The most effective ways to get rid of garden ants: fight insects humanely or radically

Hardworking ants are of immense benefit. But as soon as they invade human territory, they immediately receive the status of pests. In an apartment, house, in a garden or in a summer cottage, all their useful activities are leveled by the harm caused.

A person is annoyed by woodworms, red forest and pharaoh, black garden ones. The latter type is the most common, it willingly coexists with a person both in the apartment and on the personal plot.

There are several ways to get rid of garden ants: chemical, folk, setting traps. The method is chosen depending on the number of insects, the number and location of the anthill.

Harm caused by ants

In the habitats of ants, the soil is saturated with fluorine and calcium, its condition improves - it becomes looser. Inhabitants of one anthill destroy about 2000 different arthropod pests per day.

However, ants also cause harm:

• breed and protect aphids, worms;
• spreading weed seeds over the site;
• an anthill located on a flower bed, an alpine hill violates the concept of landscape design;
• spoil plants, roots;
• destroy flower buds;
• increase the acidity of the soil;
• the ants that have settled in the house carry bacteria on their paws, spoil the food supplies.

Methods for removing ants

To get rid of ants, they use folk remedies, insecticides, set traps, prepare baits.

Chemicals

Insecticidal preparations can completely destroy ants or significantly reduce their numbers. Available in the form of gels, granules, suspensions for solution preparation, powders.

Work with insecticidal products must be carried out in accordance with personal safety rules. Protective gloves are required.

Ant control gels

The composition of the gels includes an active ingredient, fragrances to attract insects and additional components. Attracted by the scent, ants eat the poison themselves and on their paws, the little body carries it to the nest. That allows you to deliver the product to those individuals who never leave the anthill. The active substance inhibits the work of the nervous system, leading to paralysis and subsequent death.

Advantages of gels:

• ease of application;
• affordable cost;
• the possibility of purchasing in any department of household chemicals, gardening store;
• do not exude odors unpleasant for humans;
• mass death of the colony within 2 - 3 weeks.

Method of application: the agent is applied pointwise at intervals of 3 - 5 cm. Underlays are used indoors to make it easier to dispose of the agent at the end of the disinsection.

Effective ant control gels:

1. Great Warrior - produced in syringes with a volume of 80 g (price 120 rubles) and 45 g (80 rubles). The active ingredient is chlorpyrifos.
2. Absolute - based on chlorpyrifos in a 30 ml tube (180 rubles) and a 5 ml cartridge (50 rubles).
3. Dohlox - available in different packaging. The price of a 40 g syringe is 135 rubles. DV - fipronil.
4. Raptor (230 rubles) - lambda-cyhalothrin is used as an active ingredient.
5. Brownie Proshka - used to destroy ants in the house. DV - fipronil.
6. Destructive force - the ant repellent is produced on the basis of lambda-cyhalothrin in a 75 ml tube. Price 130 rubles.
7. Clean House is a universal remedy for garden and domestic ants, Prusaks. DV - chlorpyrifos. 70 rubles.
8. Globol gel (new name Original Exil Schaben Paste) - is sold only in online stores. The price of a tube is 75 g from 300 rubles. DV - chlorpyrifos.

Granules

Granules are used both in residential premises, in greenhouses, and in open spaces: in a vegetable garden, a garden. The principle of operation is the same as that of the gel. In the composition of the active substance, attractants. After contact of the ant with the pellet, the insecticide enters the insect's body, which leads to paralysis and death.

Indoors, the agent is scattered along the routes of insect movement. In the plots, they fall asleep in the ground, in the holes, near the anthill. Some manufacturers point to the possibility of diluting the product in water.

Benefits of granular products:

• ease of use;
• the effect is noted already 3 days after use;
• do not harm or change the composition of the soil.

Ant granules are produced by brands:

1. Raptor. It is used in dry and soluble form, which is convenient for the treatment of hard-to-reach places. DV - fipronil.
2. Ant - diazinon-based granules. The death of ants is noted after 3 - 5 days after application.
3. Medvetox is a remedy for garden ants and bear. DV - diazinon.
4. Thunder 2 - a remedy for ants with an active substance - diazinon. Can be used to kill pests in flower pots.
5. Avgust Anteater Super - granules with chlorpyrifos.

