Gardening Tips: How to Get Rid of Pesky Ants?

in the garden

Methods for exterminating ants in the garden

Cultivated plants in garden plots have quite a lot of enemies.
But among all the pests, the ones that always stand out are the superbly organized ants, always busily and urgently hurrying somewhere. These insects are distinguished by enormous species diversity. Ants easily adapt to any climatic conditions, so they can often be found in gardens, vegetable gardens and greenhouses in both southern and northern regions. We will tell you in this article how to protect your garden plot from attack or get rid of ants that have already appeared. Chemical repellents for ants - https://fas.st/lOU_f8″ target=”_blank”>

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Why are ants such unwanted guests in the garden? Firstly, they spread aphids throughout the area, feeding on their secretions - sweet honeydew. Secondly, during the construction of underground nests, ants do not hesitate to gnaw on young plant roots (especially recently planted seedlings). In addition, some species of ants feed on plant sap, which weakens the crops and makes them painful (plants easily pick up fungal diseases and various infections).

Thirdly, in the process of life, ants produce acid, which tends to gradually accumulate in the soil next to the anthill. As a result, the acidity of the soil increases, which is detrimental to some crops. By the way! Ants are quite capable of destroying harmful insects, their larvae and even caterpillars in the garden, bringing great benefits to the garden. But, unfortunately, it is limited to this.

Is boric acid effective for getting rid of ants?

Boric acid is an effective and proven remedy for fighting ants.

The acid affects the ant even if it just gets on its cover. It penetrates the body through its chitin shell and corrodes the internal organs. And when it enters directly into the stomach of an ant, it poisons and paralyzes it. By the way, a small amount of boric acid also leads to sterilization of ants, which prevents their reproduction. This is very important, since ants reproduce at an incredible rate: their numbers can increase by several hundred in just one month.

Boric acid is effective against all types of ants (black, red, indoor and garden).

General rules for exterminating ants in the garden

All methods and means for dealing with ants that appear in the garden area really work. But their effectiveness varies depending on the conditions, location and even time of treatment, that is, it will not be a panacea for you. What helped get rid of small pests in one garden may not work in another and vice versa. Ants, over time, adapt and develop resistance to our defenses. Therefore, it is worth experimenting and using different methods and methods to combat annoying insects. There are several general rules that increase the effectiveness of fighting ants in the garden:

• It is worth destroying ants during the daytime. During the day, these insects have a “working day” in full swing and the entrance to the ant nest is open.
• If you want the aqueous solution to reach the maximum depth of the anthill (after all, this is the only way you can eradicate the entire colony, including the queen), you need to dig it out a little with a shovel.
• Consider the location of the anthill when choosing methods and means of pest control. For example, if this is a tree trunk or a garden bed, then you should not water the nest with kerosene. It's another matter if you want to drive ants out of some empty space in the garden.
• It is not at all necessary to destroy all the ants in your garden plot (they have a useful function, which was mentioned a little earlier); it is enough to get rid of anthills only in those places where they cause harm to your garden: in the beds, near trees and shrubs, as well as in places where you, for example, cook barbecue or relax on a sun lounger.

The most radical and most effective way to get rid of ants in your garden is to use special chemicals - insecticides, which can have a narrowly targeted or general effect. The latter, in addition to ants, will help you get rid of mole crickets, aphids, Colorado potato beetles and many other pests. Here are the most popular chemicals for killing garden ants:

• Antiant
• Muratsid
• Ant
• Ant-eater
• Medvetox
• Thunder 2
• Raptor
• Inta-Vir

In such products as “Muravyin” and “Thunder 2” the main active ingredient is diazinon, which is completely safe and harmless to the soil and beneficial insects. However, even such drugs have a waiting period, which you must familiarize yourself with by studying the instructions in detail. But remember that insecticides should be used only in extreme cases, for example, if more environmentally friendly methods and folk remedies against ants did not work, or you want to achieve the desired result in a fairly short time. Although, if it comes to, for example, a flower garden, and not a bed with vegetables, then why not use it.

Gardening Tips: How to Get Rid of Pesky Ants?

