Ant nest in compost

blossomhill_2

If you leave the lid off for a while (if it is a lidded type) the birds will find the ants and eggs and eat them

I wouldn't leave them be, having had my mum's garden almost taken over by massive ants' nests and getting bitten and ending up with septic legs from the bites - if the birds don't sort them I'd give it a quick stir with a big stick to get any mice out then use boiling water, and keep it wetter in future

djohn2002uk

Don't use boiling water, you'll kill all the worms as well. Get some DOFF ant powder that gets rid of them out of my dalek. I get them every year.

valk_scot

It has never occurred to me that I needed to do anything about the ants that frequently build nests in my many compost bins. You want the peelings, shredded paper and grass clippings etc to break down into compost, yes? Well for that you need worms, micro-organisms and all sorts of other things to break down the raw materials. Ants are just one example of the mini-beasts that live in compost and help break it down into fine, crumbly compost. So just leave them alone. They'll move on fast enough when you turn the compost.

sammyroser

My Ants have decided to build a nest in my new strawberry planter! They are eating them faster then the slugs.

I've sprinkled ant powder around the planter but doesn't seem to be doing anything. Is there a poison I could use that wouldn't effect the strawberries? Or would I be better to wait until they've finished flowering, dig the strawberry's up and then pour on the boiling water?

Margaret52129

I've just asked a question in a new thread about this! One of my DD's compost bins (lidded 'dalek' type) which was inherited on her new allotment, is absolutely overrun by ants. If you lift the lid, you see them scuttling all over the compost, (1/2 to 2/3rd full) up the sides and round the rim. I've never seen so many before. There are also lots of eggs there. I'm going to tell her to put some lemon slices in and leaver the lid off. Hopefully they will die down. Once they are on the wane, I'll tell her to fork it over. Will they all disappear or not, and would you be able to use the compost after they have gone, or if they've died down a little/lot?

Farway

Just leave them alone, the compost will be perfectly usable, it is just nature as per valk_scot posting above, and they are not harming you or anything else, just being ants

Joyful

I found this link recently and the feedback from this method is good.http://www.food.com/recipe/get-rid-of-ants-ants-ants-203233

poppysarah

They are telling you that your compost is too dry.

bazster

Ants = harmless. Never understood why some people are obsessed with trying to poison them.

demystified

Ants in compost heap are harmless, ants in your flowerpots or loosening the soil around your veg, not so good.

I figure it's more a problem with small heaps that don't get added to very often, my heaps get added to regularly and once they get 6 inches of grass clippings thrown on top of them they don't seem to hang around too long especially when it heats up!

Also I think most small bins have lids on them which might look more aesthetically pleasing but it doesn't allow enough moisture in and allows flies and other things to breed in peace. Mine are all large and open to the elements and I've never had any trouble with any of them.