ants... in the garden

[smom1976]

Ok I have a huge and colony in my garden bed.. I think that they are hindering the growth of my tomato plants that I just planted (messing with the roots) What can I put on them that isnt going to kill me 10 years down the road?

TIA

ETA... Have used DE our humid weather and rains every day mess that up..

Cant use hot water or will kill the tomato plants.. I do use the boiling water methood on the other hills tho works great.

I am goint to try the cornmeal..

but still need other suggestions.

 

[blurose]

All I can suggest are ant traps and lots of em. The ants not only will mess with the roots of your tomato plants, but they can actively cultivate aphid farms, moving them around on your tomato plants.

 

[aquarose]

What about boric acid? I think it might work dry or wet. Before it became popular as a bug killer people used to use it as an eye wash, so I think it is pretty safe.

 

[patandchickens]

I'd put out lots of those little ant-bait 'cans' (as long as you can rig them somehow that kids and pets definitely can't get to them), and cross fingers.

I had a terrible problem with ants undermining some of my garden plants the year before last. I ended up digging the plants out, removing the ant queen and replanting. The plants had a rather rocky time of it but I don't know how much was from the move vs from what the ants had already done. It did get rid of the ants in the end, though. Everything else I had done before that just made the ants move like 'two feet to the left' and simply bother different plants. It was very frustrating :/

Good luck,

Pat

 

[karanleaf]

Does anyone have the answer to this Ant Problem??

I have ducks that roam the yard and I don't want anything that would harm them. They go and dig into an ant hill by the greenhouse. But I don't think they can eat them all.. And I don't want the ducks digging up my plants to get the ants...
I do remember my Grammy telling me if you draw a line of chalk on the floor at the doorway and window sills ants won't cross it. Iguess I will try this aroung my raised beds and see what happens.. If this does'nt work I don't know what to do
But I sure do want to rid the ants from my raised beds and greenhouse area... HELP Please