Ants come to the site seriously and for a long time, build an anthill on it and form a colony with a queen at the head. The trouble is that this large family turns out to be extremely gluttonous and generally causes nothing but inconvenience.
The fight against ants in a summer cottage often takes place with varying degrees of success and does not always end in the final victory of a person. In addition, many feel sorry for the little inhabitants of the site, since since childhood they have been considered “orderlies of the forest and surrounding areas.” However, the dacha is usually ruled by garden ants, which at the same time breed aphids - the most dangerous and hardy pest. So is it necessary to get rid of ants in the country?
Forest ants are beneficial and rarely settle in gardens
Fighting ants on the site - pros and cons
Recently, the fight against ants in the countryside has become a full-scale war. You can find a huge amount of pesticides from manufacturers and garden stores that are destructive to all living things, including ants. It is believed that these insects bring invaluable benefits.
| Why are ants useful in the country? |
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Garden ants feed on greenery and actively attract aphids to the site
However, there are still more opponents of ant families on the site, because all their advantages are offset by the indirect and direct harm that these insects cause.
| What damage do ants cause to |
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In addition, brown , turf , red-cheeked and common garden ants , and they feed on plants and are 100% pests. Thus, you still need to get rid of ants in your dacha, and we will tell you how to do this later.
What plants repel ants?
Many gardeners use ant repellents. They are planted in garden beds and near fruit plants. Suitable for this:
- narcissus;
- lavender;
- peppermint;
- Melissa;
- mustard;
- red pepper;
- onion or garlic;
- pyrethrum;
- elder;
- anise;
- sagebrush.
The smells will cause great discomfort to the ants, so they will start to run away. If it was not possible to plant the plants in a timely manner, you can simply leave the tops near the anthill. Some use sawdust or coniferous hairpins with wormwood and mint leaves. All this is doused with kerosene, urine or turpentine, bleach, and placed under an anthill. To enhance the effect, you can spray pepper and mustard on the area.
Read more in this article about which plants ants and aphids do not like in the country house and garden.
How to choose an ant repellent
The vast majority of ant preparations contain two substances: diazinon and chlorpyrifos.
Diazinon literally “hits the heart” of insects. It blocks the production of an enzyme responsible for the functioning of the nervous system of ants. They begin to have convulsions, leading to paralysis and death. In addition, it is actively absorbed by the root system of plants and protects them from pests for 2-3 weeks.
Chlorpyrifos enters the body of insects through the respiratory system and paralyzes the nervous system. The chemical is retained in the soil for 110-120 days, and it remains effective against pests for about 1-2 months.
Below we provide a brief table of the main drugs used to kill garden ants.
| Name | Active substance | Release form | Hazard Class | Consumption rate | Time to achieve effect |
| Absolute | Chlorpyrifos | Gel, plastic containers | Class IV (low-hazard drugs) | 125 ml per 30 sq.m or 2-3 containers per 10 sq.m | 10-14 days |
| Anti-ant | Borax | Powder in blisters and bags | IV | 1 container per 1-2 sq.m. | 5-6 days |
| Bros | Chlorpyrifos | Powder | IV | 10 g per 1 sq.m. | 1 day |
| Great warrior | Diazinon, chlorpyrifos | Gel | IV | 30 mg per 1 sq.m – drops onto pieces of cardboard and place next to the anthill | 1-1.5 days |
| Grom-2 | Diazinon | Granules | Class III (moderately hazardous to humans and animals) | 1-3 g per anthill | 2-4 days |
| Delicia | Chlorpyrifos | Powder | IV | 10 g per 1 sq.m. | 10-14 days |
| Medvetox | Diazinon | Granules | III class | 20 g per 10 sq.m. | 3-5 days |
| Ant-eater | Diazinon | Emulsion concentrate | III class | 1 ml/10 l of water per 5 sq.m. | 1-2 days |
| Ant | Diazinon | Granules | III class | 20 g per 10 sq.m. | 3-5 days |
| Muratox | Diazinon | Emulsion concentrate | III class | 1 ml/10 l of water per 5 sq.m. | 3 days |
| Muratsid | Diazinon | Water emulsion | III class | 1 ml/10 l of water per 5 sq.m. | 1 day |
When treating an area against ants, it is better to use eye and respiratory protection.
Ways to protect trees
To protect trees from ants, gardeners use various options, this is not only spraying, treating the trunk, there are other useful tricks.
Tires
To create a barrier you need to use an old tire and water. Manufacturing process:
- Cut the tire into two equal parts.
