Raised bed infested with ants-HELP!!
Celina268
11 years ago
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Kimmsr
11 years agoCelina268
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Fire ants right now in my raised bed soil. What to do?
Comments (17)DE isn't harmful to the lungs unless you make a point of fluffing it into a cloud and then inhaling it. DE from fresh-water sources (Food grade) is less irritating to the lungs than DE from salt-water sources. You can use one of those common dust masks if you want. I've used DE on our version of the fire ant, the thatch ant. I tried everything I could think of: boiling water, vinegar, bleach, poisoned sugar water, poisoned meat. I got a pound of DE and sprinkled it over the mounds. It slowed them down, but didn't stop them. Then I found a fifty-pound bag of DE for $15 and got it. Since DE is quite light, it's a BIG bag. I took a 3-lb coffee can and coated the mounds with DE half an inch thick. If it didn't penetrate their carapace, by golly, I was gonna make 'em CHOKE on it! Well, I guess I had put it on thick enough (!) so all the ants were forced to wade through it and take it into the nest area to the queen. It got them, and they haven't come back. And I see no mounds anywhere else, either (in the past, I had annoyed them so they moved). The stuff is cheap, and non-toxic to earthworms, bees, pets and kids. It's safe to eat, and it even contains trace amounts of desirable minerals. It works by sucking the moisture from the insects' bodies, including fleas and cockroaches. If you looked at DE under a microscope, you would swear you were looking at sharp shards of glass. Some information says it takes one to three days to kill the insects. DE only works when it is dry. And because it acts physically, not chemically, the insects can't become resistant to it. To make sure you're getting the non-toxic kind, make sure it says something like CODEX FOOD GRADE. Call around to your local farm supply stores -- some of them should carry it, as farmers like to mix it with grain and feed it to their livestock, as it's also supposed to help keep flies down. NEVER get the kind that is mixed with an insecticide, or the kind that is used for swimming pool filters. Stick to the food grade kind. Sue...See MoreThoughts on fire ants, raised beds and self-watering containers?
Comments (7)I use Amdro in the rest of the yard but not in the raised beds where I grow food - its not considered organic nor is it environmentally friendly. To me, it works the best but can take a day or so to see any results. You often see the results in piles of dead ants at the entry area, they look like tiny coffee colored jewels on the ground. Around food crops I use a similar bait based on the chemical Spinosad which is considered "organic". I think the product I use is called "come and get it". But (and there's always a but) insects quickly develop a tolerance to Spinosad. In my yard it seems to work for a year or so and that's all. I find that just messing with the colony will cause them to move somewhere else. Often I pretend that they are extra thirsty and need a nice long drink from the hose. My elderly neighbors laugh at me for using a dolly to move even a one gallon pot across the yard, or a bucket to haul sweet corn the 20 steps to the kitchen door - its all because I've learned the hard way that fire ants like to live inside black plastic pots and ears of corn and heads of lettuce. You don't want to hold anything up against your body. In the summer I often have one of those large plastic tubs with the rope handles off to the side and full of cold water - something to step into if my bare feet are getting stung. Fire ants like to crawl up inside your clothing and wait for a chemical signal from one ant then they all start to sting at the same time (they grab ahold of your skin with their mouths but they actually sting you with the other end, like a tiny wingless bee). So loose clothing, no socks and simple sandals mean it is easier to get them off of you if you should get swarmed. Otherwise you're ripping off your clothes while you run to the door and those same elderly neighbors will think you've finally gone crazy. My yard's fire ants only build the raised mounds if we've had a lot of rain the soil is moist, otherwise they can look like any other tiny ant colony. Don't worry - a new invasive ant is on its way up from the deep south and it kills fire ants. I believe they are called Crazy Ants. They're bigger and I don't think they sting but they invade houses....See MoreHow to prepare raised beds for spring after aphid infestation?
Comments (3)I should have been more clear and not said "ate". They shriveled them up and turned them to mush. I could see the aphids, so I knew it was them. We do have slugs too, but I try to keep those at bay and they were not a problem with the kale or cabbage. I brought in a load of compost in October and they were planted directly in to that mixed with some sand/topsoil that we already had. My entire garden is black with compost, so I think (I hope?) I'm good there. I have been thinking of going out and planting some test peas (aphids got those late last winter) in another bed and seeing what happens. Thanks for your reply!...See MoreAnts. Everywhere. Possible infestation?
Comments (3)If you wish to do this organically, the most cost effective control is the Entomopathogenic Nematode: Steinernema feltiae. This will not eradicate the problem, but will provide an effective control if applied correctly. Nematodes will also help control a long list of other soil pests. If you decide to try this method I will be glad to give you some application tips to make life easier....See Morelam13
11 years agomaplerbirch
11 years agojolj
11 years agoslipperypencil
11 years agoKimmsr
11 years agogreenleaf_organic
11 years agomishnata
9 years agorenais1
9 years agoakfjde
8 years agokimmq
8 years agojolj
8 years ago
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