Ants tunnel in the ground, allowing moisture and oxygen to reach plant roots, and ants play a beneficial role in a healthy garden’s ecosystem. In addition to fertilizing plants, the tiny six-legged insects speed up the breakdown of rotting plant material.
Ants have a poor reputation, despite their usefulness in the garden. All ants, particularly the aggressive biting fire ant, are seen by some gardeners as unwelcome garden visitors. Since ants eat the honeydew they create, they may be harmful to the garden, protecting certain plant pests like aphids. As a result, ants may be a indication of an aphid-infested plant population. Moreover, an ant hill might make a beautiful, green lawn seem drab.
So, is it a good or a bad thing for ants to be in the garden? It all depends on the answer. Ants help maintain soil and plant health in general. Other ant species, on the other hand, may be beneficial to get rid of at times. Ants play in maintaining a healthy garden, according to this article. You’ll also learn how to get rid of ants naturally, without causing harm to yourself or the environment.
How Ants Benefit the Garden
Since they enhance soil structure and aid plants to flourish, ants are not inherently harmful to the garden. Ants in the garden also help to control a variety of garden pests that may harm crops. Ants also help to break down organic matter, which is then used by plants as fertilizer. Having ants in your garden can be beneficial for a variety of reasons.
Ants help control garden pests
Ants are beneficial insects that help to regulate common pest populations. Ants eat bug larvae, which can destroy crops and fruit. If the insects are allowed to survive, destroying caterpillar, moth, and bug eggs lowers crop destruction. Ants were shown to be successful predators in a 2016 research on their use as pest control.
Common pests populations decreased where ants could flourish, according to scientists. Ants of common species eat moth larvae and eggs. The number of garden pests may be reduced naturally by gardeners who promote biodiversity and introduce beneficial insects.
Ants are vital for a balanced ecosystem
Garden soil becomes more fertile when common garden ants are present. Ants are hardworking, social insects that dig up food from the ground. Ants break up the soil in this way, allowing oxygen, nutrients, and moisture to reach plant and vegetable roots.
Ants play an essential role in the environment, according to researchers from Harvard Forest. Ants, for example, transport organic matter down subterranean tunnels, which breaks down and supplies nutrients to plants. Ants, in addition, aid in the spread of seeds.
Black garden ants (Lasius niger) and common red ants (Myrmica rubra) are important members of garden ecosystems, according to another research. Ants are described as “ecosystem engineers and predators,” as well as being a source of food for bigger creatures. As a result, they promote biodiversity even more.
Ants aerate garden soil
Ants help to aerate the soil, which has a positive influence on soil health. Soil that is healthy requires oxygen, nutrients, and water in order for plants to thrive. Ants are a beneficial insect that improves soil quality. Ants are also shown to be beneficial for soil health, according to scientific research.
Ants allow more air to flow through the soil when they burrow. Ants increase the amount of nutrients in the soil, speed up organic matter decomposition, and boost pH levels.
Are Ants in the Vegetable Garden a Bad Thing?
Ants in the garden are beneficial and provide a valuable service. When an ant colony gets too big, they might become a problem. Crop infestations can be caused by ants. The worse news is that they may indicate aphid infestation, which you want to avoid.
Ants help to improve soil structure and biodiversity, while also getting rid of several pest species. Ants don’t feed on plant roots or strip leaves from vegetation, contrary to popular belief. As a result, you can relax and let the ants go about their business in your vegetable garden.
Types of Ants that Can Cause Damage in The Garden
Ants can wreak havoc on your garden, and certain species may do so. Carpenter ants and fire ants are two types of ants that shouldn’t be planted in gardens. Now that we know what sort of harm these ant species may cause, let’s examine it.
Carpenter ants
Carpenter ants (Camponotus) are gigantic black ants that grow to be up to 1″ (2.5 cm) long and can be seen in close detail in this picture. Because they construct nests in wooden structures, they may cause damage in gardens.
