Ant nests in a greenhouse raised beds

Hi all,

Hope am posting in the right discussion. Does anyone have any tips on how to eat rid of ants without harming the plants? In my greenhouse I have two raised beds with chilli plants. About two weeks ago ants made a nest, one in each raised bed, what's the most efficient way to get rid of them? I have tried "flooding" the nest cause someone somewhere said it might make them to relocate, I have also tried crushed cayenne pepper which they apparently hate, but these seem to always recover...

Thank you for your tips,
David

 

Hi all,

Hope am posting in the right discussion. Does anyone have any tips on how to eat rid of ants without harming the plants? In my greenhouse I have two raised beds with chilli plants. About two weeks ago ants made a nest, one in each raised bed, what's the most efficient way to get rid of them? I have tried "flooding" the nest cause someone somewhere said it might make them to relocate, I have also tried crushed cayenne pepper which they apparently hate, but these seem to always recover...

Thank you for your tips,
David

 

You could try some of those bait traps, it might take a few weeks to work.

 

Why do you want to get rid of them?
My various greenhouses have all had ants in them and they've caused minimal problems, they don't eat the crops, in summer they don't seem to farm aphids and if by chance they predate whitefly, redspider mite, earwigs or any of the various caterpillars then they are welcome.

 

I'd agree with @NigelJ . They won't really do much damage unless they really disturb the rootball of any plant which then can't access moisture etc. As long as you're watering appropriately, the plants would be fine.
Ants don't actively damage plants by eating them, and mostly harvest aphids - and it's those which can cause problems for various plants at times, so it's a case of being vigilant and checking that other insects aren't affecting them.

 

I don't know about ants in a greenhouse in England but here in France ants kill plants. They make huge nests full of little burrows which makes the soil well drained then the plants keel over and die. I resorted to ant powder for a rose and a new silver birch Jaquemontii which worked and the plants are still alive but I don't know if that would damage smaller plants or make edible plants unsuitable for consumption.

Sorry, this is more of a rant than help. I'm getting fed up with ants. They climb up my house walls then drop into the bath and into a guest bedroom.

 

If the ants are a problem
… and sometimes they can be … I find this really good for getting them to move on and set up home elsewhere.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/EXANTS-Indoors-Outdoor-Insect-Repellent/dp/B079VW2KVV

Non toxic … we even use it in our living room.

 

Tbh, they don't seem to do any harm at least for now. But why am concerned as their population grows, they might take over the whole raised bed, then as Busy-Lizzie said, might cause drainage issue? The greenhouse is only small, with two raised beds 120x40cm and ant have made nests in both already.

 

We have several ants nest in or greenhouse. There seems to be more than usual in there this year, probably avoiding the rain like the rest of us.

Flooding usually works here but I must admit I don’t really worry about them too much. The only time is if they are where I want to plant or in soil I want to use as I hate it when they get all over your hand arghhh…I will usually flood it a while before so they have hopefully moved on.


I’m convinced that they do any harm to the plants.

 

This is a duplicate thread, and many have posted responses on the other one @Dave470
It's only a problem when they nest and disturb the root systems to the extent that the plant can't access moisture and nutrients. That's usually when the conditions are dry as that suits them best. Making sure the moisture levels are right is the best solution.
If the plants are really struggling, it may be better to lift them and pot them, but the mix in your raised bed may also be contributing to the problem if it isn't holding moisture well enough. It's the same with pots - once the mix gets dry, it's hard to rehydrate it, and that's what may be happening - the water's just running through. It's not so easy to rehydrate a bed though, as you can't sit it in a tray of water the way you can with a pot.

 

Hi,

Yes, I wasn't sure which was the right discussion for this issue, do u want me to delete thisone And only keep the other one?
To the ant problem, I've just discovered aphids on the pepper plants in the greenhouse

 

That explains why I can't find the other one thanks.

How do you guys get rid off aphids? Discovered them on two out of 6 plants, so would say noticed them just in time. Found few things online, but I'd rather go of your opinions then Google.... Thanks

 

I'd just spray them off with a hose, or wipe them with your hand, depending on how many there are. These things often balance out themselves too.
Even one of those bottles with a squirty top, filled with water, will do the trick.

 

Oh, sounds easier than I thought, I'd imagine they'd just flew or climb back up.