How to get rid of ants at their summer cottage

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

What to expect from ants at their summer cottage? Do I need to destroy them? In fact, getting rid of them is not difficult, since there are dozens of proven methods and folk remedies.

Ants in the garden: benefits and harms

In fact, ants can be beneficial. Insects are considered to be a significant link in the ecosystem. For example:

• the main food for them is slugs, insect larvae, caterpillars, spider mites, which in turn cause great harm to the backyard;
• ants equip their "home" in the ground by making numerous moves, due to this, the soil becomes loose, saturates the rhizomes of vegetable crops with oxygen.

It is believed that in places where anthills are located, the soil is most rich in phosphorus and potassium.

There is also harm from these insects:

• ants are the main carriers of aphids (it secretes sweet juice, which these "sweet teeth" really like, so they help it to reproduce). Aphids, in turn, are capable of infecting plants with harmful viruses, which can lead to extensive damage and their death;
• “Sweet lovers” arrange their nests in berry bushes, eat flower buds and are especially fond of strawberries, strawberries and victoria;
• promote the spread of weeds;
• inhibit the growth of young plants and adjacent crops.

The harm from ants is more than good, so you need to get rid of them as soon as they are noticed at the summer cottage. Moreover, this can be done with the help of folk remedies.

Recommendations of experienced summer residents

To get rid of ants on the site, there are folk, biological, chemical methods. Each is effective in its own way. One should start with folk and biological remedies, because chemical ones can harm fruit and vegetable crops. Insecticides are used if there are too many ants, and more gentle methods have not helped.

Several folk remedies that allow you to get rid of ants in your summer cottage as efficiently as possible:

1. Garlic. To scare off ants, the culture is planted between the beds, in the aisles, or they rub the bark or crown of trees and shrubs with it. The odor that is emitted scares away pests and prevents ants from reaching the aphids.
2. Wood ash. It can be used to sprinkle the tops of plants and shrubs. The most effective is hot ash. It is necessary to stir up the nest, add the product and sprinkle it with earth.
3. Boiling water. Ordinary hot water is poured into the ant's nest. The method is not suitable if there are plantings of vegetable and fruit crops next to the anthill, this can harm their root system. For the "aroma" experienced gardeners add garlic cloves, fresh sprigs of lavender, tansy, bay leaves to boiling water, pour ammonia, camphor or sunflower oil.
4. Ground black pepper. It is recommended to add a little ash to the powder with hot pepper, the dry mixture clogs the respiratory organs of the pests and thereby contributes to the creation of an uncomfortable environment for them and the aphids. The tool does not destroy, but rather scares off ants.
5. Kerosene. To prepare the solution, dilute 2/3 tbsp. kerosene in 10 liters of water. The resulting product must be poured into the anthill, having previously removed the top layer of soil. For long-term preservation of an unpleasant smell after the manipulation, stretch a dense film over the nest.
6. Soap solution. The remedy, tested over the years, will help get rid of annoying insect pests without any problems. The solution is safe for garden crops. 100 ml of any liquid soap is diluted in 10 liters of warm water, foamed. Places of large concentrations of ants are flooded. The principle of action is that the soap creates a film on the insect's body, preventing oxygen from entering the body, and the ants die after a short period of time. For effectiveness, table vinegar and a little sunflower oil can be poured into the solution. It is recommended to first pierce the nest with a stick so that the contents are absorbed as deeply as possible into the soil. It is better to carry out manipulations in the evening, when the maximum number of inhabitants of the anthill is in it.
7. Bura. The product is made from 5 g of 20% borax and a pinch of granulated sugar. The resulting mixture is watered around the nest. The solution penetrates the insect and acts as a poison.