If you, having arrived at the dacha or family estate, decided to relax in a sun lounger, hammock, or simply spreading a sheet or blanket on the lawn, and uninvited guests came to you, who are considered the favorite food of Australian anteaters, then sooner or later you will be faced with the question: how to get rid of them?

And when you, in addition, find out that ants indirectly contribute to the growth of the number of aphids in your garden or vegetable garden, spreading green boogers to fruit trees, ornamental and fruit bushes, then the decision to break the non-aggression pact and declare war on the ants will be a matter of time.

A proven means of fighting ants is an aqueous solution of sugar and boric acid. Take 10 g of boric acid, 1 glass of sugar, pour them into a liter jar of water, shake well or stir until completely dissolved, then pour the solution into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. After this, we pour the brew into saucers or lids, and place them near ant dwellings or places where they accumulate.

Unfortunately, this remedy is inhumane, since our bait will attract bees and flower flies that pollinate the plants, and they can have serious health problems.

And yet there is a wonderful, radical and effective way to fight ants, which will not only help you get rid of them, but is also absolutely safe for the environment.

We are talking about the minions' favorite food - bananas.

How to get rid of ants using a banana? Don’t cry, girls and boys, don’t moan, moms and dads, don’t lick your lips, grandparents—you shouldn’t give the banana pulp to the ants, otherwise their turnips will crack. You will have to treat them with banana peels, and the kind of peels on which black dots have already appeared.

Banana peels are a tried and true remedy for repelling not only ants, but also fruit flies that cause fruit rot, and even wasps, which are much more fun without them.

There is a version that ants, having tasted banana peels, bite off the most delicious pieces and bring them to their queen. The queen ant, having eaten too much, swells and dies. There are no scientific prerequisites to support this version. As in the first method (with sugar), we cannot do without boric acid.

Ingredients : 1 liter of water, banana peel, 10 g of boric acid.

Preparation : Dissolve boric acid in warm water, then place a banana peel in the solution and let it soak in boron for several hours to 1-2 days.

Important point. Solutions with boric acid can be toxic, so it is advisable to wear rubber or latex gloves when handling them.

By placing banana peels with boron near the places where ants gather, you can be sure that the working ants will treat their queen with it, after which she, having gorged herself with boron, will go to her ant paradise. As a result, the population of persistent insects will sharply decrease, since worker ants live from several months to 3 years, and males generally live only a few weeks.

By the way, after the banana peel gives up its boron to ants and plant roots (and apple trees, pears, legumes, tomatoes, peppers and cabbage are especially sensitive to boron), soil microorganisms will eat up its non-toxic residues, everyone will be happy and we will be left alone.

Disadvantages of this radical remedy:

Firstly, there may be a lot of ants, but not enough banana peels.

Secondly, banana peels quickly turn black in the garden or in the beds, after which they cease to perform their “destructive” functions, so their “reserves” must be constantly replenished.

But these shortcomings can be neglected.

Mechanical methods of fighting ants

It would seem that an excellent and safe solution would be to simply dig up and destroy the anthill with a shovel. But you should understand that the queen ant can be located at a depth of more than 1 meter. Therefore, it is much more effective not just to dig up the anthill, but also to additionally pour wood ash or ashes into the nests. You can also use vegetable oil (for example, sunflower) as a repellent ingredient. To increase the effect, you can add some strong-smelling plant to the oil, for example, cloves, anise, bay leaf.

Precautions when working with boric acid

Since boric acid is a toxic substance for both ants and people, when working with it you should take some precautions to avoid poisoning or other accidents:

• Before spraying or poisoning insects, remove children and animals from the treatment area.
• Pregnant and lactating women should not use boric acid.
• Work with acid wearing gloves and a mask (or a cotton-gauze bandage).
• Make sure that you and your family members do not have any individual intolerance to the drug.
• Handle boric acid with extreme caution if you have various kidney problems.
• To mix the ingredients, use unnecessary dishes, which you should then throw away immediately.

Those who have tried the above recipes for fighting ants leave positive reviews. It is worth observing the proportions specified in the recipes in order to avoid situations in which insects remain indifferent to the bait. Complete removal of an entire colony of ants occurs, on average, within 30 days.

