Simple Ways To Eliminate Ants From Your Garden Without Harming Plants — No Chemicals Involved
Ants are a common occurrence in gardens and can be both beneficial and cause detriment to your flower beds. Some types of ants are useful for soil aeration, seed dispersal, and even recycling organic matter, according to Iowa State University. When an army of ants flocks to a plant, gardeners ought to be concerned about the damage the situation could potentially cause to the garden’s health. Controlling pests is barely a matter of concern today, with the rampant use of pesticides and other toxic chemicals to deter pests that also end up harming the plants. However, experts have weighed in on a few measures that could deter ants from your garden without destroying the greenery, per Real Simple.
Eliminate ants without harming plants
Remove food sources
The foremost aspect that attracts ants to any place on Earth is food. A cube of sugar lying on the floor? Ants assemble around it to take it home. Likewise, the residual honeydew in gardens caused by sap-sucking insects like aphids and scale encourages ants. “Inspect your plants for aphids and trim any stems that may be infested,” said Tammy Sons, a plant expert and founder of TN Nursery. The aphid infestation can be naturally controlled by encouraging populations of ladybugs. Blasting a strong stream of water or using insecticide soaps is also an effective way to remove aphids.
Moist soil
Ant colonies can never thrive in soil with high moisture content. They prefer dry, undisturbed soil to build nests. Therefore, consistently watering your garden soil and even those untouched corners can disrupt the ants' trails and mounds, said Ed Dolshun of Catchmaster, a pest management company.
Obstruct access to plants
Ants have a way to sense food from miles away and can scale any height or surface to get it. In plants, this can be hindered by blocking access to the plants. Sticky barriers like Tanglefoot, readily available in garden stores, can be used to wrap the stems of the affected plants to prevent the ants from climbing. This measure was suggested by Juan C. Rezk, a CMO at Certus, a pest control company.
Ant repellants
Sprinkling cinnamon or diatomaceous earth around the plant bases can help keep ants away. These act as a natural ant repellent while their organic nature does not harm the plants. Additionally, a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water can also work to repel ants, but experts advise being careful it does not get on the plant foliage.
Directly attack nests
A simple and efficient tactic is to destroy the ant nests to prevent them from taking over the garden. To do that, pouring hot water on the small nests and mounds will do the job perfectly.
Some benefits of ants in the garden
While these pests can be a persistent nuisance in gardens, there are certainly a few benefits. Looking on the brighter side, ants help in soil fertilization as they bring in the dead foliage and insects to their underground labyrinth of nests, per the Almanac. Ants are a source of food for birds and other larger garden animals, making them important to the ecosystem.
Ants help in soil tilling and aeration because of their complex network of tunnels under the ground. They also act as decomposers on a minute level and break down organic matter. More importantly, ants indicate the bigger problem of aphids, mealybugs, and sap-sucking insects that attack plants.
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