Ant-proof pet bowl

Submitted by brad on Tue, 2005-01-04 05:51
Topic: 
Inventions

When you get an ant infestation here in California, you need to make sure your kitchen is clean with nothing to attact them. But if you have pet food out, they will find it.

In theory, ants won't crawl over some materials like vaseline. But if you coat the bowl rim with vaseline, it will get in the pet's hair.

So I suggest a wide pet bowl with a deep and large groove near the base which you can squirt something like vaseline into. It must be wide enough that ants can't do the living bridge trick to cross it, and deep enough that pet hair won't get into the vaseline. That stuff should stay around for quite some time before needing a refill, though if you dishwash the bowl, you will lose it.

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Comments

Gene Carman

Tue, 2005-01-04 07:58

How about a bowl with a moat? Rather than deal with the vaseline thing, why not just a bowl in a bowl with the outer bowl just containing water and the inner bowl having the pet food.

And then there is this: http://www.pest-control-supplies.com/images/bowserbig.jpg

Anonymous

Sun, 2005-08-28 19:09

wont work they actually swim

shagbark

Wed, 2007-07-04 08:21

A moat around the food works pretty well.
And, it's already patented, and sold at various places including Amazon.

You can just put your pet dish in a big plate and fill the plate with water, but the pets usually push it to the edge and the ants can crawl in.

Anonymous

Thu, 2008-06-12 05:43

water moated bowls, yes there's a patent, but they do not work. As soon as a few pieces of food are dropped in the water, the ants use that to crawl over. I have tried them all, so far the only one that has caught my attention and i am currently using is one called "The Antzer". I volunteered with a cat rescue for almost 10 years, and we had a back yard and we tried everything on the market. The moats were the worse, don't waste your money, but if you want some good idea's go to The Antzer's website and also check out www.sani-moat.com. Actually both the antzer and the sani-moat have moat's but their trick is, is that it's enclosed. That's the trick, that way there's no food or debris that can get in the open moat's for the ants to walk.

Anonymous

Fri, 2007-08-10 20:59

Ants DON'T swim, they drown. I was an exterminator and trust me, the ants we have in California cannot swim.

Anonymous

Sat, 2009-11-07 01:37

They may not swim, but in my experience they drown and then others walk on their dead comrades...

Anonymous

Wed, 2010-09-29 22:26

Come to my house and you'll see California ants that swim. I have a moat bowl and it works most of the time, but every once in a while they swim across and get to the food. Just cleaned kitty's bowl 5 minutes ago. You might want to get another job.

susan

Tue, 2009-05-19 10:45

Learned this from an Ag teacher. Baby powder. The talc in the powder cuts their bodies. Trust me this works. We have tons of animals and tons of animal feed. I sprinkle baby powder under the feed containers and no more ants. Period. I live in So Cal and could swear our house was built on an ant hill!

Geo

Wed, 2010-05-19 15:59

I came across a feeder used mostly for feral cats (since they experience all of the difficulties) OutdoorPetFeeder.com. It uses a moat, but read what they say about options for "filling" the moat:

"Moat Information: Keeping Ants Out Of Pet Food

USING WATER:Feeder Moat with water
Pour 1 to 2 quarts of water into the moat. Adding a few drops of bleach will keep the water fresh and discourage mosquitoes. Change water as needed.

USING POWDER
You can use Ant Dust Insecticide, Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth or Powdered Carpenter’s Chalk. Remove the white food bowl. Sprinkle powder liberally into the moat. Be sure to cover the bottom of the white clips. Reinsert food bowl.

USING ANT SPRAY:Carter Feeder with spray
The design of our Outdoor Feeder prevents pets and food from coming into direct contact with the spray.

The label on most cans of Ant Spray indicate that it is safe for humans and pets to contact treated areas after the spray is dry. Follow label directions.

Remove the white food bowl and lightly spray the inside of the moat. (Do not spray interior feeder bowl) One application of spray can keep ants out of the moat for weeks. Allow spray to dry before reinserting the food bowl."

Ron Avitzur

Sat, 2005-01-08 13:58

We found that ants won't cross surfaces wiped with cinnamon oil. (Rainbow Grocery in SF carries an inexpensive cinnamon oil in bulk.) We've been spreading a lot of it since the rains started.

Charles Merriam

Wed, 2005-02-09 09:21

Another sensible approach is to take advantage of materials that ants cannot cross. One used to be able to buy diat. earth ant sticks that drew a line including rough DE patches. DE is made from small, sharp, fossils that are sharp enough to cut ants as they try to cross. This leads to a dead ant at the boundry before enough of a trail is established to bring enough ants to cover a path with dead ants.

DE is a mild carcinigan, and thus not legal for continued sale. Still a sharp material may be sufficient. Probably positioned in an inset to avoid excessive scrubbing or handling.

Rick W.

Tue, 2005-06-07 16:20

I am very familiar with the Ant problems in California because I live there. Why don't you all take a look at www.sani-moat.com . The "Sani-Moat Ant Barrier" alleviates the problems people have with Ants getting into their Food Holders. Pet Dishes, Food trays, Camping, Garbage cans, etc., it is a Non-Toxic deterrent that uses regular household products in a covered moated area. Makes virtually any Bowl, Dish, Tray, Platform, Container or Planter "ANT FREE".

James Baicoianu

Thu, 2006-07-06 18:44

Amazing - I just had the exact same idea and googled for "ant-proof cat bowl" and yours was the first hit. Currently I'm just liberally sprinkling cinnamon powder on the floor around the bowl, but as you can guess it's pretty messy. The groove/moat idea was exactly what I was thinking.

Now to figure out how to go about manufacturing this :P

David

Sat, 2009-02-21 07:44

I have been using a pie plate with a little water and a bowl in the middle very effectively. This morning I decided to move ahead with my "invention" and googled the idea. Needless to say, I'm a little late. I do have one idea to suggest for the simple "moat" idea. Just use a little detergent in the water, and it will take care of any "swimmers", be they ants or cockroaches. Detergent eliminates surface tension and the lttle varmints sink like a stone.

Eva

Wed, 2009-04-15 19:59

I have been using a pet bowl called FOOL A BUG Pet Bowl. I feed my cats outdoors on the back patio for around 5 years now and I just love these things. You have to check it out. NO moats, No water needed and No mess. I prefer to place a ceramic bowl inside the Fool A Bug Bowl just because it keeps the food and water cooler longer. I purchased mine at petsmart but now I can only find it online now, so far. Just google Fool a Bug pet bowl.