red ants problem in dirt

sadie22

how can i get rid of ginger coloured ants in my newly made raised beds ? im scared to put my veg plants in the bed incase they get eaten, please help.

freezspirit

I 've heard of a couple of things ants don't like might be worth trying: peppermint, instant coffee and spinkle of cinnamon or you could go and try a nematode Steinernema feltiae to deter the ants.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Don't recall ants ever being a problem with anything like that. And the soil is lovely and crumbly once they've been at it - and the pests tend to get grabbed and munched.

kippers

Water...ants don't like water...i had ants in a large pot that i had filled ready to grow carrots...i kept watering the pot for a few days and the ants dissapeared

Davesnave

Since when did ants start attacking vegetable plants?

OP I'm sure you could go out and spend a packet on nematodes, or a hundred different old wives remedies, but unless your real concern is about them crawling up your trouser legs, there are other more important things to worry about.

Inspect you plants regularly for aphids, as it's the sticky secretions from these that the ants are interested in, not your veg.

Oh, hang on, there aren't any veg......:(

rabidbun

The main problem with ants is apparently root disturbance if you have planted on a nest. They will farm aphids though and help protect them on plants, so can be a bit of a pain at times.

Am going to try a citrus oil mixture (on recommendation from another forum) on mine as I want them gone (they're red and all over the lawn too).