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Key Points
Ant activity increases when temperatures remain at 75°F or warmer.
A few black ants here and there are usually nothing to be concerned about.
Many solutions for getting rid of or discouraging ants won’t harm plants and are easy to apply.
Ants, like most insects, arrive as the gardening season gets underway with increased activity when temperatures rise to 75°F. Not all ants are bad, but nests in flower and vegetable beds can become a nuisance.
Small black ants are generally harmless, but a colony of leafcutter ants can annihilate food crops, and aggressive fire ants build huge mounds and deliver a painful sting when disturbed.
Find out what attracts ants to your garden and ways to get rid of them for good.
Why Are Ants in Your Garden?
Gardens offer a rich habitat for ants with food, water, and shelter.
Aphid infestations are one of the biggest attractions for ants. The honeydew they leave behind after feeding on your plants is a major food source for ants. They herd and protect the aphids and move them from plant to plant to ensure their supply of honeydew. In turn, aphids have a greater opportunity to reproduce and damage food crops and flowers.
While plant roots are not a food source, ant activity causes damage with nest building, tunneling, and accidental chewing. Seedlings are particularly vulnerable, and too many ants can cause plant loss.
If you spot a few black ants around your plants, it’s usually nothing to be concerned about. But when you see obvious nests with lots of activity in potted plants or around flowers or food crops, it’s time to take action.
6 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Ants Without Harming Plants
Ants have a well-developed sense of smell and avoid odors they find unpleasant. Gardeners can use this to their advantage, causing ants to abandon a nest for more favorable conditions elsewhere. Some methods dispatch ants on contact, while others serve as repellents or barriers. Depending on your specific needs, some will work better than others. You can also combine methods for a multi-tiered approach.
Soaking
Drenching the nest and surrounding area with water drowns workers and possibly the queen, which disrupts the colony. Hot water, or water with a few drops of essential oil, like mint or citrus, discourages survivors from returning. Soaking works best on a cool morning when ants are closer to the soil surface.
Borax and Sugar
Borax is a natural mineral that kills ants if contacted or ingested. It can be delivered as a liquid, powder, or paste.
- To make a liquid bait, mix 2 tablespoons of borax with 2 tablespoons of sugar in 1 cup of warm water.
- Mix a dry bait with equal parts borax and sugar, or use three parts sugar to one part borax.
- Create a paste by adding a little water to a dry bait mix.
Place the solution around the nest opening and ant trails. Attracted by the sugar, ants carry this lethal material back to the nest to dispatch more ants.
Boric Acid Toxicity
Borax contains an acid toxic to pets and children if consumed in large amounts. When using a borax and sugar solution to get rid of ants, consider using a spray in high traffic areas, or place powder or paste in closed containers with small holes to give ants the only access.
Diatomaceous Earth
DE is an organic material that comes in powder form and acts as a barrier, preventing access to plants. It’s made up of exoskeletons of tiny marine animals and contains sharp shards that penetrate ants’ bodies and dispatch them. Deposit the powder around potted plants and beds.
Vinegar
A solution of equal parts vinegar and water acts as a repellent. When you see lots of ants following each other back and forth in a line, they are following a pheromone trail. The strong vinegar smell masks the pheromone and confuses the ants, causing them to depart for a new location.
Mix in a spray bottle and spray the nest opening and along the ant trail. Overuse of vinegar can alter soil pH, so be judicious with this solution.
Cinnamon
This common kitchen spice is another scent deterrent that causes ants to leave for a more acceptable location. Sprinkle cinnamon around infested plants and flowerbeds.
Coffee Grounds
Used coffee grounds are a short-term solution that acts as a scent repellent and physical barrier. They also improve soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Sprinkle spent grounds along ant trails and around nest openings.
5 Ways to Prevent Ants From Coming Back
- Sanitize: Keep yards and gardens clean of spilled food and drink, especially after outdoor events.
- Clean up yard debris: Remove leaves, sticks, and other plant debris that attract ants.
- Companion plants: Interplant flowerbeds and vegetables with strongly scented herbs that ants don’t like, such as mint, rosemary, and marigolds.
- Remove water sources: Fix leaky faucets and remove sources of standing water.
- Apply natural repellents: Sprinkle or spray cinnamon, coffee grounds, or vinegar along ant trails and near nest openings.
When to Call in the Pros
If you find a large colony of ants and are unsure what species they are or are dealing with a potentially harmful ant (like fire ants), a professional exterminator can help. Companies are licensed to use products unavailable to homeowners and are likely to have a treatment specific to your problem.
Read the original article on The Spruce
