Ants and compost heap

[russell]

Hey all

Ithought I had rid my garden of ants - my apple trees had scale insects which were working together with the ants.

I've now just turned my compost bin and found loads of ants in there - looked closely at the rest of my garden and they are they too.

Are ants good for my compost heap? If not, how can I get rid of them?

Ideas please too for getting rid of them in my garden. I've had 6 nippon ant traps down and it's obviously not worked

[jackarmy]

your compost heap is to dry my friend, it needs a good watering,ants do not like water, so turn the dry places wet and they will move

[MyWifesBrassicas]

I agree with the above, ant like dry material to take up home and compost needs to be damp to efficiently compost, give it a good watering.
The water, so long as you don't water log it will speed up composting and make the ants move on.
I don't think you need to kill the ants in my opinion

[russell]

There’s now ants in the veg beds. Does they eat fruit like straws etc? Shall I just leave them?
Obvisoult I don’t wanna use any powder or anything as I’ll be eating the veg etc

[Jungle Jane]

They’re probably farming aphids around to every plant in the garden,birds or slugs might make a partially damaged area on a strawberry & then ants might feed off it but I’ve never seen them damage strawberries. Here the ants walk all over the strawberries,they’re in their pathway to my beans. I would leave them but maybe follow them,they might be up to some aphid farming nearby on a fruit tree or dahlias or somewhere,I had them on a sunflower today (bird seed sunflower that’s grown).

[russell]

They were feeding on the scale insects and my apple trees took the hit.
They don’t seem to be heading in any certain direction. Just wondering round.
The sunflower took the hit too and my beans it seem

[Urban]

They were feeding on the scale insects and my apple trees took the hit.
They don’t seem to be heading in any certain direction. Just wondering round.
The sunflower took the hit too and my beans it seem

I just blasted the ants of my sunflowers a few times with water from a hand held sprayer. Seems to of got rid of them. And the aphids they where farming.