Bugs and ants

20 years ago

Hello I have more questions. I dont know anything about bugs, so I was wondering if there is a kill all bug spray that will be ok to use on herbs and flowers and, well all plants. I also have billions of tiny ants in my garden and house they are black and bite. I have been told ants dont eat plants however as I said they bite and are everywhere. Its a pain when your trying to garden and the ants are biting your feet.

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Comments (6)

paradisi
20 years ago
the bugs - find out which ones are good before you start spraying them all - - put up a description of what you are worried about and someone will be able to tell to kill or save

as for ants - they eat all of the dead and decaying things in the garden
for ants getting into the house - find where they are entering the house and spread the cheapest baby powder you can find around the entrance and a little way down their track. The talc disrupts the sensors on the ants feet and they can't taste or smell the ant they are following.
trancegemini_wa
20 years ago
I agree with paradisi that you need to find out a bit about bugs before you start spraying. there are a lot of good bugs which you want in your garden, and once you start killing them off, you need to use even more pesticide because there are no good bugs to keep the other bugs in check. regular ants wont eat your plants and just slipping on a pair of shoes or sneakers when youre gardening will keep them off your feet and they wont bother you.
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User
20 years ago
Hi I realise that you cant put your state on your Members page but I think that I read on one of your other posts that you are in C.Qld..and ants are in Qld by the millions so get yourself a pair of leather boots, I bought a pair of youths school boots best $40 I ever spent I feel so safe now when I mow the grass and I don't have to worry if I step on a toad, or any of the nasties that are sometimes in the garden..If you don't like that idea well Aeroguard lotion is great, and if you do get bitten by the jolly ants well keep a little bottle of Tea tree oil in your pocket the pure kind its marvelous for stings and bites of any kind..

Try hosing the ants off there has to be a reason why the ants are there it could be aphids or scale, and a good book to have is "What Garden Pest or Disease is that "" by Judy Mc Maugh, I picked up a brand new copy in a secondhand book shop for $16.50 it gives Organic and Chemical control methods for hundreds of problems, As said above do not going spraying bugs till you know who they are as you may kill the good guys and all those little frogs that get in the plants too....Cheers..MM.
goldhills
20 years ago
I agree what the others have said about the bugs. I have the same trouble with the little black ants - can't venture into the garden without them running and biting all over your legs even with boots on. It really spoils enjoying the garden and the kids won't play outside when the ants are bad. Have even found them in the chook nest boxes, annoying the chooks when they are laying. Also have to be careful when we have puppies as I have found ants around their beds.

I tried several supposedly safe suggestions but none really worked well. We asked a pest exterminator (we didn't use him though) about them and he said their nest can easily cover an acre or so underground.

So far I have found the best thing to keep the numbers under control is Creepy Crawly ant powder. It isn't organic but I just put a little puff on any holes that have ants around them. It works quickly. Do this whenever you see a lot of ants and you will soon get the numbers down to a comfortable and useful level. Also use just after rain when the flying ants come out.

You don't have to get rid of all of them as they do have a job to do but you do have to be able to enjoy your garden.

I also don't believe about ants and termites being enemies when we see them living happily side by side quite regularly.
aisummers
Original Author
20 years ago
OK thanks for everyones advice. I was concerned with the bugs because they were leaving holes in some of the leaves and I didnt know if they would kill the plants. The only bugs I have seen are like a small cockroch but silver. I have seen a few grasshoppers. I think your right and everything works together in the garden so I wont sray any bugs. Thanks for your help guys
trancegemini_wa
20 years ago
the holes in the leaves sound like caterpillars, if theyre not doing much damage you can just leave them and hope for some nice butterflies down the road when they mature. :)

If theyre really bothering you, you can just hunt around the plants and squash them or pick them off with your hands but I find with my herbs that they dont do much harm and I just leave them (and the birds like to hunt around the plants for them too which is always fun watch).

TG