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So-called baits, which should be placed around the perimeter of the site or outside it, have proven themselves well in the fight against ants. Types of effective baits:

1. Boric acid. The solution can be purchased at the pharmacy. Boric acid is stirred in 1 tbsp. l. water with the addition of a small amount of sugar. Then you should pour the resulting solution into jars or lids, place in the selected places. An ingenious bait will become a "tidbit" for harmful insects and will kill the queen herself. After all, it is to her that the ants present sugar "gifts".
2. Honey. Dissolve the sweet ingredient in water, throw a sponge into the mixture, when it absorbs the liquid, put the "tool" on the garden paths. You should wait a little in time, and as soon as there are a large number of insects on the sponge, place it in a bucket of boiling water.
3. Sugar. Syrup is prepared from it, which must be poured into jars and placed in different corners of the site. Ants, getting into the syrup, will not be able to get out of it.

These are penny methods that give excellent results. One application is enough, and there will be no trace of insect pests.

Destruction of the anthill in the greenhouse

The appearance of ant nests inside the greenhouse indicates the presence of aphids. Because it is her ants that breed in a greenhouse, using the room as an incubator, since it is warm and calm there.

What actions should be taken to eliminate pest nests:

1. Get rid of aphids. Identify vegetable crops affected by aphids, remove areas with insects.
2. Find the location of the anthill. There can be two options here: next to the greenhouse or inside, underground, this will be evidenced by the entrances. If it was not immediately possible to find, the soil inside the greenhouse must be carefully dug up on half a shovel bayonet.
3. Destroy the anthill. The most humane methods are wood ash, baking soda powder, and quicklime. When using them, they do not harm the seedlings growing in the greenhouse. It is recommended to scatter branches of odorous plants around the perimeter of the greenhouse: tansy, elderberry, tomato tops, wormwood, or spill with ammonia solution or herring oil.

Simple actions will help to quickly get rid of pests inside the greenhouse. And only in extreme cases can one resort to the use of chemicals.

Getting rid of tree pests

Difficult undertaking, but experienced gardeners have come up with working methods of dealing with annoying ants perched on trees and bushes. A list of effective ways to get rid of folk remedies from ants on the trees of a summer cottage:

1. Chalk. It needs to be crushed to a powdery state. Powder the perimeter around a tree or shrub with the resulting product. The principle of operation is that particles of chalk fall on the legs of insects, which prevent them from climbing up the trunk of a tree.
2. Foil. From the shiny material, you can make a kind of "skirts" for a tree in the shape of a bell. A simple structure will prevent insects from moving towards foliage, fruits and berries.
3. Car tire. A sophisticated but effective design. Cut the old tire in half, dig a shallow trench around the tree, install half of the tire, pour water into it. Pests will not be able to cross such a body of water.

The listed methods are considered barrier methods, their main purpose is to block the path of insects to tasty food and aphids.

Preventive methods

In addition to knowing how to get rid of ants in a summer cottage with the help of folk remedies, a thorough examination should be made for the presence of anthills and regular preventive measures should be taken. It can be:

• digging up the earth with the addition of wood ash;
• planting odorous plants on the site that scare off ants;
• cleaning crumbs, pieces of food after eating, as they attract insects;
• timely weeding of the site from weeds and dead wood.

Ants are harmful insects. Carrying out preventive measures will reduce the chances of settling "unnecessary guests" on the site. Prevention is better than fight.

At the first appearance of ants in a summer cottage, you should know how to get rid of them with folk remedies quickly, efficiently and as accurately as possible so as not to harm seedlings, fruit trees and shrubs. There are many methods, all of them have been tested over the years and are effective.

Summarize

1. Insects enrich the soil with potassium and phosphorus, but at the same time are carriers of aphids and weeds.
2. To fight ants, you can use folk, biological and chemical agents. The first two do not harm plantings, unlike the latter.
3. Ants cannot stand the smells of tansy, tomato tops, wormwood and garlic. The branches can be scattered along garden paths, in the greenhouse and near anthills.
4. Ammonia, kerosene, sunflower oil, boric acid, borax, liquid soap solution are considered effective means for destroying insect nests. It is enough to add 1-2 tsp to them. granulated sugar for bait.
5. In order to avoid the appearance of uninvited guests, you need to regularly carry out preventive measures on the site: digging up the soil, planting odorous plants, adding ash, destroying aphids.