Why is this happening
Before looking for ways to remove ants from a flower pot, you need to find the reason for their appearance. Experts have proven the close symbiosis between ants and aphids. The latter prefers to use plant juice as a food source. Indoor flowers in pots are the optimal habitat. It is always warm there, moderately humid and all the plants have enough juice.
Ants themselves are capable of growing entire colonies of aphids, carefully caring for their representatives. For these insects, the sweet honeydew, which is secreted during the life of aphids, becomes the most delicious morsel. As a result, large colonies of both aphids and ants grow in flower pots on the window.
Ants in indoor plants
Also, the reason that ants appeared in flower pots could be the initially contaminated soil. It is often imported by flower growers from the forest.
Before starting the fight, you should carefully study the behavior of insects and determine their location.
Ignoring the problem threatens the rapid death of your favorite potted plants. After all, after an aphid attack, decorative flowers quickly begin to fade, stop growing and may finally die.
How to fight correctly
You can choose the right control method only after the sources of insects have been identified. If ants appear on flowers after aphids have appeared there, then it is necessary to take measures to eliminate them.
Soap to the rescue
Soap solution for ants
At home, it is quite easy to get rid of aphids in flowers. You can use soapy water for this:
- Grate a bar of soap on a coarse grater and dilute it in water. The ratio of soap chips and water should be 1:10.
- Spray the flower with soapy water.
- It is important to treat all plants in the room and the entire house so that insects cannot simply move to neighboring plants. This method will also help to destroy ants in indoor flowers.
Sweet poison
Another effective way to get rid of pests in flower pots is to prepare a treat that can kill annoying ants. Millet and honey are used for this. It is necessary to mix the two ingredients and place them on a plate next to the infected plant. The sweet component of the product will definitely force insects to eat it, and the digestive system of six-legged animals is not able to digest the cereal. As a result, all individuals that have tasted the delicacy will die and the flowers will be able to fully grow and develop.
Strength of smell
Ants have a fairly developed sense of smell to sense food over long distances. Therefore, if there are ants on flowers, you can use some plants.
Ants cannot stand the smell of wormwood, mint, parsley and tomato tops. You can simply place these plants on the windowsills near flower pots, and the pests will quickly leave the occupied area.
Soil replacement
Replacing soil when infested with ants
This method is suitable if the pest has already lived in the soil being used:
- To get rid of it, you need to remove the flower along with the soil from the pot.
- Free the roots from soil as much as possible.
- Pour boiling water over the contaminated soil from the pot and allow to cool. In this case, all individuals die, including their eggs and larvae.
It is also possible to do it in another way so as not to disturb the plant too much. Place the flower pot in a large container of water so that the liquid completely covers it. Let it sit for a while. If there are ants in the ground, they will definitely try to escape. Since pests cannot swim, they will quickly die.
After the procedure, be sure to let the soil from the pot dry to avoid rotting of the root system.
Special preparations
If there are ants in your indoor flowers, you can also fight them with targeted insecticides. The stores offer solutions that need to be used to treat the soil in pots. Poison sticks are also available. To use them, it is enough to insert an insecticide into the ground.
Special baits have proven themselves well. This is one of the most popular remedies. You can buy them in the store, or you can prepare them yourself. To do this, simply mix sugar, honey or other sweets with a small amount of boric acid. Roll into balls and place in ant paths.
Thus, the fight against ants in home flowers has positive results from the very beginning. The main thing is to take action as quickly as possible, before the population spreads and affects all domestic vegetation.
TOP 20 “folk remedies” for ants
After conducting an analysis, we grouped all the “folk remedies” for fighting ants into TWENTY groups, the most effective and proven by many years of practice. Perhaps some are familiar to you, and some will be a discovery for you.
Medicinal chamomile
Dry medicinal chamomile is sold in any pharmacy. Directions for use: Sprinkle dry in areas where ants are found. A special type of chamomile, pyrethrum, shows good results.
This method is simple and absolutely safe for both people and pets.
