[AmandaLouise]

Hi everyone

Is there anything that is effective on destroying red ants.  I have a lot in my beds, not even just round the edges, in the middle of beds also.  Masses of them but not cant find the nests, which is amazing as I have had to dig really deep and thorough to get rid of devils finger weeds, which has been a long process.  I have done a search on here and the opinion seems divided on whether they damage crops or not. 

I have already done my potato and onion bed, and strawberry bed.  just wondered if anyone recently has had any experience of this, and if I should go ahead and start my pea bed and brassica bed or tackle the ants first.  Although they have a good bite on them!  I also worry about the powder damaging the crops too.

Any advice appreciated
Cheers
Amanda

[New shoot]

Is it a new plot Amanda? I had similar problems when I first took on my plot as it has been left unused for a while.  Now I hardly have any ants as they hate the constant soil disturbance.

Ant powder is not nice and will wash away with every rain storm.  How about baited traps - you could put them in jam jars laid on their sides to keep them dry 

[potatogrower]

are there any slabs nearby? if there are then you could try and lift one of them to see. I have black ants and they have a next with eggs under my slabs but no harm to the plants.

alternatively, you could crouch down and follow them where they go   

[AmandaLouise]

It is a new plot, not been worked for 3 or 4 years.  I could try baited traps, what should I put in them?  I just dont want to invite other pests either.  There are slabs nearby yes, both neighbours but they dont seem to have as many ants, but do have some round the edges.  Our ants are in our pots, and in the centre of our beds.  I would love to find where they go!  But they just scramble around angrily while I am weeding out the damned devils fingers!

Thanks a lot for advice
Amanda

[sunshineband]

You can buy special little bait boxes for ants, that let them get the poison and acrry it back to their nests

Google: Ant bait box

[AmandaLouise]

heard a new one today, mixing sugar and borax together, they love sugar but dont recognise the borax which they take back to the queen, and the rest is history.... sounds really cruel!

[Robyn-Lou]

I'm having the exact same problem with my new plot.... Except my plot was relatively well cared for until the beginning of this year. There are no paving slabs or anything around and I cannot for the life of me find a nest! 

[moose]

heard a new one today, mixing sugar and borax together, they love sugar but dont recognise the borax which they take back to the queen, and the rest is history.... sounds really cruel!

You can also use polenta or maize meal. Theory is that they take it to the queen who eats it but can't digest it and then can't eat anything so dies.

[Ice]

heard a new one today, mixing sugar and borax together, they love sugar but dont recognise the borax which they take back to the queen, and the rest is history.... sounds really cruel!

As this is not an approved pesticide as dictated by the EU the forum cannot condone it's use.  What you do in your own garden is up to you.