Thanks for all the suggestions. In summary the suggestions have been to fit the pitfalls with some form of ant bait or a mesh to exclude them. These are some useful suggestions for the reptile traps we set, so thank you for these ideas.
However, we also set arthropod traps and therefore do want to still capture insects in traps that are 10cm diameter cups. The issue is that the ants attack other insect species and if a reptile does incidentally fall in the trap they too get attacked. Suggestions to check the traps more frequently are probably wise but impractical for our project- the traps need to be left unattended for between 24 - 40 hours. What I am looking for really, is a solution that will specifically target ants without harming other insect species- in particular beetles- because some species we trap are highly endemic and we prefer to re-release them after identification. I assume this type of order-specific targeting chemical does not exist, but I would love to know if anyone has found ways to deal with this issue for entomological trapping. Many thanks Tania. Tania Bird MSc *"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed" ~ Mahatma Gandhi* https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniabird https://www.taniabird.webs.com On 6 May 2016 at 18:40, Tania Bird <taniab...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi ecologists, > > We conduct regular surveys using pitfall traps for both reptiles and for > arthropods in sandy habitats. We prefer to use dry traps (i.e. live traps) > for various reasons but we have an issue with ants attacking other species > that fall in the trap. > I am aware of chemicals such as Opigal that kill arthropods without > harming the reptiles. I would be glad to hear more about your experience > with this product in pitfall traps- is it really effective and does it not > affect other taxa other than arthropods?- is it a substance that can be > used in natural environments or it is a toxin that wont degrade etc etc? > > I was also wondering if any one has any knowledge of substances/pitfall > designs that deter or kill ants without harming beetles and other insect > species? > > Thanks for your advice. > > Tania > > Tania Bird MSc > PhD Student: Long-term, multivariate analyses for coastal dune conservation > Dept. of Geography & Environmental Development, > Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva > https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniabird >
