Ants everywhere: what to do in the herb patch, vegetable patch and compost?

In some gardens, ants flit tirelessly around. They conquer the herb patch, vegetable patch or even the compost in droves. The ants are just everywhere. They don't nibble on plants, so they don't seem to pose a threat to them. But that is deceptive. Their massive presence has considerable disadvantages that only become apparent at second glance. What are the causes and how can we get rid of the insects quickly?

Ants everywhere

A garden without a single ant will probably not exist anywhere. Basically, these insects are useful little animals that devour countless herbivorous pests. However, if they build their nests in the vegetable patch or compost, their numbers can become a nuisance. What are the reasons that your own garden is so inviting to these crawly animals?

Causes of ant nests

There are two decisive factors for the establishment of ant nests in the garden:

• dry earth
• Powdery mildew producing lice

The ants build their nests where the earth is dry for the majority of the time. The excretions of various types of louse, on the other hand, serve them as food. They don't just look for it, they specifically encourage the reproduction of lice so that they can harvest as much of their sticky honeydew as possible. The lice are, so to speak, the ants' domestic animals.

Consequences of an ant plague

Although the ant workers do not eat our plants directly, they can damage them indirectly and even contribute to their death. We lose valuable income in the vegetable and herb patches. There are two reasons why the plants suffer:

• disturbed root contact due to ant nests in the root area
• Loss of sap from the sucking lice

Of course, migrating ant insects are also a disruptive factor for us humans if they constantly cross our paths. It is quite possible that they will even find an entrance into the house. These well-organized insects are unlikely to go away on their own. If you want to get rid of them, you need to get professional help or act yourself.

Find the ant nest

Individual ants are buzzing everywhere in the garden. To catch them at their hard work and fight them is not really practical. They are too numerous and too extensive for that. The focus of the fight must therefore be on their nest, its

But you have to find the location first. It is not always immediately visible.

• follow in the footsteps of the crawly animals
• Vegetable patches, herb patches and flower patches are possible
• Check the lawn and compost
• Plant pots can also house an ant colony
• Stone slabs are a good hiding place

These are mainly dry and shady locations where the brood of ants is protected from solar radiation.

Getting rid of ants

Water plants extensively

Ant colonies like to build their nests in the root area of ​​plants. With their constant coming and going, they ravage the earth, and even larger cavities can arise. The plant roots literally lose contact with the ground. As a result, the water and nutrient supply is disturbed. If this condition persists for a long time, the plant can dry up. Water the plants affected by the ants plague extensively and continuously. As a result, earth is washed back to its roots and it can recover. Since these insects do not like a humid environment in the long term, you will also get rid of these annoying people with it.

Relocate the ant nest

Here's a gentle way to get rid of the entire ant colony at once:

1. Place a flower pot filled with wood wool over the ant's nest. The open side should of course face down. Alternatively, you can place the pot directly on a discovered ant trail.
2. Wait about 24 to 48 hours. During this time, the animals and their brood move into the pot.
3. Lift the pot up slightly to see if the relocation is complete. You can tell by the numerous dolls that are inside.
4. Slide a spade or plate under the opening of the pot to prevent the contents from falling out again.
5. Bring the pot and its contents to a place where the ant colony can no longer disturb.

tip: The new location should be at least 30 meters away from the old one, otherwise the animals will find their way back.

Use unpleasant smells

Some scents can also be of great help in driving away ant insects. Use the following fragrances, the smell of which this insect colony does not like:

• Chili powder
• Cloves
• Lavender flowers Lavender oil
• thyme
• cinammon
• Lemon peel

Sprinkle one or more of these fragrant substances liberally on the nests or on ant trails. Always add something. Especially after rainfall and watering, action must be taken again, as water washes out the substances.

tip: Plant manure from comfrey or nettles and a garlic broth are also suitable for spraying the nests, as their scent also has a dispelling effect.

Disrupt the sense of direction

A few more smells confuse the ant workers' sense of direction so much that they can no longer find their way to the nest. The nest is thus cut off from the necessary food supply and cannot last long.

• Vinegar water or one Tea tree solution use
• Spray nests and access routes with it
• repeat every few days
• do not wet the plants with it

tip: You can set limits for the ants with garden lime or chalk. The alkaline substances are a barrier that the insects do not cross during their migration.

Use home remedies

If ants cavort all over the herb patch or vegetable patch, the use of chemicals is undesirable. This also applies to an ant nest in the compost. In these cases, use the following home remedies:

• Baking powder / baking soda
• stale beer with a little honey
• boiling water

The beer mix is ​​poured into a shallow bowl and placed near an ant road. The walls must be vertical so that the animals can no longer crawl out. baking powder only works if the insects come into contact with it and are burned. Pouring boiling water over the nest, on the other hand, is only possible if it is not in the immediate vicinity of a plant.

tip: Mix baking powder with sugar so that the ants eat it indirectly. Only then does the agent have the opportunity to develop its effect as desired and to kill many ants.

Use natural predators

If the beneficial ants mutate into pests due to their number, other beneficial ants can help us in their control.
Birds, beetles, dragonflies, spiders or toads eat the tiny animals, provided they are in the same garden. They are hardly to be found in a “tidy” garden, whereas a natural garden is naturally attractive.
Quickly luring these predators for this purpose is neither easy nor always desirable. With the use of nematodes, so-called. Roundworms, we can get rid of the ant colony much more effectively. The tiny worms can be obtained easily and inexpensively from specialist gardeners or via the Internet.

Fight lice promptly

The last measure focuses on combating the causes of the spread of ants. Wherever ants crawl around, lice are usually not far. Identify these food suppliers and take appropriate control measures immediately. The lice can be found on the leaves, flowers and stems of almost all garden plants, but they can also be hidden on their roots. If you watch the ants migrate, they will quickly lead you to the lice.

• Fight lice infestation immediately
• with means based on neem or rapeseed oil
• alternatively spray with soap solution
• Garlic solution and vegetable manure are also suitable
• repeat spraying several times

Without lice and their delicious honeydew, the garden loses its original attractiveness for ants. They move on hungry.

Superfluous chemistry

Large chemical companies are fulfilling their self-imposed and extremely profitable mandate to cover the entire earth with chemicals by also offering poison against ants. But is poison really something to be looking for in a herb patch, vegetable patch and compost? In view of the gentle and environmentally friendly alternatives, there is not a single reason for and many against their use in the home garden.

Ants in the house

From the garden to the House it is not far. The small insects find a crack everywhere through which they can comfortably get inside. Individual specimens are undesirable, but they cannot cause too much damage. It looks different, however, when the entire ant colony settles under the parquet. For this reason, keep your garden largely ants-free.