- Place the half on the tree and bury the tire.
- Pour water inside.
Such a barrier will protect seedlings and bushes well.
water ditch
By analogy with tires, a water ditch is made for a tree. You can use any other container for the ditch.
Hunting belt
Protection helps get rid of about half of the ants on trees. Use is carried out in the spring until the buds appear. This helps protect the crown from pests that survived the winter in the ground. Recommended:
- Place the belt around the trunk and secure it with a rope.
- It will have a special glue on it that is not dangerous to humans. When an ant hits it, it sticks, so it cannot move further.
Alternatively, you can make your own remedies. For example, cut a strip out of cardboard and wrap it around a tree in the shape of a cone. Cover the cracks with clay. Wrap the foil and make it in the shape of a skirt on the trunk; this will prevent the ants from climbing to the crown of the tree.
Scotch
You can use masking tape or other tape to wrap the trunk of the plant to prevent insects from moving around. The use of sticky substances is especially effective.
How to remove ants from a site
If you are not a supporter of chemical means of fighting ants, you can try other, more humane methods that allow you to drive ants out of the area without destroying their strong “family”. In particular, try the following methods:
- ants react acutely to various odors. Therefore, you can regularly place the following aromatic carriers around their shelter (though you yourself must be tolerant of them): anise leaves , smoked herring heads , sawdust mixed with grated garlic . Or simply pour kerosene over (but under no circumstances set it on fire!);
- If you have wormwood and parsley , you should not be afraid of ants, because they also prefer to avoid these plants. garlic among strawberry plantings ;
- you can also use vegetable oil , tobacco ash , crushed tomato and parsley , turpentine and charcoal ;
- ants avoid trees whose base is treated with hemp oil ;
- The hunting belt protects not only from various caterpillars and small insects, but also from ants. An improved barrier is a strip of foil with foam rubber placed under it ;
- Ants are poor swimmers, so trees can be protected by building clay ditches filled with water . The width and depth of the ditches may not exceed 3-5 cm, but in this case the ants will not be able to climb the tree;
- bricks , pieces of iron or stones near the nest passages and water them with an infusion of manure or any herbs (except those that repel ants). After 2-4 days, pick up these objects and pour boiling water over , simultaneously pouring hot water into the passages;
- take some yeast (a handful should be no larger than a hazelnut) and pour it with a sweet mixture of sugar , water and honey to make a paste. Distribute the mixture into matchboxes and place them around the ant nests, covering them with something. After some time, the ants will begin to avoid these places.
Ants are afraid of water and cannot overcome even streams 2 cm wide
Insecticidal gels
The main advantage of ant repellent gels is their ease of use. You don’t have to completely treat the apartment - the gel is applied in rows of neat drops in the corners or near the walls, as well as in those places where ants are constantly found. If necessary, the remaining product can be easily wiped off with a damp cloth. There are no traces or stains left after it.
Advice! Do not rush to wash off the gel. The longer it lasts, the more reliable the result!
Insecticidal gels against ants - a reliable way of long-term protection against insects
And most importantly, insecticidal gels have, perhaps, the highest degree of effectiveness. They are recommended to be used in cases where the ant nest is out of reach and it is simply impossible to destroy it with an aerosol or any other means. With gel everything is completely different! The worker ants themselves will carry its particles to the anthill and feed the entire colony, including the queen. True, you will have to be patient - it will be possible to remove parasites in this way no sooner than in a few weeks.
As for brands, pay attention to the following.
Anti-ant powder HECTOR
The product is in the gels section because it works on a similar principle, that is, it not only poisons, but also attracts insects. The bait included in each granule spreads its effect over a radius of up to 1 m2, which allows you to use the product not on land occupied by vegetables and herbs, but in its vicinity. Ants constantly exchange their food with each other. For this reason, the poison used in HECTOR does not kill the insect instantly.
This allows them to return to the colony and spread the poison among their relatives, including the queen and larvae.
Globall
The most effective ant repellent made in Germany. One drop of it can destroy about 500 adult individuals. Today, the original product is copied by many unscrupulous manufacturers. To avoid buying a fake, read the label carefully - the genuine gel has a special hologram, and all inscriptions are made exclusively in German.
Review
Valeria: “I suffer from allergies, so I approached the choice of insecticide against ants with special care. I couldn’t use sprays, and traps didn’t help much. I bought it at the Globol store, applied small balls around the entire perimeter and waited. After some time, there was no trace of the ants left. Now this gel is always at hand. I am confident in its effectiveness, so I can confidently recommend it to my friends.”
