Can anyone recommend an effective ant killer?

frazzbo

I seem to have millions of ants in my garden this year, and a lot of them are starting to eat my veg plants. They are starting to live in the plants, but can also be seen running around the soil and the patio.

I was wondering whether anyone can recommend a good ant killer which won't harm my plants, and also is safe around animals as I have two cats.

Ginger_Snap

Our chickens keep the problem down brilliantly, but assuming you don't have any, how about boiling water on their nests? We tried ant traps but they were pretty useless to be honest. It may have reduced the numbers but didn't eradicate. We had a huge problem as you sound as if you have too...good luck!

icecreamdogpark

We had red ants in our lawn but did some chicken fostering while the owners went on holiday never had a problem after that even though the chickens only stayed 2 wks think they got rid of most the nests!! can you borrow some? LOL

frazzbo

Chickens sound like a great idea - if only I didn't live in a small terraced house with a small garden! I don't think the neighbours would be too impressed!

Boiling water sounds easy (not to mention cheap!), but I don't actually know where the nests are or how to find them - any pointers?

EmptyPockets

If you watch the ants you should be able to trace them back to the nest. You will see them coming and going from one spot. That's where you'll need to pour the boiling water in order to kill the queen - it may well be under a slab or a rock somewhere, or inbetween cracks in concrete or brick.

frazzbo

The only place I definitely see them coming to/from is the actual plants. Probably a stupid question, but can I pour the boiling water over my plants and still hope that the plants might actually still be ok? I'm guessing probably not, but I don't want to throw away my months of hard work!!

EmptyPockets

No way, you will kill the plants if you pour boiling water on them!

icecreamdogpark

I have used "Nippon" shallow tubs that you put a little gel inside (it`s not very runny quite thick so fine around your cats) the ant enter through little holes eat some of the gel and take it back to the nest thus killing others, pre chickens this i`ve used and it worked ok, obv not as good as a few chickens,beware with little children who could prise off the lid if they wanted too! Hope that helps

frazzbo

EmptyPockets wrote: »

No way, you will kill the plants if you pour boiling water on them!

Thought as much :cool:

icecreamdogpark wrote: »

I have used "Nippon" shallow tubs that you put a little gel inside (it`s not very runny quite thick so fine around your cats) the ant enter through little holes eat some of the gel and take it back to the nest thus killing others, pre chickens this i`ve used and it worked ok, obv not as good as a few chickens,beware with little children who could prise off the lid if they wanted too! Hope that helps

I might give this a try, thanks icecreamdogpark.

On a separate note: are the ants actually damaging my plants / fruit and veg? In other words, do I really HAVE to get rid of them? Not that I like them (!!), it just seems a bit bad to evict them from their home if I don't need to! It's my courgette plants that they seem to like best, last year it was celery.

icecreamdogpark

frazzbo wrote: »

Thought as much :cool:



I might give this a try, thanks icecreamdogpark.

On a separate note: are the ants actually damaging my plants / fruit and veg? In other words, do I really HAVE to get rid of them? Not that I like them (!!), it just seems a bit bad to evict them from their home if I don't need to! It's my courgette plants that they seem to like best, last year it was celery.

The tubs are worth buying they come with gel but when thats ran out just then buy the gel tubes

morg_monster

we use baitstation thingies, inside and outside and they work a treat. not sure about the cats issue but the holes for the ants to get through are tiny, and they are made of hard plastic, so i don't thin kthere'd be much risk.
i would also like to konw whether the ants actually damage the plants. I find them alongside either scale insects (yuk) or blackfly - it is as if they are herding them! I wonder whether the ants are eating the other bugs rather than the plants. however, the "other bugs" do damage the plants :0( maybe if I get rid of the ants the other bugs will multiply!