Afy Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 Our Veggie garden (or the weed patch more appropriately), the green house and the lawn seem to have multiple ant colonies. How on earth can I get rid of them? thanks.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 I have loads also, but they don't actually cause any problems in the garden so i let them be!An environmentally friendly way to kill them is with boiling water poured over the nest, but i only do that if they are coming in the house.(I don't like killing things.) The garden is their domain!Some info here about other ways of controlling them,http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/pc1.phpLouise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afy Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 I have tried the humane way, cold water, hot water, soapy water. No avail. They are now invading the house, and have even caused my DVD player to fry... so am essentially now looking for chemical warfare on ants. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 'Dvd player to fry'.......now that sounds like an interesting story!!Where/ how are they getting in? They normally only follow a trail to a food source.I did hear if you put washing powder down they collect it and take it to the nest which kills them!?? Also chilli powder or pepper deters them.Louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted September 10, 2006 Share Posted September 10, 2006 Spraying affected areas with vinegar might work. Obviously not the DVD player. We lost television pics a few weeks ago took ages to find the cause an ants nest in the LNB. Had to get a new LNB [blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afy Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Vinegar didnt work.... Still looking for ideas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Sorry the vinegar didnt work [:(] looks as though you will have to get insecticide spray. The RAID brand are usually quite good they do one specially for ants. The spray should kill them instantly and you can then spray area with vinegar to deter their relatives. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 We have an instant proactive cure for ants: our chickens. They pounce on the ant nests and eat the lot - they seem to love the refreshing acid tang on a hot day. Fortunately it doesn't come through in the eggs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afy Posted September 17, 2006 Author Share Posted September 17, 2006 Chickens might work. But my Great Dane might be a bit much for the chickens.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Blow torch................??Louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 The chickens treat our dogs (a border collie and a boxer cross) with total disdain - what freaks all of them (dogs, chickens, cats etc) is when the ferret comes out of her hutch to play: think furry torpedo with teeth. Sadly ferret is no use whatever in dealing with ants, but has given us the perfect cure for moles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Effie Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Ferrets get rid of moles? Sounds intersting Chris please share your stories.We used to keep ferrets for the sheer joy of watching their silly antics...we loved them.We had a semi- blind Siamese who used to be our number one mole catcher...since she passed on to the happy mole mounds in the sky...we've had trouble keeping the moles in check.Bon journee' Effie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted September 17, 2006 Share Posted September 17, 2006 Not that complicated really, but I didn't want to go into specifics while some readers might be enjoying their lunch. When cleaning out the hutch, sweep the contents of the loo corner into a bucket of water, and leave to stew for a few days. Then pour down the mole hole. Mole exits, holding its breath until in next field or even county - we never had one return! Added bonus, the magic liquid can be bottled and sold under the counter to discerning and deserving fellow gardeners at the village fete.We did have a cat who would sit by a mole hill for hours, carefully moving the soil to one side as it came up. Very effective, but always left the body where the mower would chop it up. Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Effie Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Thanks Chris...re the ferrets...now why don't you approach one of the mole deterring companies...maybe they can make up a chemical liquid and market your discovery...making you a rich man.lol Bon journee'Effie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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