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Red ants have killed a few stems of my raspberry plantation and some strawberries by their tunnelling. I stirred up their nest with a stick and then the blackbirds moved in for a snack on their eggs. I'm hoping a few repeat stirs plus a bit more watering will encourage them to move on - I'm very allergic to their stings.
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http://mudandgluts.com - growing fruit and veg in suburbia -
Dam things! They are in pots, grass and building huge mounds in the plants which eventually kills them! Got them in the house too as the was so are ancient and they are actually living in the walls, ant traps everywhere.Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poetComment
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We have lots on our lawn and on the side of the house. I do put down ant powder where I can, just to reduce the number. My husband went mountain biking in Burnham woods with mates, they stopped for a breather and saw an ant mountain, like in Indiana Jones and decided to leave as the ants were everywhere. I think with the weather this year there seems more.Comment
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Ants like hot and dry conditions. I get them under my front doorstep, where I tolerate them unless they come in the house - then out comes the spray.
If you get them in plant pots it may be that you are keeping the plants too dry.A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard NimoyComment
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Jam ,honey or syrup mixed with borax can be used to kill ants, put the mix in a small bottle laid on it's side to keep the rain off.
The ants will take it back to the nest where it gradually poisons the whole lot,you may have to refill a couple of times until you see the numbers drop.
You can also buy nematodes which when watered in will make the ants decamp if you don't want to kill themdon't be afraid to innovate and try new things
remember.........only the dead fish go with the flow
Another certified member of the Nutters clubComment
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Ants are like weeds, they're a pest if they're where you don't want them. On the plot, I find that hoeing up the surface discourages them but I get them under the slabs in my greenhouse and I'm sorry to say that they get a dose of ant powder.Comment
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I don't mind ants outdoors its those that come into the kitchen I don't like
Location....East Midlands.Comment
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I basically ignore ants, both inside or outside.
BUT...
AVOID GOING INTO A GREENHOUSE OR SHED WITH ANTS DURING "FLYING ANTS DAY" !!!
"Flying Ants Day" happens towards the end of July and is when the queen flies off to mate - all the other ants develop wings and fly everywhere covering every surface - including all of you!
They'll give a nasty bite if you get involved with them but will be gone by morning.The proof of the growing is in the eating.
Leave Rotten Fruit.
Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potasium - potash.
Autant de têtes, autant d'avis!!!!!
Il n'est si méchant pot qui ne trouve son couvercle.Comment
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How soon do you need to use it?
They are busy making the compost in there fine and crumbly, they are telling you its a bit on the dry side, if you don't need it yet then all in all I'd say they're doing you a favour.
I discourage ants from the house and I disrupt their aphid farming. I water them out of plant pots etc but I rarely see a need to kill them!
Ants are fascinating and clever, they work the soil better than I can.
Its saddens me how quickly we gardeners resort to killing things
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Tried the cinnamon on a ant mound and they have all decamped!!Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poetComment
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thanks, that's perfectly fine by me!Originally posted by muddled View Post
i'm not in any hurry - the compost bin is full, but i keep topping upComment
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YEP! Try having these flying ants in your home even. That is what we used to put up with year after year- we had swarms of flying ants coming up through cracks I assume in the plaster etc under the house. It was quite unnerving seeing a whole swarm of them crawling up the french doors and windows - best way to remove them was open up all the windows and doors and let them escape although it would take hours to completely get them out of the house.Originally posted by teakdesk View PostI basically ignore ants, both inside or outside.
BUT...
AVOID GOING INTO A GREENHOUSE OR SHED WITH ANTS DURING "FLYING ANTS DAY" !!!
"Flying Ants Day" happens towards the end of July and is when the queen flies off to mate - all the other ants develop wings and fly everywhere covering every surface - including all of you!
They'll give a nasty bite if you get involved with them but will be gone by morning.
Since we had recurring damp issues downstairs and had to have the whole of it re-plastered among other things a couple of years back we haven't had this happen again. So I'm hoping the problem is fixed. But last year I had them in my polytunnel so I just opened it up and didn't venture in there for a few days.
Although things like that freak me out, that's nature for you. Poor things don't want to be trapped inside and I never got bitten by any either.LOVE growing food to eat in my little town back garden. Winter update: currently growing overwintering onions, carrots, lettuce, chard, salad leaves, kale, cabbage, radish, beetroot, garlic, broccoli raab, some herbs.Comment
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Green Woodpeckers like ants a lot. Hear them occasionally, rarely see them.Riddlesdown (S Croydon)Comment
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Interesting to read. I am fascinated by ants and their industriousness. In general, if they're not in my home, I let them get on with it. However, at our new place in Spain, I have a feeling that the majority of our land (7 hectares) is over the world's largest ants' nest. There are little piles and holes everywhere from their tunnelling! They have tunnelled up right by the stems of a couple of my tomato plants; for now, I'm keeping an eye on the plants to see how they cope, but that's the worst of it.
We had flying ants day last Sunday. I'm not so keen on that, and stay well away from them.Comment
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