Ants - how much of a problem will they be?

[kathyd]

Hi, I've discovered ants in my polytunnel exploring my plants and a peach tree - what do I need to do about them, if anything? Will they destroy things? If I need to get rid of them, can anyone suggest the best way please? Thx

[rustylady]

Ants themselves won't harm your plants, except perhaps by undermining the roots when they make nests/colonies. They do however farm aphids which will harm your plants. Ants don't like soil which is regularly cultivated and disturbed, but do check your plants for aphids.

[lottie dolly]

2 years running had them in the greenhouse at home,red and brown,they were in several tomato plant pots,i put down some and killer,alls well so far,exept they set up home on the lawn,

[kathyd]

Hmmm... we have millions of nests in the garden, black and red, but I leave them alone where possible although I have a bit of a phobia about them to be honest. However, I didn't expect them to move into the tunnel so soon - it's only been up since last summer! I'll keep disturbing them in the tunnel for now then, and focus on anti-aphid strategies - but if the red ants move in the poison will have to come out! Shudder...

[taff]

they dont like it wet either, if you keep watering the area, they'll go.

[winstonwobble]

dont mind them as long as they dont bite me dont half hurt

[Sanjo]

Last year in the greenhouse I couldn't understand why two of my melons were so far behind the others, bearing in mind they were all sown and transplanted the same day.
In the end I had a dig around. The minute I stuck the trowl in I was smothered in ants, running all up my arm. YUK!!. Both pots had nests in them. I took them outside, removed as much of the soil with eggs that I could. Replaced with fresh compost and put them back. I also put down ant powder outside the greenhouse as I had tracked them coming in and out of a small gap at the bottom corner, behind the melon pot. To be honest they never did pick up. They didn't die, they just languished!!

[solway cropper]

I tend to live and let live with everything that isn't actually harming my plants. On flying ant day the greenhouse is alive with the bloody things but that's about the only time they are a bother.

[Zenithtb]

They COVER my plants/trees with aphids... And I have many colonies... Trying to remove them here... They spread like crazy in our 9-10 month sunny period... In UK they may be less active...

[solway cropper]

9-10 month sunny period???

A 9 week sunny period would be a big improvement on what we normally get!

[dawnh]

I had a massive problem with ants farming the black fly on my runners last year, so this year I'm gonna try the semolina method. Apparently, if you sprinkle dry semolina where you see the ants, they will pick it up, carry it back to the queen, and when she eats it, her stomach explodes and effectively destroys the colony? Don't know if it'll work, but I'll try owt!!! Don't want to put down ant killer cos've the little ones, so fingers crossed!!!

[VirginVegGrower]

I've just read about polenta doing the same thing. Anyone tried it?

[lukens]

I have 3 baby cabbages that have started wilting, and I noticed a lot of ants climbing in and out around the stems, now the same with a kohlrabi. I did a search and a couple of people have reported similar - it's unclear whether the ants were damaging the plants themselves, or were being attracted to something else that was.

There were suggestions that if the ants were setting up home under the plants, then it could disturb the root systems. I'm also wondering if all the wetness has rotted the stems, and the ants are now eating them.

It's my first year growing my own veg, and every seedling that does make it is heartbreaking, even the ones I have to force myself to thin. I've even taking to translating some thinning to borders - I need to toughen up!


We also have a fair few ant hills in the lawn, which cause ugly brown patches.

I've ordered some poisoned bait trap thingies.

[Alison]

I don't find that they are much of a problem - did worry the first year on the lottie as I seemed to have a lot but as somebody has already mentioned they move on if you keep disturbing them so the beds don't really get many of them now I'm more established.

[Two_Sheds]

Every time I dig in my home garden I find red ants ... no brown patches or dead plants though, so I leave them be