How to catch ants?

get one of those COMBAT thingies from the supermarket and a whole army of ants including the queen will come running just easily scoop them up thats all

Put 1 or 2 Cheetos in a jar or container and set it outside for a while. The ants should come a running. Also try to put some fruit loops in the jar too.

put something sweet like an apple slice in a jar on its side in the grass, preferably near an ant hill if you can find one. it should be covered in ants the next day

Why do you want to use ants for your toads? Usually people use crickets and mealworms because they are easy to get and large enough for them to fill the toad. The only herp animal that needs ants is the horned toad which is a lizard and not a toad.

Go to an anthill with a shovel and start digging. You'll get thousands of them!

Where I like, we have a lot of ants. All you really have to do is put some chops are something on the ground or something and after a while it should be a lot of ants their. Just scoop em up.

I would take some warm water and dissolve some sugar in it, then soak it up into some cotton balls and place them into the bottom of a plastic cup. Then stretch cellophane over the top and poke some ant sized holes in it and bury it in the dirt near where ants frequent, so that the top is just above grade. This would test my theory. If it works well, then get a much bigger container, and design it to where ants can climb in but can't climb out. (Think minnow traps, how they have that tiny circle opening that funnels into the large chamber...) Ants leave a trail to find their way, so you have to defeat the physical ability of their feet to stick to surfaces.

A fan or vacuum works. Water is a good barrier. Maybe some kind of substance they find repulsive could be in the way of their escape.

Okay, how about a large tupperware container with a funnel cut into the center of the lid, to where there is about 1 inch distance between the bottom of the funnel and the bottom of the container. Ants would have a tough time finding their way back up...

Sugar water works good, but it needs to be absorbed into something for them to really want it and go for it.

very genitally pick one up with your fingers put it in a cup with plastic wrap so they don't escape. Or take a small piece of fruit in a cup next to an ant hill wait for the ants to come and when you think you have enough cover it with plastic wrap.