Fire ants
Fire ants (Solenopsis) are stinging ants that can inflict a painful bite on humans. A close-up picture of fire ants A swarm of fire ants might harm your vegetable garden, since they eat seeds and young plants.
Why Ants Can Cause Damage in The Garden
Ants may expand the number of aphids in the area, resulting in insect damage and structural damage. Since they eat seedlings and young plants, certain ant species may harm the garden.
Ants can increase the population of some garden pests
Ants, including Carpenter ants, feed on aphid honeydew. Aphids may draw a considerable number of ants, even if they do not harm your garden in itself. Ants, for example, make it difficult to manage aphids since they protect them from other predatory insects.
Carpenter ants also feed on aphids that honeydew produces, which they raise. An increase in the number of garden pests that destroy plants and crops may occur as a consequence of this mutualistic symbiosis process.
Some ant species cause property damage
Trellises, wooden borders, sheds, and even your home’s structure may be damaged by Carpenter ants. When carpenter ants invade your home, they may harm your plants as well as harm you. If you suspect carpenter ants in your garden or house, it’s important to get rid of them.
Fire ants cause nasty bites
If you annoy fire ants, they sting you with excruciating pain. The stinging insects’ name comes from the heat they leave in their bites. Painful red bumps develop on the skin after the sting’s pain has worn off. Fire ant stings may cause allergic responses that require immediate treatment in certain situations.
Some ant species feed on vegetation
Because they feed on seedlings and young plants, fire ants are pests in vegetable gardens. Fire ants may harm some vegetable crops, according to Clemson University researchers. If you fail to control their population, they may also forage for food in your lawns.
How to Get Rid of Ants in the Garden
Even though it may be tough to eliminate all ants from your garden, some natural approaches may help keep them under control. Getting rid of ants in your garden can be done in a variety of ways, as shown below.
Get rid of garden ants using borax and sugar
Ants in the garden may be controlled by mixing borax and sugar together. With one and a half cups of warm water, mix half a cup of sugar and one and a half tablespoons of borax. Place cotton balls saturated in sweet ant bait around your yard where ants are seen.
The whole ant colony may be killed using borax and sugar bait. Borax is an effective ant killer, although it does not immediately kill ants. The borax bait will be carried to the colony by worker ants, who will devour it. Ants in their colony are killed as a result of this.
Borax, sugar, and a little warm water should be combined in a plastic bottle as an alternative to the borax and sugar bait for ants. Place borax traps near ant hills or other places where you notice them at work by punching holes in the bottle and laying them. The bottle should soon be filled with dead ants. Sugar and borax may not function in certain circumstances. Instead, to eliminate garden ants, replace the sugar with peanut butter.
Using a sweet boric acid bait to kill ants has been shown to be effective by science. Borax baits were shown to have a significant impact on ant numbers in a hospital by researchers who strategically placed them. Sugar-based borax baits were found to be 100% effective at treating ant problems in certain situations.
Kill ants in the garden using cornmeal
You might want to try using ant bait and killing ants in your yard with cornmeal. You should mix cornmeal with borax in order for it to be an effective ant bait. Mix one part cornmeal with nine parts boric acid. To create a smooth paste, mix in some vegetable oil. Place it where you notice ant activity, then put it in a plastic bottle and punch holes in the lid.
It’s a myth that just eating cornmeal will rid your garden of ants. The boric acid will kill the ants while they’re looking for food in the corncomp. Ants take the “meal” back to their nest, which is an advantage of cornmeal and borax.
Eradicate ants outside by using homemade vinegar and water solution
Another way to get rid of ant problems in your garden is with vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and water. It is possible to kill ants by spraying them with a vinegar solution. Spraying ants in your garden, on the other hand, may be time-consuming and futile.
