Victoriana
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:53 pm Post subject: Ants in the garden |
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Can anyone give me some tips on getting rid of an infestation of ants in the garden.
I have tried ant powder, but am not keen on using it, because of the frogs & bees etc.
Whether it's because I'm on sandy soil, or the local weather conditions, I don't know. But the problem is fast getting out of control.
Boiling water is another good idea but not near plants of course.
Yesterday when clearing out a small border there were some small flying ants  in a nest of ants.
Any ideas please.
Tricia
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eileen
 Forum Moderator
Scotland
Posts: 18013
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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I've heard that if you pour undiluted white vinegar on whe ants nest then it can get rid of them pretty quickly Tricia.
Here's a website I found that tells you how to deal with ants organically - hope it helps you out:
http://www.thefrugallife.com/ants.html
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kuntrygal
Texas ~ Zone 8
Posts: 3436
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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Deanna are they fireants? Have you had a lot or rainy weather? I don't have any suggestions for you, but when it does rain here in drought stricken east Texas, the fireants are horrible. And it it difficult to get rid of them. You may think you have conqured them, but the next day they have only moved the mound.  It's a hopeless situation. 
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"I'm so far behind, I thought I was first"
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toni
Administrator
Plants Moderator
Regular Plants Contributor
North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11251
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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If you use the undiluted vinegar you will need to get the 20% vinegar. That is not the household vinegar from the grocery store, but many garden centers carry the stronger stuff.
I have gone with the Ortho FireAnt Killer. I hate to use non-organic ways but if you have ever had multiple (or even just one) Fire Ant bite you will do what you have to do to kill them. It works for all types of ants too. You don't have to use much, it is a powder, just sprinkle about a tablespoon on the mound. The workers feed it to the queen and in a pretty short time the mound is dead.
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Victoriana
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the tips everybody, also thanks for the website Eileen.
I have white vinegar which I buy in litre bottles from France and will try that first.
They aren't fire ants [which sound horrible], just the regular kind, even so they do bite.
But then everything bites me including my cat!!!
The little blighters are everywhere even under the paving. By that I mean paving on top of an old concrete path would you believe.
I can just thank my lucky stars they're not in the house.
Several years ago a friend I mine a nest of them inside a cavity wall. She had to call in the local authority pest control people to get rid of them.
Tricia
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Sherry8
Wisconsin...zone 4
Posts: 2321
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| Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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I just read on BHG garden area that Black pepper and cinnamon might work as a repellant. I had asked the question about the ants having a nest in the middle of a plant and in my woodchips around trees.
Sherry
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jascenda
wv
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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You can also use regular corn meal it tends to dehydrate them
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gardenwinter
Tempe
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 3:01 am Post subject: Get Rid of Ants |
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The most useful technique I've found is to spread raw grits on the ground (not instant grits). When the ants eat the grits & drink water they die.
The other thing I've used is a simple ant trap from the local market, I put a few around the corners and after a few weeks the ants have taken the poison into their nest. Since I placed four ant traps on all corners of my garden I haven't spotted a single ant.
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