Ants in our garden

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Spreckly
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Ants in our garden

Post by Spreckly »

It is like the plagues of Egypt here. I have just discovered a large number of ants travelling across the pavers which form the path down our back garden. With a long coated dog, I would like to blitz them asap. Oh has to go into our nearby town tomorrow, and will hopefully get a tube of Ni....on. In our previous house I used boiling water to kill them off, but I can't see where they are coming from.

We have never had ants here in nine and a half years.

Has anyone any remedies, please?
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Richard
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by Richard »

Hi spreckers,

There aren't a lot of natural ant killers, but Vinegar, black pepper and mint placed where they appear to be coming from is supposed to help.
But if you can't locate their nest area, not sure.

Boiling water is the only other thing of course.

I found this on a BBC page..

Place tin cans over the ant hill in the morning. As it heats up, the ants take their eggs up into the can. In the afternoon slide a piece of cardboard under each can, and remove and dispose of the eggs. They make a tasty treat for birds, especially chickens.

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Totally Scrambled
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by Totally Scrambled »

As I understand it ants follow the reverse scent trail of other ants who have found a food source and returned to the nest. Covering the scent with something stronger stops them following the scent and they look elsewhere.
If you have ants that have found their way into your house looking for food this method will work. Also using ant spray or ant traps etc. has the same effect in that no ants return to the nest having found food so the other ants don't come back to your house. For a while at least ungtil another ant finds some tasty grub in your kitchen again.
The only way to deal permanently with an ants nest is to target home base either with hot water or one of the many anticides (is that a proper word?)
If you use ant powder etc. on the ants you can see trundling backwards and forwards you will probably only kill those ants and they may not make it back to the nest with a coating of the poison in enough quantity to finish off the rest and more importantly the queen.
I suggest you find a Boy Scout who has passed his Eagle Eye Trackers Badge and get him to track the little blighters to their nest and then employ your prefered method to deal with them.
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by jannie »

I use Diatomaceous Earth food grade on all garden pests including ants .. just puff in where they are running and within a week or so they're all gone. It works brilliantly on aphids too and as it's harmless you can use it on food crops. )t'
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Spreckly
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by Spreckly »

Think you all for your replies. We still have the little perishers, though each time I walk down the path, I squash as many as possible. Still can't find where they are based.

We got them in our old house once, they were everywhere. I bought some Ni....on, and OH found where they were getting in, we managed to blitz them.

Tomorrow is a serious ant hunt.
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manda
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by manda »

I had a look round the www Spreckly....there are lots of natural ways to deter them and they move on apparently ...Lemon; Cinnamon; Peppermint ; Diatomaceous Earth (kills); coffee grounds; chalk (apparently they won't cross a chalk line??).

If you don't know where they are coming from then you can use the chalk / coffee grounds to mark out a way to stop them coming in and they'll go somewhere else.

They've obviously found a good food source ....so if you can't find out where they've come from can you find out where they're going to? If you find where they're going to that might help because you can remove the food source.....just another thought.
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Sara
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by Sara »

I sympathise, Ive got them everywhere in the garden this year also }hairout{

Good luck :-D
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by Grannyof4 »

OMG Ant-gate. I thought for a moment Richard was giving us a recipe!!!
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albertajune
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by albertajune »

We have also got lots of ants this year, both in the garden and allotment. It's not easy to find out where they actually nest, unless finding the nest by accident. This year they were particularly interested in our rhubarb which was a nuisance.
I can live with them as long as they don't find their way indoors.
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Mo
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by Mo »

Yes, live and let live. Though when we unearth a nest it's a treat for the hens (quite funny watching them eating the grubs and avoiding the ants).
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billnorfolk
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by billnorfolk »

I know it may sound cruel ,but everytime i lift the covers on my raised beds i find an ants nest or 2 ,i stand by with my flame thrower Liddels £12, not only does it kill the ants but any weeds and there seeds leaving it clean for most of the summer .Had ants get into one of my tomatoe pots l;ooseing the soil and destroying the roots ,literately flooded them out soaked the compost and stood pot in a bowl of water,thought i would loose plant as l;ooked realy sick ,left it 24 hours then allowed to drain its now the healthiest plant in the greenhouse >shrug<
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Spreckly
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Re: Ants in our garden

Post by Spreckly »

We have found a second ants nest in the front garden, under a brick holding netting over the strawberry bed. OH has used some killer or other, but thank you all for your advice.

The ones in the back garden are diminishing, but I can't think what is attracting them there, no food around at all.
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