Red Ants (Merged)

Missy79

I have a serious red ant problem in my garden. They are all over the place and come the warmer weather I'm scared to walk across the garden without full protective gear of wellies and trousers tucked into socks. (Several people have experienced ants in their pants when visiting my garden :eek: ) They also are a problem when mowing/putting out wet laundry as this angers them! Because they seem to be pretty much everywhere and establish new colnies very quickly (they had one moved into and under a garden trowel left on the lawn for a couple of days) I have yet to achieve a victory over them. Last year I was cheering on the black ants when they started fighting as they are so much more innocuous. (Believe me you'll know it if a red ant bites you)
Any suggestions as to how I could end this ongoing war once and for all would be very gratefully received.

mikeywills

Feed them rice grains, put these around the edges of their colony. The ants eat some and take some back for others to eat. They cannot digest it as it bloats and kills them. This is less harmful to the garden than other alternatives.

If they are near the house put a dibber into the centre of the colony and fill the hole with boiling water. This will also kill grass and any neighbouring plants, which is a shame. I have a strong dislike for ants too, especially the flying type.

WestonDave

This seems to give a few hints - with some relatively eco friendly options!http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/ant.htm

heather38

try putting borax down around them they take it back into their nests and it kills them. i have 6, yes 6, colonies in one bed on my allotment and they are scary little !!!!!!s!!

Jnelhams

Try scattering bird food over the areas affected, this will attract the birds and they will enjoy the ants too.

Also if you water Ant heaps, with washing up water this discourages them but wont hurt the lawn, regular watering of affected areas will drive them away.

If you use Borax you need to mix it with a small amount of Icing Sugar so they take it to the Queen Ant.

mel123

Wonder if anyone can help. I have just dug over some garden ready to plant some veggies, and I've got nests of red ants all over. Will these harm anything?

heather38

YOU!! they bl00dy hurt when they bite!

Missy79

I agree they're very painful and aggressive compared to little black ants. Especially when you disturb them by mowing/digging/hanging laundry/breathing too loud etc, they swarm all over the place. They're still a bit dozey this early in the year because of the cold-beware when it gets a bit warmer.

mel123

Thanks to both of you for the warning, hope my little pug doesnt decide to put is snout in. Going to be a challenge to get rid of them. How? is the main question.

KatrinaC_2

I had dozens of nests of red ants when I moved in and the only thing that worked was to find the nests and pour kettles and pans of boiling water into them. Whilst the weather is still quite cool and the ants are still sleepy, turn over stones and have a poke about to get as many as you can. If the ants are awake enough you can track them back to their nests by scattering breadcrumbs anywhere you find individual ants and seeing where the crumbs get taken.

It sounds like a terrible way to kill the beasties, but it can't be a worse death than any of the powders or sprays. It's also a safe way to get rid of pests if you have pets or kids as some of the sprays can be quite toxic.

Kat

angie_loves_veg

Ants, any ants, *really* don't like boiling water. If you are determined to get rid of them, you should find the 'centre' of the nest and aim for that - if they don't die, they wil relocate - they don't like hassle either.

edit: clearly typing at the same time as Kat C!!!