greenhouse pests

Hi there,

Can anyone help with my problem? Inherited a full size greenhouse with my new house and was originally going to scrap but now thinking again due to cost of bedding etc. Anyway as it was full of rubbish I started to clear it out but found the soil under the benches over-run with ferns and ants.Taken out most of the ferns which I may re-use for underneath the Kilmarnock willows in the garden (nothing else has survived due to the lack of light) but wondered what would be the most effective way of losing the ants -yuck!

 

Hi cazza, dont know much about ants as i dont have any, but i would much rather have your problem than mine, SNAILS during summer months i get hundreds of them, i have tried every method going and still dont have any luck getting rid.

 

I have them under the slabs in my greenhouse, and they are only a problem when they fly. Keeping aphids and other pests out of the greenhouse seems to keep them in bounds for me. But you can use an ant bait like nippon, in containers at the base of the struts supporting the staging - which should keep them under control.

 

What about keeping a pet armadillo or aardvark? :D

 

How about an ant-eater

 

I have some on my patio already, but let my Bantams catch them, great fun watching them keep the number down, at least for another day lol
You tried to put some sugar down, they all race to it and watch them carry the grains in their nest....that's where they live, lol.Follow meeeee ...lol

 

My biggest pest in the greehouse was the mother-in-law! Whenever I escaped for a bit of peace and quiet to the greenhouse out she would come to tell me what I should be doing/growing etc. Talk about back seat gardening! I tried to get her to hold onto one of the greenhouse fumigating bombs once while I let it off but she wouldn't play...that's when I resorted to Jeyes Fluid in her tea .

PS Try boiling water (on the ants, not your mother in law).

 

Thanks for all your advice.Glad to see a sense of humour too - god knows - we all need it with this horrendouse weather!
Local pet shop trying to locate ant-eating animal but if all else fails - can you teach a 10 yr old cat??

 

my Cats watch Ants with Intrique and stamp on them try to catch them, funny to watch them..but never catch any lol too well fed lol.

 

Leaf cutter bees, used to watch them for hours,wern't doing any harm I thought, then I realised they were making their 'grub chambers '(dont know the right name for them) in the drainage holes of my cacti pots.
Some pots had hardly any compost left in them. Must have been attracted to the fine sandy soil.

 

Hi Bayleaf,
Just looked back on your post on coffee-on-snails,i get overrun with them in summer, as soon as my bedding plants go in the ground there they are.Are there any plants not to spray, will it harm any,cos i will go nuts with this coffee thing if it will get shut,i have tried every method going exept this one, hope it works.

 

The coffee prevents the snails from sleeping and eventually they die of exhaustion

 

Hi GG

I spray with abandon (coffee that is :rolleyes: ) on any plants that snails like . Have to be persistent, & don't waste money on expensive coffee - cheap rubbish works best! Try nematodes for slugs too - now is a good time to start. I still go out & pick 'em off & liberate them in the local park (or if I can't be bothered in a well sealed bag in the bin :D ) Am experimenting with copper matting this year will let you know how it works. All my snails are so sluggish A bit of coffee makes no odds!!!! LOL

 

Copper matting and tape is getting a lot of press lately, I would also be intersted how you get on with it Bayleaf

 

Hi Cazza
Ants are difficult to eradicate, remove as much cover for them as possible and Nippon is the answer but making their environment unsuitable will make them move on. And Bayleaf the answer to slugs/ snails is to create a pool which will bring frogs/toads to your garden and they will feed on the slugs /snails and the pool will give lots of pleasure. Two or three years is neede to get the balance. Hope this helps anyone reading this
Ray