Clean house
A budget-friendly and effective product that causes the death of ants within 1.5-2 days after application. One tube of gel is enough to treat 25 square meters. m. area. It should be used no more than once a month.
Review
Lily: “I’m just having trouble in the kitchen - there were ants in the bread bin, and in the jug of boiled water, and under the sink where the bucket is. In general, not very pleasant. The store recommended Clean House gel. I smeared it on the kitchen floor around the entire perimeter. The result was noticeable immediately, although the packaging says that the insects will disappear only after three days. I bought the gel at a very affordable price. It is used sparingly, does not smell and leaves no traces. I recommend!".
Important! The active ingredients of the “Clean House” gel are highly toxic, so be sure to wear rubber gloves when working with this product.
A great warrior
A universal drug for those who want to get rid of not only domestic but also garden ants. The product is applied in corners and on baseboards along the walls every 5-6 cm. The gel is effective for 36 hours. During this time, the working individuals die, then an epidemic begins in the anthill itself. “The Great Warrior” requires the same careful attitude as the previous version. Its shelf life is 2 years.
Review
Julia: “A wonderful drug for domestic ants. I learned about all the delights of living next to ants when we moved to a new apartment, which was on the 1st floor. I immediately bought Great Warrior gel and lubricated all the baseboards, kitchen cabinets and table with it. I have never regretted choosing this product! The only pity is that the first time you wet clean it, you have to reapply it. And so all is well. We managed to find a gap in the floor through which the ants entered the apartment. So I squeezed half a syringe in there. After that, the insects did not appear again.”
Triple Strike
A very strong drug based on three active substances - diazinon, imidacloprid and cypermethrin. Lasts for about a day. It wears off after 3 weeks and requires reapplication. This disadvantage of the Triple Impact is compensated by its low price.
Review
Anna: “I fought the ants with Triple Impact gel. I tried to exterminate them in other ways, but nothing worked. This was the only drug that helped. She smeared it on literally everything - crevices, cracks in the floor, cabinets, even the legs of the kitchen table. After 2 days the insects disappeared. True, after a couple of months they began to appear again. I treated everything with gel again - no more problems! By the way, the product has a rich yellow color, so you need to apply a thin layer so that no traces remain.”
Chops
An effective and not very expensive remedy against ants, which contains chocolate or honey (acts as bait). One tube of this gel is enough to treat an apartment of 40 square meters. m. “Rubit” removes a colony of parasites within 5-10 days.
Review
Karina: “I bought this gel on the way home at the market. There was little choice, so I took what was offered, but was very pleased. I didn’t think that Rubit would so easily cope with an entire colony of ants that was crawling out from under the floor. It is enough to apply the drug several times with an interval of several days, and the problem is solved! Thanks to the manufacturers for an inexpensive and effective product. Although it is not so popular, it is very good.”
Brownie
This gel is recommended for killing small red ants, although it also works well on other species. “Brownie” has a neutral odor and remains active for 3 months. When treating a room with this product, you should wear gloves.
Review
Lyudmila: “I got ants immediately after installing the new kitchen. If you don't leave anything edible on the table, you won't see them. But as soon as you forget cookies on the table or leave a plate in the sink, they immediately appear. Mom said that I couldn’t find anything better than Domovoy, so I went to the store with a specific purpose. The gel really helped. Now insects don't appear at all. It leaves no traces or odor behind itself and poses no danger to humans.”
Fas
Popular among owners of country houses and private houses. Works equally well on both red and pharaoh ants.
Review
Alina: “We live in a private house, so ants are our regular guests. But nothing from them helped. And recently a new gardening store opened near the house - that’s where I headed. I told the seller about the problem, and she “prescribed” Fas gel. The price is just ridiculous, so I decided to try it. The ants began to die immediately, the next day there were none. The gel itself is economical and does not smell of anything. I can say for sure that this is the best remedy.”
Raptor
An excellent insecticide that can be used as a complement to the spray of the same name. Using both means, you can destroy the worker ants and get to the anthill where the queen lives. The validity period is from 3 to 7 days. One tube is enough to treat an area of 30-40 square meters. m.
Read more about using Raptor against ants in this article.
Review
Sofia: “I’ve heard about Raptor for a long time, but I’ve never used it. And then there were ants in the kitchen. I immediately remembered this gel and decided to kill the insects with this particular drug. Raptor is a really good help. 5 weeks have passed since the treatment, insects no longer bother me.”
Storm
It is not as advertised as other means, but is in no way inferior to them in effectiveness - it even gives many a head start. Unfortunately, you can’t get “Sturm” paste-gel in all stores.
