Ants eat lettuce, kohlrabi & Co: what to do?

Home gardeners who are close to nature do not have to stand idly by when ants cheekily attack vegetables. Effective home remedies mourn the uninvited guests never to see them again. Here you can explore 5 non-toxic measures when ants eat lettuce, kohlrabi and the like.

Relocating with a flower pot maneuver

The flower pot trick is one of the best methods against eating ants on vegetables. In this maneuver, the ecologically valuable insects are quickly relocated and relocated to a new residence. Native species of ants build their nests in the ground or as small mounds. To locate a construction, follow the busiest walkways to the starting point. How to properly relocate an ant colony:

• Fill the clay flower pot with airy, loose potting soil
• Place the bottom opening in the middle of the nest
• Wait a week as a sufficient window of time for the relocation activities
• The flower pot and nest are relocated to a new location at least 100 meters away

In practice, this trick has proven its worth, because ant workers cannot withstand the sheltered, cozy ambience in the sun-warm, breathable clay pot for long. The clever workers, on the other hand, will avoid plastic flower pots because there is no exchange of air and the inside can heat up massively under direct sunlight.

Drive away with nematodes

Ants devote their entire life to protecting and caring for the brood. If attentive workers sense a threat to the offspring, they take the larvae piggyback and run away. With nematodes of the Steinernema feltiae species, you have an effective deterrent effect without side effects for humans, animals and plants. You can buy the tiny nematodes as a powder in specialist shops and apply them with a watering can. How to do it right:

• Order nematodes as living beneficial insects from specialist retailers shortly before their planned use
• Dissolve clay mineral powder with nematodes in water according to the manufacturer's instructions
• Place the pouring bar on the can nozzle
• Pour nematode solution over the nest and walkways

The nematode worms are viable and active from a soil temperature of 12 ° Celsius. The best time to use is at dawn or after sunset. The presence of nematodes puts all the ants that eat vegetables in the garden on alarm. Scouts are immediately sent out to look for a new location and the plague is over.

Note: Did you know that garden ants are hardworking pests and disposers? Insects of all kinds and their larvae are high on the menu. Carrion serves as a valuable source of protein and is consumed in no time at all.

Wear down with water

A damp apartment is an abomination to every ant colony. Repeated watering of the nest and walkways with clear water causes the uninvited guests in the vegetable garden to move quickly. So that the tactic of attrition does not degenerate into a devastation for the insects and adjacent vegetables, the nest and soil should not be completely submerged in water.

Mess with algae lime

Organic gardeners swear by algae lime as the ideal vegetable fertilizer and natural remedy against ant damage on the leaves. The effectiveness of algae lime as a deterrent is based on the knowledge that ants avoid alkaline substances on vegetables. Scattered on the streets, the lime powder acts like a walking barrier and throws the workers off the mark. Can you locate the nest and go with it Algae lime powder, the entire people emigrate because the building has become uninhabitable.

Tip: Ecologically responsible hobby gardeners keep their hands off pseudo home remedies for combating ants. Boiling water, baking powder, coffee grounds and the beer-honey trap are criticized because these measures condemn valuable garden ants to a slow, painful death.

Scare away with herbal manure

Plant manure is an effective remedy in the home garden against annoying ants that eat lettuce, kohlrabi and other vegetables. The foul smell covers all the scent markings that workers use to find their way to their food sources and back to the nest. Such uncomfortable framework conditions let the annoyed insects run away. You can make effective plant manure yourself. That is how it goes:

• Recommended plants: wormwood, nettles, elder, mugwort, tansy
• Put 500-1000 grams of fresh or 40-60 grams of dried leaves in a wooden tub
• Pour 10 liters of rainwater over it and stir vigorously
• Cover the vessel with rabbit wire and set it up in the partially shaded location
• Let ferment for 14 days and stir daily

At the end of fermentation, the liquid manure is sieved and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Spray the deterrent in the morning or evening hours over the nest and walkways. Repeat the application several times until there are no more nibbled vegetable leaves to complain about.

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