Hidden Springs Homestead may earn a commission from purchases made via links on this page. Ants play an essential part in maintaining healthy garden ecosystems and often help with pollination. In addition, ants aerate soil and speed decomposition of organic matter which fertilizes plants.
Ants can often become an irritating pest in vegetable gardens, and are a sure sign that something needs to be addressed. There are various methods available to rid yourself of ants in this way without harming either plants or pets.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is an environmentally friendly way to use in your garden for eliminating ants. Made from fossilized algae and ground into fine powder form, its microscopic sharp edges penetrate an ant’s exoskeleton and dehydrate them before eventually killing them; in addition, DE breaks through waxy abdomen layers causing it to suffocate. Although safe around plants, pets, and children alike when properly used with protective gear such as dust masks.
Food-grade DE is readily available at most gardening centers and can be sprinkled directly onto ant trails in your garden, mixed with water and used as a spray to spray plants. Spraying will only be effective if it dries quickly so don’t apply during periods when rain is likely; additionally DE isn’t as effective on plants than it is against insects so make sure that all areas of a plant receive treatment with DE.
Before beginning treatment of your yard for ants, identify which areas have the highest concentration. This will enable you to target these specific problem spots rather than treating all parts of the yard simultaneously with DE. Keep in mind that its effectiveness diminishes once wetted with rain water or dew.
Start by lightly applying DE to the area/s that have become infested with insects. A sifter or duster can help provide an even layer of DE. Spread DE on the ground, open areas, and any obvious insect-infested spots for best results. If ants have invaded your vegetables, consider creating a perimeter of DE around both home and garden to keep ants from entering and potentially cause further damage while discouraging future invasions.
For serious infestations of ants or other pests, a more intensive solution might be in order. You would fill a large bucket with water and add an abundant dose of DE to it before dunking each infested plant into this solution for half an hour twice weekly over 2 – 3 weeks – this should eradicate any ants or other insects living on it and kill any that are living there.
Reapply DE as needed; depending on the severity of an ant infestation, more often you should reapply it. Reapply DE if it has been washed away due to rain or irrigation; once populations of ants have significantly decreased you can discontinue its use; otherwise if they persist it’s time for you to devise another strategy.
Citrus Spray
Ants may appear as garden pests, but in actuality they provide many advantages to gardens. They aerate soil, help spread compost and mulch evenly across your beds, serve as natural predators of aphids and other garden pests and serve as natural fertilizers – though too many ants may become an issue: their sweet secretions attract them like magnets; too many can destroy caterpillar pheromone trails thus making it harder for caterpillars and other insects find what they need from plants they require for survival – too many attract them while too many ants could become an issue; too many ants attract the sweet secretions produced by sweet-secretions-secretions produced by sweet secretions released by other insects which attract caterpillars or create issues from overgrown plants by caterpillars if too many are allowed into your garden!
Many techniques exist for eliminating ants in your garden, with certain strategies more successful than others. Baking soda and powdered sugar mix is a highly effective ant repellent – simply sprinkle it around entrance points or ant hills and the ants should stay away. Diatomaceous earth can also provide effective control, with food-grade diatomaceous earth readily available at most home improvement stores as well as online retailers selling food-grade diatomaceous earth as an ant control measure; its natural ingredients make it harmless to mammals but deadly deadly for ants; its powder form and spray form are ideal ant protection solutions!
Citrus spray is a non-toxic alternative to commercial insecticides, and easy to make at home. Citrus peels contain d-limonene which is toxic to ants and can destroy their waxy coating, so mix equal parts peels with equal parts water before pouring the solution into a spray bottle and applying directly at entrances or other places where ants have been seen.
Neem oil is another organic remedy to protect gardens or houseplants from ants, and can be applied in vegetable gardens or around houseplants. Not harmful to humans or pets, neem oil has proven highly effective against aphids – one of the primary predators of ant larvae – making this remedy highly recommended against them. You can purchase spray bottles like this neem oil for plants from Amazon to apply directly or combine it with water before spraying onto affected plants or ant hills.
Additional non-toxic ant repellents include using a mixture of 50/50 vinegar and water that can be sprayed on insects to neutralise their scent trails and kill them on contact, such as killing off their scent trail entirely or directly onto plants; it is best to test a small area beforehand as vinegar could damage more delicate leaves. Furthermore, ground cinnamon or cayenne pepper have also proven successful as non-lethal solutions against ants.