I'm actually doing a project on the distribution and diet of the African Common toad and for this I'm going to measure the population density of arthropods as possible food preferences using pit fall trap with antifreeze.
I've had traps out for a month with reasonable preservation. Note it is much better to use the more expensive but less toxic (to vertebrates) propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. You may have to look around a bit to get a supply of propylene glycol. Try trucking firm suppliers.
It all depends on how diluted the glycol gets and what arthropods you are targeting for. If you don't add any water to it and you don't have much rain it can preserve good for about five weeks. However, soft bodied arthropods (e.g., spiders) tend to damage quick while hard bodied arthropods (i.e., beetles) generally are fine after even six weeks. Generally we collect our traps every three weeks and that has worked great, even for the very small soft bodied arthropods.
I concur, as possible try to use low toxicity glycol, not only for your own safety but for wildlife (bears love glycol!). We generally buy a 40gl barrel and that lasts for about 1500-2000 pitfall traps collected every three weeks for the whole summer (about 4 and a half months). Buying it this way, it is much more concentrated (~95%) and therefore has less water, then it lasts longer in the field.
In ethylene glycol between 5 and 9 days in my experience - it depends on the temperature.
The propylene glycol is better and is low toxic.
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