I’m so glad you found success with the credit-card method! These are such neat little creatures, and it’s a lot easier to find their larvae than wait for the occasional serendipitous encounter with an adult. Antlion pits are present in every dry spot in our landscaping beds (which are many, as the house has deep eaves). The larvae themselves have always reminded me of the mind-controlling “ear bug” from Ceti Alpha V in the Wrath of Khan.
While we’re on the subject, you might enjoy seeing this observation of the loveliest antlions I’ve ever seen; they were near a wall apiary in the Mani region of Greece, fluttering among the flowers like butterflies. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32125192