News1 min ago
Ants In The Lawn
14 Answers
How can you get rid of ants in the lawn permanently?
Answers
In my poly tunnel they used to take up residence and as you say, they turn the soil to mush. When they become a problem it is best to get rid of them. What I do is get some Borax ( readily available on ebay for a fiver) and some caster sugar as ants love sugar. Mix just one or two spoonfuls of Borax and the sugar together with a tiny bit of water .... make a paste. Spread it on...
18:05 Thu 29th Aug 2019
The RHS policy is that ants should be tolerated wherever possible, as attempts to remove them may prove counter-productive:
https:/ /www.rh s.org.u k/Advic e/Profi le?pid= 503
https:/
In my poly tunnel they used to take up residence and as you say, they turn the soil to mush. When they become a problem it is best to get rid of them.
What I do is get some Borax ( readily available on ebay for a fiver) and some caster sugar as ants love sugar.
Mix just one or two spoonfuls of Borax and the sugar together with a tiny bit of water .... make a paste. Spread it on a bit of cardboard and put it down near the entrance to the nest, in fact if you have loads, put a number of mixes down .. the ants disappear and thats it. No fuss, no mess and no ants.
What I do is get some Borax ( readily available on ebay for a fiver) and some caster sugar as ants love sugar.
Mix just one or two spoonfuls of Borax and the sugar together with a tiny bit of water .... make a paste. Spread it on a bit of cardboard and put it down near the entrance to the nest, in fact if you have loads, put a number of mixes down .. the ants disappear and thats it. No fuss, no mess and no ants.
I haven't found the nematodes work too well. I have got a lot of big plants growing in huge tubs and when ants make their homes in them the water runs straight through the ant runs and doesnt wet the plant roots so they have to be made to move. The nematodes have to be applied to wet soil and then the soil has to be kept wet for days afterwards. They nemaotodes don't kill the adult ants but will eat the grubs so the adult ants up sticks and move away. It works in the tubs but in open ground they will just move a few feet and nest again
You will never permanently rid your lawn of ants and in any case there is no need to. They are excellent at aerating the soil and this is especially useful on a lawn where the soil tends to become compacted.
"Flying ants" are newly hatched males and virgin queen ants. After taking flight they mate (whilst aloft). Many nests take flight at the same time (so as to ensure cross-breeding). So violent is the mating process that the males literally explode and die, their sole purpose of inseminating the queens having been fulfilled. The queens land, shed their wings and form new colonies (in somebody else's lawn!).
"Flying ants" are newly hatched males and virgin queen ants. After taking flight they mate (whilst aloft). Many nests take flight at the same time (so as to ensure cross-breeding). So violent is the mating process that the males literally explode and die, their sole purpose of inseminating the queens having been fulfilled. The queens land, shed their wings and form new colonies (in somebody else's lawn!).