Biological ways to get rid of ants

Ants do not like strong odors. Therefore, as such repellents, you can place the following fragrant products and plants next to the anthills (or even better, make infusions of them by pouring 1 liter of hot water over one tablespoon of the crushed ingredient and letting it brew for 2-3 hours):

• Anise leaves
• Elderberry leaves
• Chopped rhubarb stem and leaves
• Orange (citrus) peel
• Vanillin (not vanilla sugar)
• Finely minced garlic
• Birch tar

Water the anthill with infusions several times over two days. You can plant strong-smelling plants near the beds (or directly on them):

• Sagebrush
• Celandine
• Parsley
• White mustard
• Garlic
• Onion
• Marigold
• Marigolds (calendula)

Although, as practice shows, you can often find ants near these plants, or even on them themselves. You can remove ants from the area by attracting a whirligig bird to the area. In addition to ants, this bird also feeds on aphids, as well as various kinds of caterpillars. It is believed that the whirligig is not very afraid of humans and often settles in gardens. As for how to attract it, as far as we know, if a whirligig likes a hollow or birdhouse, then it can throw someone else’s nest out of it and make its own there. The anteater also feeds on ants, but you will hardly be able to attract it to your summer cottage. You can’t buy it either, except perhaps a special product with the same name.

The best ant poison recipes

Using the following recipes, you can get rid of the problem in the shortest possible time. They are considered absolutely safe for the whole family, which is important, because we are dealing with a chemical substance.

Anti-ant mixture with egg

• one hard-boiled egg;
• boric acid powder - 1 sachet.

The egg must be ground to a mushy state and mixed with the powder. Make small balls of this mixture and place the bait near ant paths or near nests.

Yolk mixture

• boiled egg yolks - 2 pieces;
• boric acid powder - 1 sachet.

This recipe is similar to the previous one, only it does not use egg whites. The preparation and placement of baits are identical.

Mixed with sugar

• granulated sugar - 2.5 tablespoons;
• boric acid powder - 1 sachet.

Mix the dry ingredients and sprinkle around the anthills.

Mixed with honey

• honey - 2 teaspoons;
• water - 2 tablespoons;
• glycerin - 4 teaspoons;
• boric acid - 1 teaspoon;
• sugar - 3 tablespoons.

The peculiarity of this recipe is that the resulting bait can be stored for quite a long time. All ingredients should be mixed and the bait should be placed in small containers.

Banana mixture

• banana peel;
• boric acid - 1 teaspoon;
• container with warm water.

Place a banana peel in warm water (it should be slightly rested for dark spots to appear), and then dissolve boric acid in the water. Place the soaked peel in areas where ants gather.

Powdered sugar mixture

• powdered sugar - 2 tablespoons;
• boric acid - 2/3 teaspoons.
• hot water - 4 tablespoons.

Dissolve the dry ingredients in warm water and pour the poison into small containers. Place them on ant paths and near nests.

Jam mixture

• boric acid - 5 grams;
• sugar - 50 grams;
• hot water - 50 milliliters;
• jam - 1 teaspoon.

Yeast mixture

• dry yeast - 1 tablespoon;
• warm water - 4 tablespoons;
• jam - 1 tablespoon;
• boric acid - 1 teaspoon.

Dissolve boric acid in water and mix with yeast. Add jam and place the bait near the anthills.

Balls with boric acid

• boiled potatoes - 2 pieces;
• egg yolk - 2 pieces;
• sugar - 1 tablespoon;
• sunflower oil - 1 tablespoon;
• boric acid - 1 tablespoon.

All ingredients need to be crushed into puree and small balls are formed from the resulting mass. Place them in places where ants gather.

Traditional methods of fighting ants in the garden

In addition to special chemicals, there are also folk ways to rid a garden plot of ants.

Gasoline and kerosene for ants

To get these little scoundrels out, pour kerosene or gasoline on the anthill (just don’t try to set it on fire). After 3 days, the remnants of the surviving insects will leave in an unknown direction and are unlikely to return. This method is perfect if harmful insects are hovering near your garden house, in its foundation.

Acetic and citric acid against ants

Although ants produce acid themselves, they do not tolerate the presence of any other acid. Therefore, if you regularly water anthills with diluted acetic or citric acid, the pests will soon leave this place. By the way! It is also allowed to use technical acids against ants: hydrochloric and sulfuric. You just need to dilute them more!