Sweet trap
A sweet trap is a glass of water with sugar or honey. Directions for use: dilute 2 tablespoons. spoons of sugar or honey in a glass of warm water. You can add fresh yeast. Traps are placed in places where ants gather. Ants will crawl towards the sweet treat and drown in the water.
Baits with boric acid
This is an effective method of getting rid of ants on your property and at home, proven by many years of practice. Ingredients: sugar/honey and boric acid and water. All components are mixed, the finished working composition is distributed drop by drop along the paths of movement of the ants.
Considering that powdered boric acid is poorly soluble in water, boron balls/crumbs are made. To do this, boric acid is mixed with a food attractant (either egg yolk, or minced meat/pet food, or boiled potatoes, or honey or other “goodies” for ants). You can add glycerin to the bait, which will keep the bait moist and prevent it from drying out.
Boric acid in baits is an effective and simple way to combat ants
Boron balls or boron crumbs are laid out or scattered in places of accumulation and along the paths of movement of ants. The ants also take these crumbs to their nest, which allows them to quickly deal with these insects.
How to properly make baits with boric acid, quantity, frequency of use, timing, see a separate material.
This method requires precautions for pets.
READ MORE: “Boric acid for ants and cockroaches (FOUR basic recipes and ready-made preparations)” |
Yeast from ants
Yeast is diluted in warm water with the addition of a small amount of sugar. In this option, you can use wine wort and kvass starter. The mixture is spread into small containers, which are placed in the habitats of the ants.
Garlic
Garlic is primarily used to get rid of house ants. Their paths of movement are rubbed with garlic, the bright smell of which will repel insects forever. You can also take finely chopped garlic, after which it is applied with a brush to problem areas. The method is very labor intensive.
Essential oils (mint, eucalyptus, citrus, etc.)
Such repellers do not destroy insects, but force them to leave their nesting sites. To prepare active solutions, you need to take 1 liter of warm water and add 20 drops of any essential oil from plants such as mint, eucalyptus, lavender, fir or citrus.
Currently, as before, the main method of fighting ants is chemical (use of insecticides). Powder or granular preparations, sometimes emulsion concentrates, are used. They differ from each other in chemical composition and principle of action.
Among the most used are preparations based on diazinon, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, malathion, fipronil and a number of other active ingredients.
For example, diazinon is one of the strongest poisons that acts as quickly as possible and protects against ants for a long time. It is based on, for example, the drug “HECTOR for ants”, which is capable of destroying an entire colony through just one infected ant, which, having eaten the poison, will return to its relatives in the nest.
Anise seeds, laurel and valerian extracts
Anise seeds are crushed and mixed with unrefined vegetable oil. This liquid is used to lubricate the areas where ants appear. A pungent and persistent smell will force ants to look for more comfortable places for their further life activities.
In addition to anise seeds, it is permissible to use other plants, as in the previous case. The most commonly used extracts are laurel, oregano, valerian, etc.
Glue traps
The simplest adhesive traps are made from double-sided tape. One side of the tape is glued to any base, and any food bait should be placed closer to the center. It could be a drop of honey or a berry from jam. Insects will try to get to the bait and will simply stick to the tape.
Hunting belt for trees against ants and other insect pests
The same principle applies to adhesive hunting belts on trees. To prevent ants and other garden pests from climbing up to the fruit ovaries and leaves from the ground, along the tree trunk, and from breeding aphids there, belts are made. A special garden glue of permanent stickiness and a backing made of any material are used - fabric, polyethylene, cardboard, etc.
READ MORE: “Catching belt for trees against garden pests (what they are and how to make it yourself)” |
Red pepper, mustard powder
Ants also cannot tolerate these seasonings, just like pharmaceutical chamomile. You should sprinkle them on all the places that insects have chosen. After a day they will leave them.
Moving an anthill
A simple and effective way is to dig up and move the anthill outside the dacha. The soil under the anthill should also be disposed of - moved outside the garden plot, as there may be numerous larvae in it. Pour boiling water over the former anthill site.
