Looking for something better then just cat food or fruit loops for doing control work during our summer. Tuna sardines and all that spoil within a few hours out here in the 100 degree heat. Cat food and the like gets carried away by fire ants ruined completely by some rain. Also figured out if it's something that don't wanna eat they're not gonna keep working it. They can really give two craps about deer corn or similar from what I'm seeing. Especially if there trash cans around. Thinking about getting some commercial made stuff. Any recommendations?

Wolfdog, In cages normal store bought eggs work.
In DP’s, despite the ants and mush from rain, cat food mixed with grape Koolaide (yeah the sweet stuff) has just been to good to try anything else.
But, I will follow along to see if anyone mentions anything we haven’t tried.

I’ve always heard “what’s in season” right now I believe it would be berrys. So something berry. Ima long way from a good trapper too lol

A trick that has work for me is a feather hung from fishing line in the cage. A bright colored one with lots of fluff like you might find in a feather duster. A few drops of hawbakers coon lure, heavy anise, or cherry oil has aroma without the ants.

Marshmallows and maybe some grape jelly.

WCS Tree Berry

Marshmallows and the grape jelly end up melting in this heat. And ants will cover the entire trap.

I’m having good luck with marshmallows and Steck’s high water rat and coon bait.
Jim

Yep that's been my experience 80 and below it's ok if I toss em in at night fall but if it gets over 90 they melt down completely and get covered with ants

I actually do do the feather thing more of the then not. I'll have to get some cherry or anise oil though

But I do like trailing them in with a handful of dry catfood and ants are a PIA.

Have you tried that odorless ant poison some on here have mentioned?

May be a crazy idea but hold my beer lol. What about putting marshmallow fragrance oil on cotton balls?

Believe it or not, but the owner has sprayed for ants at the place I’m on now. He’s dead serious about quail and turkeys.

If they're raiding my sweet corn, I bed some 1-3/4 coil springs with aluminum foil wrapped around the pan. Shines in moonlight, doesn't attract ants, dogs or cats. Very effective in this MS heat

Always heard of it, but don’t understand it. So they want to stand on something shiny? Or do they try and pick the set up and get caught?

They are curious about the shiny thing and get caught when they try to pick it up.

Any type of foot hold is out of the question with alot of the stuff I've been up to. Critter held by it's foot doing a burn out is just a plain no no

Didn’t realized they pressed down on something to pick something up. May try it just for the fun of it.

I have had fair luck with a mixture of dry catfood and floating catfish food, with some clam juice squirted around the trap.

Cotton ball with vanilla extract in the bottom of a dp.