Boric acid for ants

To get these little scoundrels out, pour kerosene or gasoline on the anthill (just don’t try to set it on fire). After 3 days, the remnants of the surviving insects will leave in an unknown direction and are unlikely to return. This method is perfect if harmful insects are hovering near your garden house, in its foundation. The essence of this method of fighting garden ants is that they do not die immediately, but only after 4-5 days, while managing to drag the poisoned bait to their anthill, thereby poisoning everyone in it - the larvae and even the queen. Therefore, it is very important not to overdo it with concentration, otherwise the effect will be instantaneous and will not affect the anthill itself.

Yeast from ants

Another effective remedy that will help you get rid of ants in your garden forever is yeast. The effect of their use is similar to boric acid, that is, it is not instantaneous, but gradually causes maximum damage. The point is that the yeast will begin to ferment and thereby destroy all the ant reserves in the nest. Yeast bait for garden pests is made from the following ingredients (in equal proportions): • 50 grams of fresh yeast • 50 grams of granulated sugar • 50 ml of warm water Mix everything thoroughly and pour into a wide container (for example, all in the same saucer). Place it near the anthill. And after a couple of days, make a new solution again.

Ammonia for ants

An excellent means of killing ants in the garden is the use of ammonia. The working solution is prepared as follows: 50 ml of 10% ammonia is dissolved in 1 liter of water, and then the anthill is watered. The main advantage of using ammonia in the fight against garden ants is the fact that it is a safe nitrogen fertilizer for your garden. Ammonia is a super tool in the fight against ants. There is another way to remove ants using ammonia, which is very convenient to use in a greenhouse, although it is also suitable for a garden bed in open ground. It is necessary to cover the anthill with a cloth, after spraying ammonia on it (it’s better to do everything quickly). Then cover the fabric with something else that does not allow air to pass through, for example, burlap or cellophane (some kind of film). Additionally, secure everything with boards or stones. Wait 2-3 days.

Baking soda for ants

You can drive away ants from your summer cottage using baking soda by sprinkling it on their homes. Of course, they won’t go away right away, but gradually there will be fewer and fewer of them. True, most likely, they will simply move to another place, for example, to neighbors or a little further.

Mustard for ants

Ants love to settle in greenhouses, especially where there are cucumber beds where aphids live. To safely drive them out of the area, you can try using mustard powder by sprinkling the surface of the infected area (anthill). By the way! Mustard will also help you get rid of slugs in your cabbage beds.

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And, if settlements of these insects have already appeared on the site, then removing them from the garden is quite problematic.

Not a single conscientious summer resident wants to use chemicals to fight ants (as well as other parasites).

After all, these poisons end up in the soil. and then into the harvest itself. Therefore, you need to look for other, safe and harmless options that will be quite effective in the fight against ants.

After another lost “war” with ants a couple of years ago, I remembered my grandmother’s method. The main component of which is banana peel. By the way, since then there have been no ants on my site.

So, you will only need the banana peel of an already ripe or very ripe tropical fruit. You can eat the banana yourself, you don't need it. Only the peel.

Recipe and step by step steps

First you need to prepare a solution. Why dissolve 10 grams of boric acid in one liter of warm water (sold in pharmacies). Dissolve boric acid completely in water, and then soak the peels of 2 to 4 bananas in this solution. It all depends on how many ant colonies you found on your site.

It is necessary that the peel is well saturated with a solution of boric acid. This requires at least several hours, or even better, several days. The better and more the banana peel absorbs the solution, the more effective the fight against insects will be. After soaking, you need to spread the peel in those places where there are ant settlements. After a few days, not a single ant will remain on the site. Banana peels soaked in boric acid should be changed periodically. Until the ants completely disappear from the garden.

And then repeat the procedure for preventive purposes.

The undeniable advantages of the method

This method of getting rid of uninvited insects is many times better than the sugar solution of boric acid, familiar to every summer resident. Banana peel is less attractive to other unpleasant insects, including flies, bees, and wasps. And boric acid itself has a fairly beneficial effect on the soil, which affects increased productivity. Source