Boiling water (boiling water)
This method is known to many; it cannot be called humane, but it does exist. An anthill is filled with boiling water. However, the use of this radical measure will help to destroy the ants only locally, but at the same time seriously destroy the microflora of this place.
This method should be used as an emergency method.
Using boiling water to control ants
Boiling water can be used in another way - to make sugar bait. Soak a foam sponge in sugar syrup and place it in areas where ants gather. As soon as the sponge “sticks” with ants, transfer it to a metal bucket and pour boiling water over it. Repeat this several times to dramatically reduce the number of insects.
Growing plants that repel ants
You should grow bright-smelling plants in your garden and garden plot - marigolds, garlic, onions, parsley. The smell of these plants repels ants.
Garlic is planted in strawberry beds.
Chamomile and calendula should be sown next to currant and gooseberry bushes - they attract ladybugs, which actively eat aphids.
Fighting aphids
An indirect way to fight ants is to fight aphids, honey bugs, mealybugs, leafhoppers, i.e. those insects that secrete large quantities of honeydew (the delicacy for which the ants breed them and take care of them).
Why do ants live in flowers?
Ants appear in indoor flowers for the following reasons:
- irregular cleaning: a full trash can, leftover food on the table and floor - these are the things that attract the attention of pests;
- ants or their eggs can be brought into the house on clothes or shoes from the street;
- due to the fact that these pests are heat-loving insects, with the arrival of cold weather they rush into human housing; the ideal conditions for their stay are in the absence of hygiene;
- insects may come from a neighboring apartment, the owners of which have decided to get rid of pests.
Ants in a flower pot Once in an apartment, ants will definitely take a liking to a flower pot and settle in it. After all, it is in it that favorable conditions are created for pests to live.
Reasons for the appearance of ants in a flower pot
With the arrival of spring warmth, insects at home can become a big problem, especially for those people who live on the lower floors or in a private house.
Important! Once a year, many winged ants appear in the nest.
Paths of arrival of ants:
- They can easily get into a house under favorable conditions and open windows, and create a new family there, numbering hundreds or even thousands of insects.
- Ants are able to travel long distances in search of food. Perhaps the ants first settled in your apartment and then took a fancy to a flower pot for their settlements.
- Another reason for the appearance of insects is their presence in the brought soil. When replanting a flower, you might not have noticed that there are insect eggs and larvae in the ground.
- Before you get rid of ants in a flower pot, observe them. Perhaps they nest not inside the pot itself, but somewhere nearby. Then you need to “fight off” the invaders not only by saving the pot, but also use modern and old-fashioned methods for these purposes to drive the insects away.
Important! You can use special traps filled with, for example, yeast and sugar treats to catch insects.
You can also use coffee grounds as a trap, which is dangerous for ants. Mix it with sweet juice, sugar syrup or jam. This bait will attract them. Using this product, you will effectively get rid of ants not only in the pot, but also in the apartment.
How to protect a flower
If there are ants in your indoor flowers, you need to get rid of them urgently. Otherwise, the plants may die.
Flood
If ants have attacked a flower, then to get rid of them, it is necessary to flood their home. To do this, place the flower pot in a deep, large-diameter container and fill it with water. If this is not possible, you should close the water outlet holes and fill the pot to the top with water. The bustle of insects will become noticeable within a few minutes.
Soil replacement
If ants are found in the ground, then if possible, it is better to change the contaminated soil. To do this, turn the pot over and carefully shake the flower out of it. After that, thoroughly clean the roots and rinse with water to get rid of the eggs laid by the pest.
If there is nothing to replace the contaminated soil with, then it must be calcined in the oven for 20 minutes. The soil treated in this way, after it has cooled, can be used for its intended purpose.
Application of repellents
Treating the pot and stem of an indoor flower with garlic or vegetable oil will help remove ants. You can also place a sprig of wormwood, mint, lavender, anise or parsley in the place where pests accumulate. The smell of these plants is not to the liking of insects, which will force them to go in search of new housing. Tomato tops have similar properties.
The aroma of basil, cinnamon or cloves will repel ants from the flower. Insects are afraid of black and red ground pepper. It is enough to scatter any of these spices near the pot, and the ants will leave the flower forever.