Review
Antonina: “When the ants multiplied, I poisoned them with Sturm. I poured out the entire tube at once. It helped, but it took a long time to wash the floor. But there was no trace of the insects left. It works - verified."
How to deal with ants in the garden
Ants are most annoying while they are in the garden. If you want to know how to kill ants, use a few proven methods:
- to scare away ants, place a rag soaked in kerosene . calendula next to currant and gooseberry plantations - it attracts ladybugs, which actively eat aphids;
- tie the tree trunk with cotton wool or wool soaked in a carbolic solution . Also create a palm-wide soot and linseed oil
- Attach bottles of sugar water and lubricate their necks with syrup or anise oil ;
- if the ants have settled at the roots of the tree, use ordinary or bleach . Sprinkle quicklime on the ant heaps and pour water over them. A 20% solution of carbolic acid will also put insects to flight;
- Indirect attacks on ants should be done when fighting aphids. of the branches into a bowl of soap-salt or soap-ash solution and rinse there. Such a “shower” corrodes the skin of the aphid and it becomes unviable.
To prevent ants from running through trees, use hunting belts soaked in kerosene
Prevention of ants
To prevent the appearance and reproduction of insects in your summer cottage, follow the following preventive measures:
- plant aromatic plants - mint, garlic, wormwood, etc.;
- destroy insects in a timely manner as soon as you find them on the site, preventing active reproduction and rapid population growth.
When choosing means of control and prevention, consider not only their effectiveness, but also their safety for humans, animals and cultivated plants.
How to get rid of ants in the garden
Various methods are also used to protect garden crops from ants, and the most effective of them look like this:
- sprinkle the anthill with salt , and also scatter it along the “paths” and places of greatest concentration of insects. Add a few elderberry and wild mint to make life miserable for ants;
- add 400 g of laundry soap and 2 tbsp carbolic acid , as well as 10 tbsp. kerosene _ Thoroughly dissolve the soap and mix the composition. Water the anthill, tunnels, and also the bases of the trees along which they crawl with the resulting mixture. After 2-3 such treatments, the ants will prefer to move to another place;
- mix dried and crushed oregano with sulfur in a 1:2 ratio, dig up the ground in the place where the ants settled and fill in the prepared mixture. stove soot near the ant colony ;
- if the ants have just begun to form a colony, they can be caught with a simple bait - to do this, soak a sponge in a sugar solution and when the ants run onto it, immediately dip it in boiling water . Do this several times until the insect population is minimal;
- One of the relatively “humane” methods is the forced eviction of ants . At dusk, when all the insects have returned “home,” take a shovel and dig out the entire anthill in two or three times. Quickly transfer it, along with its inhabitants, into a bucket and take it outside the site, preferably into the forest. Pour boiling water over the hole;
- Traditionally, in open areas, ants are repelled by the smell of garlic cloves , tomato tops or parsley leaves , ground cinnamon and other pungent aromas.
The easiest way to lure ants is in fragrant and sweet traps.
Where to begin
The struggle begins with cleanliness and the creation of unfavorable living conditions for little workaholics. First of all, insects are cut off from access to food: garbage bags must be tied, crumbs must be wiped off the table, the stove and floors must be clean.
If there is a garbage pit nearby, it must be removed. Only complete cleanliness and order will make pest control easier and more fruitful.
Among the unfavorable conditions, in addition to cleanliness, special attention should be paid to storerooms, closets and sheds. Here, too, you need to tidy up and, if possible, rearrange - ants don’t like to be disturbed.
Ants in the country - how to get rid of them in the house
Sometimes ants move into the house and begin to destroy food supplies in the home. To combat them, you can use the following methods:
- place baits consisting of 50 ml of water , 5-6 g of borax (tetraboric acid salt) and 50 g of sugar ;
- Those with a sweet tooth love jam – especially raspberry, cherry and strawberry. Add 20 g of fresh yeast and 5 g of boric acid to 500 g of jam . The ants will happily pounce on the delicacy, but it will most likely be their last - most of the individuals will die within 2 days;
- Since chemicals cannot be used in the apartment, you need to use products that are safe for humans, but unpleasant for insects. For example, such as sunflower oil , elderberry , tomatoes , wild mint , cloves , wormwood and garlic ;
- take a piece of old yellowed lard (100-200 g) and fry it on all sides. Leave the lard on a plate near the ant passages. Believe me, rarely is any product capable of repelling small pests so strongly;
- Boric acid against ants has been proving its effectiveness for several years now. It paralyzes the nervous system of insects and they soon die. of sugar in boric acid and leave them in this form in an open place. Or you can use 2-3 tsp. dry minced meat and soak them with 1 tsp. boric acid.
