Gee, Riley, I sure hope they're NOT Allegheny Mound ants! This is what I found in a quick google search: "...the ants also act as pests by killing vegetation within 40 to 50 feet (15 m) of their mounds. The ants inject formic acid into surrounding plants, killing small trees and shrubs..." "...A 5 month-old mound can be about 2 feet wide and 8 inches tall..." The picture of them does kind of look like my ants, but the mound is not that big at all, even though it must be relatively new. After I stopped feeling so creepy-crawly, I went back out for another look. They don't seem to be at all interested in the vegetable plants. The squash, zucchini, cukes and tomatoes had hardly any ants on them, if any at all. They seemed much more interested it making a trail, which I lost in the grass, and also in climbing up and down the sides of the cinderblock bed walls. I guess if that's all they do it won't be so bad. I'll keep an eye on them. I really hate to kill them if they are not destructive, even if they do creep me out. Edie, my DH's first reaction was literally "I'll get the can!" I told him he couldn't spray because the anthill was so close to the squash plant. He goes a bit overboard anyway - I keep telling him he can't kill every ant on the planet. Since we had carpenter ants in the house, he's a bit touchy about ants in general, lol. I'll do a bit more research and keep an eye on them and on my plants, and take it from there. Thank you all for your help! Dee

The fire ants are small ants. If they are small, red and in Florida, then I think it is safe to say they are fire ants. I think carpenter ants can be red, also, but are larger than fire ants. If you have both red and black ants, I would use both terro and amdro. They are baits so you won't see results instantly. And initially, it will attract more ants. The workers have to carry the bait back to the nest and feed it to the queen in order to eliminate the colony. The bait kills the workers and the queens who ingest it but it takes a day or 2 to see results. Sevin won't kill the queen unless you find the colony's nest and dust/spray the nest.

Bubinkos, welcome to GardenWeb. No worries, this is a perfect forum for asking about the little yellow things on your cukes. They are most likely aphids, a VERY common pest of cucumbers. Aphids can be yellow, green, pink, red, gray, or black. They suck the sweet juices from plants (not good for the plants) and excrete a sticky, sugary substance that ants are very attracted to. Look for aphids of any color on your other garden plants. Some of us learn to associate ants with aphids and other sucking pests. If you keep after aphids with fairly strong sprays of water, they will eventually disappear....it does take persistence. I'd not suggest vinegar as an insecticide. In the wrong dose, you'll end up burning your plant. Some people use vinegar to kill weeds. Look up 'yellow aphids' to see if that's your pest. A cheap magnifying lens might help.

I dont know if this is an issue in the UK, but here in Western Australia - what you are describing is generally caused by water repellent soil. Dusty sandy soil can prevent water from penetrating roots and deprive the plant of nutrients and water - even if you are flooding your plant. put a few drops of water into the soil. if it beads up then that is your problem. The solution is simple. buy a wetting agent and add a small amount every few months or so - via a watering can or spraying it. wetting agent is nothing more than a detergent which breaks down the surface tension of the water. You can use household dishwashing liquid but I dont recommend it for regular use as unlike commercially prepared wetting agent - dishwashing detergent will change the PH of your soil. Adding considerable organic content into your soil is also a good solution.