Control ants using diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a natural, non-toxic ant killer. Whenever you notice ant activity or near their nest, spread a layer of diatomaceous earth on dry soil. Diatomaceous earth kills ants by dehydrating them because it destroys their outer layer. It’s critical to keep in mind that the earth must be dry for diatomaceous earth to effectively kill ant populations. After a rain and after the soil has dried out, you’ll need to reapply the fine white powder.
It’s also worth noting that DE isn’t effective on all ant species. According to certain individuals, it works best on common black ants. Diatomaceous earth, on the other hand, is an inexpensive and straightforward material to apply in our garden. It’s worth noting that food grade DE is required for animals outside. Before applying DE, wear a protective eye covering and a breathing mask since it is a fine powder.
Control ants by eradicating aphids
Ants frequently protect aphids from their predators by luring them with aphids. Aphids feed on plants very quickly, causing significant damage in vegetable gardens. Ants, on the other hand, may signal you of an aphid problem. Aphids might be detected by seeing numerous ants around one or more plants. Ants refuse to allow beneficial insects to consume aphids, which is the issue with the aphid-ant relationship. As a result, you’ll have to eliminate aphids in order to establish a huge ant population.
Mix one tablespoon of liquid dish soap with a gallon (4 l) of water to rid your garden plants of aphids. To get rid of aphids and other garden pests, thoroughly mix in a sprayer and spray foliage on both sides. To get rid of aphids, apply the aphid bug spray every few days.
Destroy ant nests and ant hills with boiling water
Most of the ants in a colony may be killed by dumping boiling water on them. Raking the soil away from an ant hill is a good idea. Next, pour a large amount of hot water into the nest. Hopefully, you’ll be able to exterminate the queen and most of the ants. Of course, when it comes to hot water, you should be cautious. When using boiling water to kill ants, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- To get rid of ants in lawns, don’t use boiling water; you’ll scorch the grass. To disrupt the ants’ habitat, you may use a lot of cold water.
- If the nest is under a paving slab, boiling water may not effectively eliminate ants from yards.
How to Keep Ants Out of The Garden
It’s important to get rid of aphid infestations on plants in order to prevent a large population of ants in your garden. Aphids are tiny pear-shaped creatures that move about on plant branches and leaves. These little bugs may be green, black, brown, white, pink, yellow, or gray depending on the species and what it eats.
Stunted growth, withered or crinkled leaves, and leaf drop are all symptoms of aphid damage to plants. Honeydew, a sticky liquid secreted by aphids, feeds the ants and produces black sooty mold on the plant. You can learn how to get rid of aphids in the article about aphids on plants.
Ant traps, such as boric acid and sugar traps, can be used to keep ant populations in check in your garden.
Getting Rid of Ants in the Lawn
Ant hills can ruin the look of your lawn if they’re not managed properly. Raking the ant hills with a natural ant-repelling solution, or spreading diatomaceous earth can help as well. However, it might be difficult to get rid of ants from your lawn since you don’t want to harm it.
It’s best to learn to live with the beneficial insects unless you have a massive ant infestation or carpenter and/or fire ants. Ants eat lawn bug eggs and larvae, which is a good thing to remember. What if ants are causing you too many issues with your lawn? Here are a few tips for getting rid of ants on your lawn:
- Rake ant hills. As soon as you notice an anthill, rake all of the soil off. Ants might relocate to other parts of your garden if you disturb them.
- Spray soap and water solution to get rid of the ants. 1 quart (1 l) warm, not boiling water should be mixed with 1-2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap. To disrupt the ants’ habitat, spray or pour the solution into the ant mound.
- Use diatomaceous earth to get rid of the ants. Sprinkle DE liberally around ant activity on your lawn. Until the ants are gone for good, reapply as often as necessary.
How to Kill Ants in the Yard
It may be difficult to exterminate ants in your yard, and it is seldom feasible to do so permanently outside. Boric acid and sugar traps may be used in your yard if an ant population becomes excessive. Eventually, the ants will be eliminated and their number will be regulated by the traps.