HELP! I am desperate to find a way to get rid of the ants in my flower beds. They are small black/dk brown ants that prefer greasy foods over sweets. (Discovered when my daughter dropped a french fry in the kitchen and didn't pick it up.) They are in my flower beds. I have found them in two potted plants already this year (one of them a hibiscus). They were in my mailbox without dirt at one time after it had rained for a while. Luckily, they do not bite but they are walking around my house all the time and I'm concerned they will be a bigger problem when I bring my tropical plants back in the house in the fall. Does anyone know if these methods safe for houseplants and herbs?

Nettle herb Nettle is native to temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Nettle is now widely distributed throughout the world. Nettle is a member of the Urticaceae family, which includes as many as 500 species worldwide. Many species of Nettle are tropical. The stinging Nettle - Urtica dioica grows wild in nitrogen-rich soil. It grows abundantly in waste ground, hedgerows, ditches and gardens. Often considered a nuisance and weed it is important to the life cycle of many insects and holds great value as a "Natural Healer". Nettles have a long history of use in the home as a herbal remedy and nutritious addition to the diet. The Nettle has long been valued as a medicinal and nutritional treasure. Nettle is rich in chlorophyll, and a good source of beta carotene; vitamins A, C, and E; tannins; iron; calcium; phosphates; and various other minerals, especially silica. Nettle has astringent, expectorant, galactagogue milk producing, tonic, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, and diuretic properties. The active ingredients of Nettle include water-soluble polysaccharides that stimulate the immune system, and large protein-sugar molecules known as lectins. The entire plant of Nettle may be used in various medicinal preparations. BENEFITS OF NETTLE Nettle has a long history of medical use. The Romans used to rub the leaves of Nettle on their bodies to restore circulation to limbs numbed by the winters. Nettle also contains vitamin C and iron, and increases the absorption of the latter. This makes it useful in cases of iron deficiency related illnesses according to research. Studies show that nettle is a circulatory stimulant, helps prevent haemorrhaging and can be used in treating nose bleeds. Nettle tea offers great relief to hayfever symptoms. This is probably due to the nettles antihistamine qualities. Nettle is also been known to mildly lower blood sugar levels. Nettle root blocks two enzymes, 5a-reductase, which makes the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and aromatase enzyme, which makes estrogens. Studies showed that Nettle root extract was efficient in inhibiting these two enzymes. An infusion of the plant is very valuable in stemming internal bleeding. Nettle is also used to treat anaemia, excessive menstruation, hemorrhoids, arthritis, rheumatism and skin complaints, especially eczema. Externally, the plant is used to treat skin complaints, arthritic pain, gout, sciatica, neuralgia, hemorrhoids and hair problems.The fresh leaves of Nettle have been rubbed or beaten onto the skin in the treatment of rheumatism. This practice, called urtification, causes intense irritation to the skin as it is stung by the Nettle. The formic acid from the Nettle is believed to have a beneficial effect upon the rheumatic joints. For medicinal purposes, the plant is best harvested in May or June as it is coming into flower and dried for later use. Nettle leaf has recently become a popular treatment for allergies based on one preliminary study. Nettle leaf is highly nutritious, and in cooked form may be used as a general dietary supplement. For More information --> Nettle Article Nettle Product Nettle Leaf 300 mg, 90 VCaps , Nettle Herb 100 Caps , Saw Palmetto Plus Nettle 50 Sftgls , Nettle Root Extract 250 mg, 90 VCaps , Horsetail-Nettle 390mg, 45 Caps , Nettle 100 Caps , Nettle & Pygeum with Pumpkin 60 Softgel , Nettle Leaf 300 mg, 50 VCaps , Nettle Leaf 100 Caps , Nettle Leaf 90 Caps , Nettle Leaf 2 FL Oz , Nettle Leaf Freeze-Dried 415 mg, 100 Caps , Nettle Leaf Tea 24 Bags , Nettle Leaves 450 mg, 100 Caps , Nettle Leaves 450 mg, 180 Caps , Nettle Power 30 Caps , Nettle Root 90 Caps , Nettle Root Extract 300 mg, 60 Caps , Nettle Root Power 60 Caps , Nettle-Quercetin 350 mg, 90 VCaps , Nettles Ariel 1 Oz , Nettles Leaf Alcohol Free 1 Oz , Organic Nettle Leaf Tea 30 Bags , Organic Nettle Leaves 450 mg, 100 Caps , Saw Palmetto Plus Nettle 100 Sftgls , Stinging Nettle Leaf 90 Caps Here is a link that might be useful: nutrovita.com

I remember reading a short story in college (a long time ago...) that said the only way to avoid chigger bites was to run through the field naked. Idk, haven't done it, but they love me. I may be the only one out of 3 or 4 people in the exact same area who ends up with bites. I have found only one spray that kept them off of me and I let a friend use it for her freaking mosquitoes. I don't know why mosquitoes don't really like me, but chiggers LOVE me. Is there any known reason why some people are more likely to get chiggers VS mosquitoes? Or, am I the only fortunate one? One thing that a friend of mine swears by, and he mows lawns for his employment, is sticking dryer sheets in his socks. He looks odd, but he says he gets no chigger bites by doing this. I don't trust it, but anyone else had luck with this? Or even hearts of it?

I have lemon balm and a few sites state that lemon balm tea works better than any sleeping pill. I agree, Lemon Balm tea is very delicious (10 times better than mint tea) and it calms and wipes away any worries plus makes me fall asleep immediately. However it gets invasive now since we have tons of rain this year. The plus is the roots are shallow, I can kill a big clump of Lemon Balm in less than 10 min. The hardest weed to kill is Canadian thistle, the roots are very deep, reaching down to sub-clay layer. Here's a excerpt from below link: "Weeds tells a story. Cockle Burr grows in the deficiency of the availability of the mineral silver. Bull Thistle grows in the deficiency of available zinc. Musk or Canada Thistles grow in the deficiency of available phosphorus, and Leafy Spurge grows in the deficiency of the available nickel. Every mineral has a job. Without the proper level of available Calcium, these other trace minerals will not be available to the plant. It is easy to react to symptoms (like weeds) instead of dealing with the problems causing the symptoms." https://www.ag-usa.net/Calcium%20-%20%20Is%20your%20soil%20trying%20to%20tell%20you%20something.htm From Straw: Shamrock (yellow Wood Sorrel) gets very invasive after 2 decades of high-rain. When I first moved here in 2001, the new topsoil was very alkaline at pH 8 and there's no shamrock. But as we get lots of rain, the top soil becomes more acidic and there's an explosion of Shamrock. As I dig holes for roses, I take the bottom soil (very alkaline at below 2 feet) and throw on top where I want to suppress the weeds. Yellow Wood Sorrel is indicative of high magnesium and low calcium, which corresponds to my soil test.