Sugar soaked in boric acid is the best remedy for ants
Popular Home Methods
There are a lot of folk remedies for garden ants in the garden, and it is not at all necessary to go to the store for them. Almost every home has at least one of them. Let's consider only the most accessible and proven ones:
- Given the love of insects for sweets, you need to place bait for garden ants on the site: several jars of jam, honey, or just sugar water. Ants will climb there to eat, and the owner will only need to periodically rinse the jars with boiling water, killing the arthropods.
- Regular baking soda is as effective against ants as poison. All anthills found on the site are thickly sprinkled with it. Insects will quickly leave the now unsuitable housing.
- You can speed up the procedure if you mix baking soda and powdered sugar in equal proportions and also sprinkle on the anthill. Six-legged sweet tooths will pounce on such a delicacy, not suspecting that it is fatal to them.
- Soda against garden pests can also be used in solution. Pour two tbsp into a one and a half liter plastic bottle. l. soda, add water and mix well by shaking. The solution is poured onto the anthill, sprinkled with dry soil and covered with polyethylene to block the access of oxygen inside.
- Another very simple but effective way to remove garden ants using folk methods is to water the anthill to the very bottom with boiling water, warm lime, or livestock urine.
- It is known that some products, for example, semolina, corn flour, and millet also help against ants. Insects not only eat them themselves, but also carry them to the nursery to feed their fellows. Once in the stomach, the grains swell, and insects that are unable to digest them die. Depending on the size, semolina or millet from 2 to 3 kg is poured onto the anthill.
- As in the case of soda, to speed up the process, cereals, flour or semolina from pests are mixed with sugar. For one serving of sugar, take 3-4 servings of other products.
- Yeast has the same effect. A small amount of yeast is diluted in warm water with the addition of honey, jam or just sugar. Saucers with the drug can be placed near the anthill.
- Ammonia is also used very often against garden pests. It is especially convenient when you need to eliminate the entire anthill. Before removing the ant “capital”, the place where it is located needs to be dug deep. During the digging process, add ammonia diluted in water to the ground at the rate of 1 part alcohol per 100 parts water, as well as ash or lime. This solution will seem like fertilizer to the trees, and the ants will die or leave.
- Almost all strong pungent odors help get rid of garden ants for a long time: the smell of smoked fish, the stench of herring, the aroma of fragrant vegetable oil, freshly ground cinnamon. Arthropods cannot tolerate these aromas so much that as soon as they smell them, they leave their old homes and never return to them.
- Sheepskin treated with carbolic acid will also help to expel ants from their place. At a height of about 20 centimeters from the ground, the garden tree is wrapped in wide strips of chopped fur, with the wool facing out. The strong smell of carbolic acid will deter pests.
- In old pre-revolutionary newspapers, they often published extremely simple advice on how to remove garden ants using folk tricks. It was recommended to mix soot with ash, cover the ground with insects with this layer, then pour it all generously with a strong solution of salt water. It was believed that ants in these areas of the garden could be forgotten for several years.
It is better to carry out actions with an anthill in the evening, when all the insects have returned to their home.
Poisonous drugs against insects
One of the most effective means is “Combat”. By means of a poisonous bait, the active substance is transferred to the ants' home, where all individuals are poisoned, and close connection with other nests will lead to their infection. The drug is safe for animals and birds, securely closed in a special case, with passages only for small insects.
Among folk recipes, the most popular are poisons based on boric acid. Insect communication occurs through physical contact, and food transfer occurs from mouth to mouth. So the chemical will poison not only the workers, but also the queens. Below are recipes with this substance.
Mix boric acid and sugar in equal parts and pour onto paper.
- Mix 10 grams of acid with 2-3 yolks of a boiled egg and the same amount of medium boiled potatoes, add a spoonful of sugar, roll the resulting puree into small balls. The product is effective against cockroaches and many other pests.
- Mix minced meat or any meat with borax in a ratio of 20 to 1.
- Instead of minced meat from the previous recipe, fish is used (but not smoked or spicy).
- A glass of water, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 honey, 1/3 teaspoon of boric acid. The bait is poured into small saucers.
We lay out the “delicacy” along the ant trails in the garden, the foundation and baseboards. If you were unable to remove red ants from the garden using one of these recipes, then you need to try another until you find an ingredient that the insects like.