Powders

Powdered agents act in a contact-intestinal way. In vegetable gardens, an anthill is covered with powder, scattered in the aisles, on the paths of movement of ants. The second method of application is to dilute in water and carry out processing with the resulting solution.

On a note! Insecticidal powders are also used in baits.

The most popular garden and home ant powders are:

• Delicia (Chlorpyrifos);
• Anti-ant (cypermethrin).

Emulsions

Suspensions are diluted with water in accordance with the instructions. Processing of soil, living quarters, terraces is possible. You can use both a ready-made working solution and make baits from it.

Ant remedies in liquid form:

• Muratox (diazinon);
• Anteater (chlorpyrifos);
• Muratsid (diazinon).

Traps and baits

Purchased traps can be divided into 2 types:

1. Sticky tapes. Helps to reduce the number of ants. They are produced in the form of a tape with an adhesive base. Placed on the routes of movement of insects, as the ants stick, they are disposed of. Disadvantages - the entire colony is not infected, the appearance is unsightly.
2. Bait boxes. Produced by many brands: Raptor, Reid, Combat, Dohlox. Inside the device is a bait with an insecticide, which the ants eat themselves and carry to the anthill, infecting the rest of their relatives. The principle of action is identical with gels. But they are more simple to use - it is enough to remove the structures from the packaging and unfold them.

On a note! There are also current traps. In comparison with others, they are distinguished by their high price and low efficiency. Only workers are destroyed, and the uterus continues to lay eggs and increase the population.

Ant traps can be made with your own hands:

1. Take a matchbox, drip a little honey or syrup into it, cover it with cardboard and sprinkle it with boric acid powder. Ants attracted by the bait will get dirty with acid, which will penetrate the chitinous cover and provoke the death of the insect.
2. Glue the edges of the container with tape, place the bait in the center. Cut plastic bottles can be used to dispose of the traps without regret.
3. Cut off the neck of the plastic bottle. Lubricate the inside of the wall with vegetable oil. Attach a board, a stick, so that the ants can freely climb onto the container, from which they can no longer get out.
4. Boric acid balls are the most popular bait trap for both ants and cockroaches. To prepare them, you will need 10 g of boric acid, the yolk of one boiled egg, a teaspoon of sunflower oil, flour or mashed potatoes. A mass is prepared from the ingredients, balls are formed, placed on substrates and placed in the places of localization and movement of ants.

An alternative to boric acid can be an insecticidal agent: granules or liquid.

As a bait, they use not only honey, syrup, jam, but also a mixture: mix 4 tablespoons of syrup with a spoonful of dry yeast, 10 g of boric acid or borax.

Biological

Biological products are products based on strains of bacteria, fungi, nematodes that have a negative impact on vital functions, the reproductive system, and insects. Biological products are produced against aphids, spider mites, Colorado potato beetles, caterpillars, butterflies. But the development of such funds is not carried out from ants.

Interesting! Lomehuza is capable of causing the death of an anthill. In size it is 2 - 3 times inferior to ants. It secretes a specific exudate that leads the inhabitants of the anthill to a state of euphoria. A new generation of ants appears with a changed physiology and behavior model - pseudoergats. These individuals do not work, as a result, the reserves are not replenished, the reproduction process stops and the anthill dies.

Traditional methods

Garden ants have been fought even before the advent of insecticides.

Table 1. Popular folk remedies against ants.

Birch tar	Has a deterrent effect. Mainly used in the garden or in the garden.
Fish head	It is necessary to place the head of a smoked or rotten fish on an anthill, and soon its inhabitants will begin to search for a new habitat.
Ammonium or vinegar	Pests do not like the pungent smell, disorienting them. Mix one tablespoon of the product with 1 liter of water, water the soil near the plants.
Millet or semolina	Sprinkle cereals along the routes of movement, sprinkle abundantly on the anthill. There are several versions of how the product works on ants. According to one of them, after eating cereals, it swells in the insect's body, which leads to disruption of the functioning of internal organs and death. When millet is in the soil, due to moisture, strains of soil fungi develop on it. As a result, the ants leave the nest.
Soda	For a remedy to work on ants, it must enter their body. To prepare the bait, you need to mix soda and sugar, one glass of each. Combine with water to form a creamy substance. Pour into small containers and place near the nest. A soda solution prepared from a glass of soda and 1.5 liters of boiling water is poured onto the anthill. Sprinkle with ashes on top. Soon the insects will leave in search of a new home.
Yeast	To destroy individuals inside the anthill, it is sprinkled with dry yeast.

