[Dai]

Hi all, I have a small raised bed at the bottom of my plot that has been infested with ants (so much so that the soil is very fine in it) is there any ant killing products or home remedys that i can add to the soil that wont harm any future crops i decide to put in it? im thinking about adding more soil to it and maby using it for strawberrys, herbs or lettuce.

Thanks.

[New shoot]

Ant powder is not nice stuff, so I wouldn't use that on a bed that you were going to grow in, but you can get bait traps.  Poeple sometimes recommend pouring boiling water into the nest, but ants are not so dumb and build their nests with tunnels that curve back up to avoid flooding, so you will kill some this way, but not all.

Ants like soil that is not disturbed, so maybe once you have cleared them, it might be better to use the bed for lettuce and salad, rather than long standing plantings like herbs and strawberries, until they get the message 

[Beetroot queen]

We had a nightmare with ants in our compost bin, they got some very hot water and a good churn, they did come back but we just kept at it and on the third time they obviously got the message. I feel all itchy now. Lol

My fil is on for asking flies to leave the room before they regret it and 90% do leave by the nearest window, try that it's at least organic 

[Trillium]

Over here we sprinkle boric acid powder in and around the nest area. Peppermint oil works well too. They really hate both.

[devonbarmygardener]

Curry powder and turmeric are quite effective too. And safe for cats as they don't like it either!

My ant problem is that they find a way into my kitchen every year. If you stomp on lots of them and leave the bodies lying around, the surviving ants come and collect the bodies and then they actually b***er off - they do get the message that they aren't wanted.

[mrgrower]

If they are not causing an issue I would personally leave them they are great as you saw for the soil and to my knowledge don't affect the veg and could be a good defence against any invading bug that the ants want to see off.

Just my thoughts on it.

[Dai]

thanks for your replies, youve given me plenty of suggestions and lots to think about. think ill dig deep and turn the soil over first (i need to do that anyway) then try some of those powders if it comes down to it.
cheers all!

[BabbyAnn]

If they are not causing an issue I would personally leave them they are great as you saw for the soil and to my knowledge don't affect the veg and could be a good defence against any invading bug that the ants want to see off.

Just my thoughts on it.

Ants are farmers - they will protect and milk their herd of aphids.  Results are sooty black mould where the honeydew lands on leaves, eventually plants succumb to both mould and infestation.

Having said that, once I had ant nests in my potato bed and that year there were very few slugs in the crop.

Red ants have a particularly nasty and painful bite - some people like myself come out in skin rash and blisters.

[Ema]

I go bitten by a red ant on my plot last week - itched for days.

I'm a fan of the boiling water trick too.

I don't know of they would fool for the sticky mice traps? maybe with some sugar sprinkled in the middle

[Trillium]

ants got into my raised bed potato crop last year and needless to say, I got no potatoes 

Useful and a good defense? I think not.

[crh75]

Ants like dry soil, so make the soil damp.  Same goes for compost bins.

[mrgrower]

  I take it people don't share my liking for ants?? 

[Auntiemogs]

I don't mind ants in my compost bin (they make lovely compost). Every year they move in and then when I want them to move out I just take the lid off so the rain gets in. 

[Lardman]

I've given up trying to get rid of them this year (they seem worse than normal).

I give the raised bed a kick and then give the exits to the nest a quick blast with the blow torch when I see them pile out.  Im sure it's completely ineffective but it makes me feel better. 

[bravemurphy]

Moved some netting yesterday and all the ants under there were dead just a pile of them.

did the same with some teram tonight and different spot on the plot and the same again big pile of dead ants, anyone had this.

Frost maybe?

Personally I don't mind them as long as they leave me and the family alone because the till the soil up lovely