Still battling ants

[Chellie]

I purchased some non-toxic ant spray that contained mint oil as the active ingredients. It didnt seem to kill the ants unless you sprayed it directly on them, but they didnt seem to like it either. It makes me wonder if perhaps mint in the garden would repel ants, anyone try that?


Chel

 

[sebrightlover]

The clove powder probably had an other ingredient in it, but I just can't remember. We found it in the gardening section.

 

[Hencackle]

I can't have an exterminator spray because my chickens "lounge" next to the house under the deck or under the holly trees. I don't want the toads that live in the crawl space under the house to get poisoned either.

The one product that I did use is Orange Guard but it has to be sprayed directly on the ants.

Seabrightlover--can you find a link to the clove powder you used?

I have mint growing beside the deck and it hasn't repelled any ants--I wish!

 

[sebrightlover]

I can't find the clove powder i used. I've been looking the past 2 years.

 

[Hencackle]

Oh well, thank you for trying. :coolsun

 

[Nifty]

Every summer we get Millions of the argentine ants. We put out a borax / sugar water mix:

 

[Wildsky]

We have a HUGE ant nest next to our house its really big (2-3 feet wide, 1-2 feet tall), I think they're field ants. When we had some serious snow here a few weeks ago my hubby made a big hole in the top of the nest - not sure if we killed any - or just set them planning their revenge for spring.....

 

[patandchickens]

If mint repels ants, the ants living in my (dryish) mint patch sure never heard about it.

It is a lot different trying to get rid of one ant colony, or trying to keep them out of one manageable space such as a kitchen or single small bed, than it is to try to deal with dozens of colonies all thoughout you gardens. For the latter, unless soil amendment helps a little, truly I think you just have to learn to live with 'em.


Pat, with at least three kinds in the garden, the tiny black ones huting/itching/swelling like all get-out when they bite you, plus the great big mound-building ones in the pasture.

 

[azgardenee]

I use a surefire product to kill ants and its great stuff. It's called Amdro. All you do is sprinkle a teaspoon or 2 of the granules by the anthill. They think it is food and they carry it down into the anthill. Within 24 hours or less they're dead. It has worked for us every time. It's not organic so definately keep your animals away when you put it out.