Ants in the Compost

I have three black dalek type compost bins - I noticed that one has an infestation of ants. Are they of any benefit or would it be better to get rid of them?

 

I wouldn't say the ants are of any benefit per se, by which I mean they won't actually do any harm, but I hate ants and (with my sandy soil) rage a constant war against the little blighters, however, I never get them in my compost bins.

The reason they've infested your compost is I suggest, because you've made them too comfortable, i.e. the contents are probably too dry and undisturbed. I'd get some water in there and then using an old broom handle or something similar, give the contents a good 'stir'. If you move the stuff around on a fairly regular basis and make it slightly more damp, the ants will soon get the message and find somewhere else to live.

 

Thanks for your reply Fidgetsmum - my compost is on the dry side so I'll do as you suggest and see if it helps to get rid of the ants.

 

ants dont like peppermint make some peppermint tea and throw it in tea bags to

 

I wouldn't worry at all about Ants in compost. I don't think they'll run off with anything useful to you. Are they nesting? Chances are they're dragging all kinds of nutrition in, not out.

 

I too found an ants' nest in one of our little-used bins today. It's the only dry place in the garden, even the hens have grown webbed feet.

The nest isn't a problem to me, in fact we were quite pleased to find it, but I'd quite like to use some of the compost at the base of the bin and wondered if the occupants would be over-disturbed if I removed the foundations of their dwelling.

It's a 'dalek' type which needs to be lifted to gain access to the bottom layer.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Mary

 

I've got 8 dialeks and have ants in 6 of them, and they only reason they're not in the other 2 only is because I have empied them.

The 2nd bin I emptied had red ants in and I didn't fancy spreading them all over my bean planting area then planting through an angry mob of them, so I removed as much as I could (only got bitten by one ant) into 2 wheelbarrows and left them for a couple days, and when I used it the ants had departed for somewhere else.

My only concern about having them in the bins is that will bring a load of clay particles into my compost, but I haven't got enough stuff to put in and make it uncomftable for them.If they're still there in the autumn they will get a nasty shock when over 1,000 lbs of pressed apple pulp gets dumped on them.

 

Ants and clay?

I didn't know about that, how does it work?

Mary

 

I don't know whether the ants gather clay particles from my clay subsoil, or from amongst my topsoil which must have some clay particles in, but the ant's hills/nest formed all over my veg plot, under membranes, in my cold frames, composters, etc., are basically great big lumps of clay:



So I chuck them onto bonfires to make the clay soil more friable, then use the burnt clay/ash mix to fill up borrow pits in shady corners (where I've used the soil in raised beds) and turned the area over to a comfrey bed.

 

We're just back from Wiltshire, thanks for this reply. Our clay is more than a foot deep, we rarely see it. But it wouldn't bother me if particles appeared in the compost.
I think it's a shame to destroy an ants' nest, they're not doing any harm. In a compost bin they're helping to break down the fibrous vegetable matter. They're fascinating to boot!

 

Just to say I live on very sandy soil, and my 'dalek' type of compost holder because hugely infested with ants. I'm not fond of ants, and very whimpy, so I just got rid of the compost and the container

I wish I had seen this thread first, and read the robust attitudes of other gardeners here.....

 

Why should I want to get rid of them?

 

am just guessing ... and most probably a stupid question .... but don't some ants eat earthworms? (As a child, I lived in Zambia and can remember there were large black ants called matabele ants with huge claws that used to eat earthworms ... and anything 'meaty' they could get hold of ... even dead birds etc)

so, assuming that some of the UK compost heaps have loads of ants, are the ants perhaps there because of the earthworms?

 

iv'e heard of this before ,i agree with the person who said about them nesting ,if they are there going to be bring the good stuff in not taking it out.even if there not nesting they still don't case any harm.that i know of. but i for one hate ants and would pour hot peppermint tea over the blighters

oops old post

 

I always end up with ants nesting in the compost bin (I too have a Dalek type bin) and normally leave them until late summer when I pour boiling water over them. This is purely because I hate flying ants and when they come out we have to close all the windows at the back of the house as our garden is quite small and they end up everywhere. I know ants are beneficial because they aerate the compost and mix it up but I too heard that they eat ants, does anyone know if this is true? i've never witnessed it myself but if it is true surely that would be detrimental to the compost bin?