In Regards to Gardening

Besides the cornmeal, my neighbor who is into trying to use nontoxic things has found theat ground up orange peels work. They will relocate elsewhere. Also, when you use pestasides, you not only kills the ants but all the other bugs including ladybugs and preying mantis which are good. Whatever you try, good luck
KathyE

I can't use poisons at my house because of my son's health, but I have found several very effective ways to deal with ants. You do have keep after them, so the methods will work better if you spend at least some full days at home. Are they in your house? You have to make several kinds of barriers, first a physical barrier. Ants will not cross a line of liquid dish soap that has "sheeting action". So lay a bead of it across doorways, windows, under sinks where they enter through openings around pipes. Places where you see them hide. Around the rim of the container with the dog's food in it Put it very close to the wall so that it does not create a slipping hazard. It will collect dust, so you will have to wash it off and replace it from time to time. Put in around the edges of your front and back porch, too. There is also a type of Chinese insecticide chalk you could use the same way, but if the surface of what you draw on is rough, they will simply walk between the chalk. Second you need a scent barrier. Ants form their trails by scent, so the more you do to disrupt that, the less hospitable your home will be to them. Everytime you see a trail, vacuum it up, and wash the place where the trail was to destroy the scent. The ants will not survive the vacuuming process. Use the cedar drawer liners (sold at home Depot for about $10 a box) to line the inside of your kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets, especially if you keep trash in there. You will need two or three boxes. Nail or glue them to the sides and back of the cabinet. When the scent fades, sand them a bit to refresh it. I place one of the panels in the bottom of trash cans, too, under the liner. A closet or drawer cedar block goes under the refrigerator, stove, and washer and dryer. On your porch, plant a pot of scented geraniums and keep it very close to the door. If grows profusely, so choose a scent you like, and harvest the leaves to use in your dog's bed, in drawers or other places that need a scent boost. It comes in rose,chocolate, lemon, and many other scents. Ants don't like it. OK, out to the garden. First, ask yourself, "Why can't they live out here?" If they are fire ants, and you live in California, you need to report it and there is someone (official - ask at your garden store or look on line) who will come out and get rid of the infestation with something that makes them sterile, to prevent them from taking over here. If they are just plain black ants, are they eating your fruit or vegetables? If not that, you need to understand that they are eating dead things that you don't want festering in your yard (birds, larger insects, rodents), in other words, they are an important part of the ecosystem. So you don't really want to destroy them, just "control the population" or "keep it in balance", and create an environment that keeps them mostly in areas where their presence doesn't bother you. If you find an anthill that is too close to the house, you can pour scalding hot coffee down it, or 37% Hydrogen Peroxide solution (the kind that is used in pools that are on a non-chlorine system.). Once the bubbling stops, there is nothing left but water. But be careful, it hurts if you spill it on yourself. Wash away any aunt trails you see in your garage, porches, or other outdoor area where you don't want them, with as strong spray of water from a hose nozzle that has a jet setting. The dishsoap you spread around the edges will spread out over the porch, forming a thin layer that will discourage them. And don't forget to replenish the bead after you have washed it several times. We don't have any ant problems in our home or the areas of the yard that we use, and we have several neighbors that use pest companies, so that usually sends them to the unsprayed house. It is not hospitable here for them, so they don't stay. Every couple of years they will try to come back, so I just refresh all the barriers and they go away again. Good luck. B.

I have recently found out that viniger diluted with water works good, at least in house. I'm not sure about the garden, but seems would be safer than pesticides.

This may sound funny but try Comet. The powder cleanser.
We use it all the time we go camping during the summer.
It works beautifully!!
Good luck.
M.

Hi T.,
Ants are a natural predator to termites. They go into the termite nest and take the eggs to eat. For me, this benefit far outweighs any threat these little creatures may cause to our gardens. Especially when terminte infestations from your neighbors' homes will eventually come to yours. It is the responsibility of us all to keep ants safe, which will eventually keep our homes standing. Replace your home? Or live with ants. You choose.

Since we are in a drought I would refrain from the water idea, however broken egg shells around the perimeter of the pot or plants will disrupt the trail and eventually help fertilize the soil.
I appreciate all the eco minded folks and their suggestions, and distain all those who think this little bit of nature is their enemy and needs to be distroyed.
Good luck,
Wendy

Depends on the kind of garden...see what the ants are after...they often are after aphid and is you get rid of the aphid, they go. However, they also like to be near a water supply.

Surround your garden area with baby powder with talc as the main ingredient. It's non-toxic and I've been told that the talc is made up of tiny bone fragments that hurt the ants when they try to cross the powder barrier. It has helped in years past around my exterior doors to keep ants out. It's cheap, too!

I had ants last year. They didn't hurt my garden, but i still wish they weren't there. I was told they were there to feast on Aphids, and I had to get rid of the aphids. They mostly attacked my sunflowers, so I chose not to apply pesticides. Try to find out why they are there, and attack the problem.

Good luck.

home depot and get ant granuals spread around the house and they will be gone in no time

Hello T.. A few years ago, I discovered Real Kill ant killer, and have never reverted back to anything else. It works GREAT, but it does need to be "applied" about once every two to three months. I get it at The Home Depot, and it comes in a grayish gallon sized container, complete with a nozzle (that I've never been able to get to work! lol). I take the contents and pour them into a large spray bottle and spray the perimeter of my house, inside and out. Any entry way, every corner in the house, and all the baseboards, too. As for the garden area, I spray every where!!!, just not on my actual plants and flowers. This stuff is amazing! I even spray my compost container - the outside of it - and they leave it alone. It creates a sort of barrier, so that wherever you spray, the will not pass that "line". Best of luck to you!!

I called Corky's pest control and they sprayed my backyard (and my inside of the house because last summer they were coming in here like crazy). Now, I just spray the yards every 6 months and NO problems with ants since!!!!!!!!

LLoyds Pest Control. The only ants I have seen in years have been at other people's homes. Their service is all inclusive so it covers fleas, spiders......

Good Luck.

C.

Ants are opportunists and you can't get rid of them but you can get them to move. Lots of watering will cause them to move the nest, the eggs can drown. A good thick chalk line if there is a hard surface works, you need to reapply after wear. The stakes work the best for killing, sprays need to be applied too often and are not good for anything around the area.

Hi T., I know NOTHING about gardening but I had to comment and give you kudos! How does a working mom of a 4 and 2 yr old find time to garden!!! Hope you get the advice you are looking for and enjoy your garden, my mother is a HUGE gardener and gets so much joy from it!
PS when you are done with your supermom cape, can i BORROW IT? lol :)

Hi T., corn meal, the ants eat it and they burst. I learned this when my daughter was in kindergarten, ants had been getting into the kids lunch boxes, and one morning I noticed corn meal all around the base outside of their class room, and I asked teacher about it and she said the ants eat it and the burst, and they didn't want to use pesticides around the children, so i tried it at home at it worked. Also in your gardens for other insects, use your leftover coffee in a spray bottle and spray the insects with it like you would a bug spray, I learned that in my gardening club. J. L.