Help with ants

[Lisasbolt]

Hi, me again asking yet again more help

More bad news for me.

I like to grow what i can from seed.

I have been into the polytunnel today to find 1000's of ants in my trays digging up all my seed. Seed that is sprouting as well. b*****d little things. They have taken 100's of seeds.

I want t o grow organic whenever possible.

Can i am anything to my potting soil? or something in there to deter them. Remembering that i am planting things direct also and have lots of dogs and cats around

There are 1000's of nests around so would not be able to pin point where they are coming from.

On a serpate note they steal the chicken food too

[Guest]

I found one year that they like beer traps as much as slugs also smeared honey and jam so they get stuck and you can dispose. Mostly it sounds like you will need patience as it isn't likely to be a quick fix. Good luck

p.s I have never found ant powders or killers any good anyway

[fishpond]

Contrary to Norfolkgrey, I have found that that ant powder does work, but if it kills 1000, it still leaves 50 billion trillion and 3 to carry on breeding and annoying.
My Garden also has its fair share of birds and still I am plagued, especially in the warmer months.
I have not seen any black ants for years, just wood ants that you think are biting you--its alright, it is just formic acid being sprayed
A nuclear device may be the answer, but it may upset the neighbours.
I did a little experiment 2 years ago with these ants.
I had a small plum tree that was over run with them and aphids, put some tree grease on the trunk, caught a few out, they then worked out they could climb along a thinnish branch and drop to the floor, to get back up onto the tree they walked over the ones stuck in the grease.
I wish I had filmed it.
Took them approx 30 minutes to work that out.
Please let me know if you find a permanent solution

[alldigging]

Ants don't like the damp.
Water them!

[Kirk]

You would I suspect need to dig the grown over and destroy the nest(s) they are coming from whether this is inside or outside the poly tunnel I do not know. Likely both.

How you then keep them away again cannot think as no idea what the Spanish ants are like, however I half suspect they will reform nests adn the problem will repeat even if in a lesser intensity. Ants have been around for a lot longer then humans. They will create a nest at any suitable location and people make a lot of suitable locations when we use paving, walls etc which they can burrow under.

Once reduced (removed) I cannot think of anything to keep them absent other then an Ant powder, or being vigilent and looking for new sites where they establish and again digging and turning over the ground to destroy the nest.

[Nicos]

sprinkle polenta/cornmeal about..that will eventually kill them.

[noviceveggrower]

How about lemon juice. Someone said that they don't like it and you just need to splash it about fairly liberally.
If you can find the nest try breaking it open I'm sure a nosey robin or blackbird will spot what your doing and will eat them up for you.

[Lisasbolt]

I was thinking of vinegar, in a spray but i don't know if it would kill the seedlings?

[kathyd]

I read ants hate mint, so I tried putting mint essential oil around my small peach tree this year in the polytunnel. It took loads of oil on kitchen roll tied to the trunk to deter them, but it did work - for a day or so, then the oil dried out and they were back again. I don't know if growing a lot of mint around bed edges might help? Or scattering the leaves around? I doubt it. I sometimes pour boiling water over them if they come inside, but otherwise I've given up because I'm severely outnumbered!