How to choose a product

When choosing a remedy for garden ants, it is necessary to take into account their number, localization. When there are few insects, you can limit yourself to folk remedies. If the population has multiplied, insecticides are indispensable.

Important! When choosing a chemical, you should carefully study the composition and pay attention to the active substance. Insects develop resistance, therefore, for repeated treatment, it is better to choose a drug with a different active component.

Features of getting rid of ants in the garden

The following methods are used to protect fruit and ornamental trees:

1. Hunting belt. Wrap the barrel with fabric ribbons or bandages. Apply garden glue. Such a belt will become an obstacle for ants and caterpillars.
2. Take a strip of foil, at least 20 cm wide, bend one edge and make cuts with scissors. Wrap around the trunk, fix in the middle with twine. Sharp edges will prevent ants from moving through the tree.
3. Tie homemade plastic bottle traps to the trunk.

To get rid of ants in the garden, trees are processed:

• insecticidal gel - the product is applied only to the trunks, cannot be used during the ripening period;
• with tar;
• linseed oil, for this mix 30 g of oil, a liter of water and tsp. soda ash;
• infusion of wormwood: 300 g of fresh grass, pour 8 - 10 liters of boiling water, leave for 5 - 6 hours;
• kerosene solution: 400 g of grated laundry or tar soap, 2 tbsp. l carbolic acid, 10 tbsp. l of kerosene, 10 l of warm water.

On a note! You can also treat a tree trunk with an old proven remedy: a solution of slaked lime.

How to get rid of ants in the garden

The most effective means for killing ants in the beds are pellets. In accordance with the instructions, they are buried in the soil, placed in the holes when planting seeds, seedlings. Insecticidal fluids, baits and boric acid traps are also used.

As additional measures, deterrent agents are used:

• pour a mixture of crushed oregano and sulfur (1: 2) into a previously dug hole near the anthill;
• processing the soil and plants with a solution of tomato tops, pour a bucket of raw materials with boiling water and leave for 12 hours;
• garlic beds scare off ants;
• a solution of vinegar, tar, ammonia, citric acid.

Ants in the greenhouse

To prevent garden ants from choosing a greenhouse, a greenhouse structure, you should regularly dig, loosen the soil, and water. To destroy insects, chemical agents are used: insecticidal traps, gels, concentrates. Opponents of chemistry can use folk remedies.

Ants in the house

Choice of funds from ants in the house it is preferable to do in favor of gels and traps, which contain an insecticide. These drugs allow you to quickly, budget and effortlessly remove pests. They do not contain components toxic to humans, and do not violate aesthetics.

Mandatory places for processing:

• skirting boards;
• area near the waste bin;
• ways of movement of insects.

Indoors, you can also use aerosols, dusts - powders. From folk remedies - balls with boric acid.

How to destroy an anthill

Not the most humane method. But when there are too many insect nests, radical measures cannot be avoided. To destroy the anthill, you need to fill it with one of the following means:

• 50 - 100 ml of diesel fuel, gasoline or kerosene;
• several buckets of boiling water, the amount depends on the size of the anthill;
• concentrated solution of Muratox, Anteed or Muratsid.

For greater efficiency, the anthill is pre-dug up.

Can garden ants be driven away without harming them?

The easiest and most humane way is to dig up an anthill, place it in a bucket or bag and transfer it to another area, in the forest. It is better to do this in the evening, when the workers have returned to the nest.

The use of repellents - deterrent agents can also be attributed to harmless methods. This can be the head of a fish, strong-smelling substances and plants.

Some gardeners agree that if you shade the anthill, the insects will definitely leave it.

How to get rid of garden ants for good

Comprehensive measures will surely cause a decrease in the number or complete disappearance of garden ants from the site... As a preventive measure, it is recommended to regularly dig up the soil, monitor its moisture, plant garlic, parsley, herbs, mustard, celandine.

However, it is not entirely correct to say that you can get rid of ants in your summer cottage or garden plot forever. Even if you completely clear your territory of the ubiquitous workers, the possibility of their subsequent settlement cannot be ruled out. After mating, flying females appear in the summer. After choosing a territory, they shed their wings and become the founders of a new anthill.It is impossible to predict that it is your site that they will not choose.

The expert talks about the fight against garden ants: