Ants

I have just been outside and encountered the biggest two-lane ant trail I have ever seen. It went from the far side of the house, all across the front, around and up the path toward the back of the garden, across at an angle and terminated somewhere under the car! And what were they so interested it ??? the grass seed I had planted earlier in the week, each of them tottering along with a seed on top!

I came inside and found this thread but found nothing useful for me to rid us of the ants so went on line and found an American forum with a large section on this. One thing mentioned several times was washing-up liquid in water in a spray bottle. As I already have some of this mixed up for my whitefly problem, I tackled the ants ... and as one member of that forum said, they were dead within five minutes!

T'other half couldn't believe it and had try it for himself in another area of the garden. He's absolutely chuffed with that as we don't like using chemicals due to our cats.

It may not be working on my whitefly .... but it's thumbs up for ants!

Now I'll go out and sweep away this mass of bodies mingled with grass seed! :D :D :D

 

Sorry, but I'm with HB and WaD! I don't think they cause any real damage per se and are more of nuisance value than anything. Why didn't you just put a heap of grass seed near their nest and let them have that instead?

I once had ants in my kitchen. First I knew of it was then I found a flotila of them in the water left in my kettle. I'd boiled the kettle a couple of times before I realised what the little black things were!!
So next time I looked inside before I switched on and found this little raft of about 30 odd ants, all clinging together in a little pyramid. I scooped them up in a spoon and put them on a sheet of kitchen paper. The water disappeared immediately and all the ants picked themselves up and ran off!! And do you know, there wasn't one dead ant in the whole collection?

Thereafter, I left a small dish of water and another of strong sugar water in a far corner of the kitchen. I also told them that I didn't want them in my food areas and they never, ever came in there again! Oh, and I also - and still do to this day - emptied the kettle after use.

 

Now, MMD, which of their nests do you suggest I put it by ?????? Everyone of them, there are about 20 nests, which we ignore, except when they forage immediately in front of the house because they have been known to go "off course" and come into the house in droves.

I'll keep my soapy water spray handy by the house but I don't interfere with them further down the garden!

PS Who is WaD?

 

L.O.L. think WaD is Whoops a Daisy!

 

Thanks, sheppy! I'm happy to ship all my "invading" ants (leaving the ones who leave me alone alone), whitefly, greenfly and any other aphids off to MMD, HB or WaD if they'd like them! :D

 

Don't like ants in the house and I'll resort to extreme violence. Even at times raising my voice to them.
However I really do enjoy sitting watching them in the garden and countryside.

BTW I found (on a Spanish holiday) that a good way to trap cockroaches is to lay a barrier of thick, eco-friendly washing-up liquid. They get stuck in it so you can then gently pick them up and carry them outside/toss them onto the neighbours' balcony/flush them/ stamp on them.

 

Hey, DaveW, like your methods! :D I do you eco-friendly washing-up liquid on the ants ... must be the water drowning them ???? :confused:

Must admit, we sit when we're down the Baffio area by my wall art and the ants mosey around there and we watch them carryig their loads, actually get down almost on our hands and knees to examine them.

I don't dislike ants ... like you, I don't like them in my house and the other day was TOO CLOSE for comfort, especially with this two-lane army. We moved the car today and there is this mass of grass seed under it! :D :D :D

 

Nice clean death !

Get Nathan to tell you about his ants! :eek:

 

Nathan, tell me about your ants, please ?