Marley Farley (the oricle) or anyone!

Hi guys, I am having real problems with red ants (black as well) In my borders I have plants in the ground and also in pots. I moved pots today to have a propper 'weed' and under each one were a huge amount of red ants. How on earth do I get rid of the little devils? Bearing in mind that I have Paddy (the mad spaniel) who has free run of the garden. I have noticed also that I have ants crawling all over new fruit trees, my kilmarnock willow,the raised veg bed and also in my pots of flowers. Not really sure what to do. Maybe I should just harvest them, dip them in chocolate and sell them on ebay as a trendy delecasy. Some mad person would buy them I'm sure lol. Dave.

 

I KNEW you would have the answer...........thank you

 

Hi Dave

I use a massive squirt of washing up liquid in water in a pump spray. In fact, only this morning I had an invastion (thousands) of giant, and I mean GIANT ants on my kitchen patio and going out down the path and across the front of the house. I have never seen any so big before nor in such a quantity. They got blasted and had to do a second spray later for those I missed hiding behind pots.

I also sometimes use vinegar and water ... as Marley says as it distracts the ants path of travel but I have never used peppermint oil .... hmmmm ....

 

Perhaps I should take my chocolate mint which is sitting on the old English milk urn they were crawling around and put it on the ground and put some other mint pots around also.

I too have heard that about chalk but have not tried it. What I HAVE tried and works ... is working as I type, is that I immediately sprinked a line of Bicarbonate of Soda across the step down to the outdoor living room for fear they would enter there ... they have not gone near it ...

What makes them look even larger is that they are carrying Jacaranda seeds (having removed the wings) and taking them to their nest .. which t'other half must sort out under the steps. I notice there are a few more back so must have another blast, but as I said there were/are thousands of them.

 

Bicarb will do for me, it's cheap! I have found several nests, so maybe I should stir them up a bit and sprinkle bicarb in. OR maybe petrol and a match hehehe. Seriously, there are LOADS of nests here.

 

I'm sure ants and their nests must destroy plant roots? I am trying the bicarb method (almost as we speak), I prefer the 'organic' methods if possible and especialy with Paddy roaming around the garden. Oh before I forget, Paddy has become better at not walking, p**ing and the other thing on the beds. It just needed a few harsh words and pleanty of praise. He still tries his luck if he thinks I'm not looking, but that's a dog for you I guess. Dave

 

where do you get pepermint oil from? I've got a load of ants crawling over a cut back lilac and dont want to damage the plan as it is just starting to grow back.

 

I regret to report that my chocolate mint plant that I put down between my Daturas and the Bay Tree have not eliminated the ants. Perhaps it's the chocolate they like and I need to put common mint plants down ....... :cnfs::skp: