as a pet

Edited May 21, 2010 by Aureliette

[RheaZen]

Pfft. Isopods jus' look like giant pillbugs.

 

Tardigrades are indeed awesome - but I thought they could only survive some 10 days in space?

[Alyssum]

Some bugs kinda scare me, but there's a lot of things I'll gladly let crawl up my arm, like this poisonous furry caterpillar we've got a lot of out here. (I keep picking them up forgetting they're poisonous and having one of my friends freak out.)

 

I don't like scorpions, because I've seen Mom and sis get stung too many times since we've moved here. I also don't like spiders (but don't fear them) because I got bit on my left shoulder by a house spider in my sleep when I was 9. I still have the mark because my skin has issues with returning to it's natural pigmentation.

 

I also dislike wasps because there's a good chance I'm allergic to them like my Dad and I got stung too many times when I was little. (I also still have bright-as-day red marks on my hands, one of which I've had since I was four.)

 

Other than that, I really don't have anything against buggie buddies. :3 And the flamboyant cuttlefish are adorable!

[riboflavintx]

Rhea have you tried putting Boric acid in the cracks and crevices you find the ants coming from?

I keep crossing my fingers I don't find any crazy raspberry ants in the house, sure they eat fire ants....but they LOVE nesting in electronics, have massive colonies with 3-6 queens in them, and are nearly impossible to get rid of.

[RheaZen]

Oh yeah, boric acid... I'll ask my mum to get some from the lab. I forgot that worked.

[Akrona]

They are, but ants are pesky. So many, plus they bite. And they get in my food.

 

Outside, they're okay. In the house, GET OUT.

Yeah bugs are annoying when they get into the house. No ants in my cereal plz.

 

A few years ago we had a pretty bad ant infestation... but then my cat found it. He would sit right by the entrance to the nest (which was just barely out of reach) and, whenever an ant came out he would would eat it. He would do this for hours because he is a weird little beast.

 

He doesn't do that any more though, and in fact we discovered a nest of ants right under his bed this year.

[Crisis]

A few years ago we had a pretty bad ant infestation... but then my cat found it. He would sit right by the entrance to the nest (which was just barely out of reach) and, whenever an ant came out he would would eat it. He would do this for hours because he is a weird little beast.

That is so awesome.

[RheaZen]

Too bad he's stopped. I'd like to borrow him...

[SmileyPerson]

Ooh, creepy crawlies!

 

I love bugs as long as they don't touch me :/

 

Anyway:

 

http://aquaria-blog.com/wp-content/uploads...rseshoecrab.jpg

 

*squee*

[Googleplaxin]

Behold! The mother of all creepy crawlies, the giant isopod!

 

 

http://whiskeywords.files.wordpress.com/20...opod-764949.jpg

http://www.emailvirals.com/data/media/1/giant_isopod.jpg

 

I kind of want one as a pet

..isopod win.

 

I present to you, the Giraffe Beetle

Bendylicious

Edited May 22, 2010 by Googleplaxin

[RheaZen]

The ants ignore the poison, the boric acid does nothing...

 

...

 

Here's a fav. of mine: http://images.whatsthatbug.com/images/wheel_bug_dinosaur.jpg

[Leidarendi]

Mind controlling fungus :

Thanks for that link. Isn't nature incredible?!

[riboflavintx]

Rhea,here's some ant bait recipes, some using boric acid and tips on ant control.

http://tipnut.com/ant-killer/

[RheaZen]

Thanks. I'll try some of those.

[Crisis]

Rhea: for ants, use a Terro brand trap. It basically consists of maple sguar and boric acid. Also, you can use cornmeal... It will kill them. For a spray that kills, but is safe for everything else, here:

solution for getting rid of ants is easy to make! All you need is rubbing alcohol (no alcohol drinks!) dish soap and water. Get a spray bottle, making sure to wash it out very well, and place about a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol, and about a teaspoon and a half of dish soap. Then fill the spray bottle with water, about an inch away from the top, and close it up tight. Shake the solution until bubbles start to appear and then you're ready to spray! The solution is okay to use around children, just wipe up the mess. And because of the alcohol in the solution, the ants will stay clear away from it. So my advice to you! Spray the openings of where the ants appear to be coming and going. The solution kills all bugs on contact, so you can even use it on plants! But if you do, make sure to spray the plant only twice! No matter how big or small it is; it'll keep away any ants, but other bugs might not seem affected by it.

[RheaZen]

The ants are almost all gone, even though they didn't eat any poison and I haven't gotten to spraying/applying anything yet... I think the rain flooded their nest. It's drier now, so they're probably back home.