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Ants are one of the most important components of a healthy garden ecosystem.
They are the cleaners of the animal kingdom - ants eat and help decompose
organic matter in the soil. This helps to enrich the soil. In addition, ants
eat pest insects such as fleas, fly larvae, and termites. Through their
tunneling, ants improve soil aeration which is helpful to plant roots .
However ants can also become a garden pest when they start to eat living plants
- usually seedlings and weak, or dying plants. Ants nest-building
capacity, ants can damage soil structure and plant roots and can also
loosen the soil around young plants and cause them to die.
Ants also cultivate colonies
of insect pests (like aphids, scale, and mealybugs). These bugs excrete a
sugary substance (called honeydew) which ants eat and will farm to ensure
their food supply.
Ants live in colonies or nests. Ants have a caste system:
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The top image on the right shows a typical ant invasion in the garden and the
sand and tunnels that the ants have formed on the edge of the grass near the
paving.
There are many organic methods that can potential be used to get rid of ants
in the garden ranging from chili, to talcum powder to cinimon. These typically
only kill the ants that come into contact with these natural items
and do not get rid of the nest - the source of the infestation.
The most effective way I have found to get rid of the ants is unfortunately not a natural remedy but a commercial insecticide called Doom Blue Death Insect Powder in South Africa. Blue Death is a slow acting poison which is a white powder that you scatter where the ants are (see illustration to the right). The ants eat the powder and also take some back to the nest where the rest of the colony also feed on it. Thus, not only are the ants that are foraging in the garden but also ants in the colony are killed thus eliminating the ant problem at the source. |
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In addition to being useful for controlling ants, Blue Death is effective in controlling wire worm, grasshoppers,
a variety of beetles, shield bug, thrip, leafhopper, cricket, termite, caterpillar explosions. The container
has usage directions for its various applications.
In South Africa, Blue Death can be purchased at many places including most Pick n Pay Stores and Hypers, most Checkers Stores and Hypers, most Mica Stores, most Builders Warehouse Stores etc. I find that at Pick n Pay Stores are the cheapest. |
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