Derek’s Mom has been plagued by ants in her garden and many times we have gone through and helped her to spray various ant poisons around he garden. None have worked effectively and some have bee rather costly. Still the ants are a problem and are systematically destroying her garden. I conducted a couple of searches for methods of controlling ants, possibly even with natural and cheaper alternatives. I found some ideas on the internet and thought I should share them with you.

We haven’t tried many options yet and certainly have not effectively rid ourselves of the ants but will certainly try sometime soon.

Ants are common pests in both the house and garden. In the home, common ants aren’t harmful but they are a nuisance. There are many natural repellants which can be used to discourage ants from kitchen counters, pantries, and other areas where food lures them in, but as a first step, try to prevent the ants from entering the house.

Ants are very destructive in the garden. Try to use less chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the lawn and gardens as these cause an imbalance in the biological makeup of the soil. Stressed soil and plants attract ants.

Many species of ants like to drink honeydew from aphids. If good control of aphids in plants and gardens near houses is exercised, ants will be less numerous. Ants seem to dislike spearmint, tansy, and pennyroyal. Plant these near the house to keep ants away. Sweet fern is particularly dislike by red ants.

A simple recipe to repel ants can be made by adding to an eight ounce bottle of mild liquid soap one ounce each of citronella, pennyroyal, peppermint, cinnamon, rose and tea oil. Mix together and add three tablespoons to two cups of water. Spray where ants are entering the house. This the formula can be used to wash down counters in the kitchen but only use one-half tablespoon to two cups of water.

Spray trash and recycling bins if ants are a problem there.

For anthills near the house, pour boiling water into the nest.

Once ants have entered the house, other measures have to be taken. Pennyroyal, tansy, and mint leaves scattered on surfaces where ants are found can be used as a deterrent. Bay leaves broken in small pieces is also helpful.

Some people have found a mixture of the following ingredients helpful in repelling ants. One cup water, one- fourth cup plus one tablespoon hot sauce, one-fourth cup liquid soap, and one teaspoon spearmint of peppermint flavoring. Put in a spray bottle and spray where ants enter the house.

Washing down counters with an equal solution of vinegar and water is repulsive to ants.

Powdered cloves or red pepper sprinkled on surface where ants are found serves as an excellent repellant. Ants are extremely fastidious and will not return to where these hot spices can get on their feet and antennae.

If it not too inconvenient, sticky fly paper placed in strategic areas will capture crawling ants.

Perhaps one of the most unusual substances used that discourages ants from pantry shelves are broken egg shells. Lastly, clean up all food after eating, for it is the crumbs that attract the ants.

Some people suggested the use of cornmeal. Apparently the ants eat the grains of cornmeal and then their stomachs swell and burst. The supposedly carry the cornmeal deep into the nests for consumption by the queen and babies. These people swore that this worked very well and very quickly, but then I saw advice from an entomologist at one of the universities stating that in fact ants were unable to eat whole, dried foods and certainly the cornmeal would not cause them to explode.

I found several other reported solutions, which are also reportedly effective, but I haven’t tried any of them.

All of these are organic, so if you are looking for the same thing - read on below. The tips below should keep ants from having a party on your plants.

1. Baking soda is poisonous to ants, sprinkle it around your plants to ensure ants will stay away.

2. Flour or Baby Powder will keep ants from reaching your plants, ants will not cross the powder - so circle your plants with it.

3. You can use coffee grounds, chili powder, cinnamon, peppermint or black pepper. All deter ants and if you pour coffee grounds directly on an anthill, they will eat the coffee grounds and implode.

4. Grits, instant rice, cornmeal and cream of wheat can be sprinkled around plants. The ant will eat a piece of whichever you sprinkle, drink water and the grain expands and kills the ant.

5. Fill a spray bottle with 1 part vinegar and 1 part water and spray on plants. The acid in vinegar will kills ants.

6. Mix together one-third cup of molasses, six tablespoons of sugar, and six tablespoons of active dry yeast into a smooth paste. Use the mixture to coat strips of cardboard. Keep out of reach of pets and small children. You can leave mixture on a saucer outside anthill and they’ll eat it and die!

7. Fold contact paper in half, with the sticky side out and make a circle around base of plant. The ants get stuck on the paper - problem solved.

8. Cut off the bottom of a paper cup and cut a slit up the side of the cup and coat outside with Vaseline and place around base of plant. You can also use packing tape.

9. Mix one cup of borax, two-thirds a cup sugar and one cup water. Dip cotton balls in the solution and place in areas near your anthill Ants will leave the plants alone and ingest the sweet mixture. The borax kills the ants.

10. Diatomaceous Earth is a commonly sold organic pesticide that will destroy the insects outer skeletons, causing the pests to die from dehydration.

Another method is to sprinkle salt around the area. This is supposed to work very well. We sprinkled a few packets of ordinary table salt around Mom’s garden, but it never seemed to work and then it rained and the salt washed away.

One solution that I have used and can vouch for is baby powder. This also works well with fleas. A few years ago we moved into a house that was over-run with ants and fleas in he carpets. We sprinkled powder all over the place, left it overnight and then vacuumed it all up. Our problem was solved.

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Sally Robson is a South African Internet marketer, who together with her husband Derek, have a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and other non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet, by overcoming the many obstacles facing them. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. Sally has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally at: http://www.dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips/

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