Destruction of ants in flowers
Tape traps
Regular tape will help reduce the number of ants at home. It is enough to paste it over the edges of the flower pot, as well as the flowerpot, with the sticky side facing out, and the insects scurrying here and there will certainly fall for this trick.
Soap solution
If ants are on flowers, you can also destroy them using a soap solution. 1 tsp must be dissolved in 0.5 liters of water. liquid soap. The resulting solution is poured into a spray bottle and the plant is sprayed with it. A small amount of liquid should also be poured into the soil of the flower.
Oatmeal with honey
The fight against ants in home flowers can be carried out using oatmeal and honey. They are mixed in a 1:2 ratio, the resulting mass is laid out near the flower pot. Ants have a big sweet tooth, so the smell of honey will quickly attract their attention. But oatmeal acts as a poisonous component, and insects will die if they eat it.
Millet
If ants have settled in flower pots, then simply sprinkle millet on the ground. The cereal will clog the ant passages, which will force the insects to leave their nest. There is another opinion on the use of this recipe. Ants, eating cereals, die due to the fact that the millet begins to swell inside them, deforming the body of the pests.
This method is more often used to control pests in the garden, but it is also quite acceptable for indoor plants.
Camphor oil
Camphor oil is another effective remedy against pests in the soil. It is enough to dilute 10 drops of camphor oil in 1 liter of warm water and pour the resulting solution over the infected flowers. To achieve maximum effect, the procedure is repeated 2-3 times.
Regular cleaning of the apartment will help protect your indoor flower from pest invasion.
Ant Control Methods
The fight against ants in the garden is carried out both with folk remedies and with the help of chemicals. The fight against these insects is long and persistent. I advise summer residents to choose one of the methods described below:
No chemicals
- It is known that ants do not like the smell of tansy, wormwood, mint or anise. There is also information that insects are repelled by the aroma of parsley, tomato leaves, bay leaves, and mustard. Green or dried leaves of plants are laid out in places where insects accumulate.
- You can fill a nest with ants with boiling water . But, this operation must be repeated until all the individuals that live inside the numerous passages die. If this operation is not completed, then soon the anthill will come to life again, increase its numbers and continue to exist.
- Sprinkle ant habitats with regular millet . After a day, the ants completely leave. After 2 weeks, repeat sprinkling with millet. Ants mistake millet sprinkled on their anthill for their dead eggs. And for them this is like a signal of increased danger, anxiety that this place is dangerous for them. They rush around with these false eggs and eventually realize that nothing can be saved, and leave this “dangerous” place for them or drag it into an anthill, but the millet swells, picking up moisture, and clogs all the passages and exits in the anthill, which forces the ants throw it or choke.
- Fir essential oil will help in the fight against ants: add 8-10 drops of fir oil to half a liter of water and water the anthill. Carry out the treatment in the morning and evening. Usually a single application is sufficient. If necessary, you can repeat at intervals of one day.
With chemistry
- Prepare a bait with a slow-acting intestinal poison (borax, boric acid) with honey or sugar: a hot 20% aqueous sweet solution is mixed with an equal amount of one of the indicated components until completely dissolved. The mixture is poured into flat containers and placed near an anthill or in a place where many working insects run. Sticks are placed next to the saucer, making it easier to get to the food. Think about pets or birds so that they do not drink this solution. Cover the saucer with some kind of cap, leaving a gap. Periodically, the poisoned liquid is replaced, and after 3-5 days, when the insects disappear, it is removed.
- For 2 tablespoons of hot water, take 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/3 teaspoon of borax, adding 1 teaspoon of honey to the solution after cooling (the bait is replaced weekly, as it deteriorates).
- 1 tablespoon of glycerin, 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/3 teaspoon of borax.
- For 100g. water 3-5 g. borax, 40 g. sugar, 10 g. honey and a few drops of vanilla or pear essence.
Remember that you should not use these barbaric methods unnecessarily. If it is possible to live next to ants, then do not deprive them and yourself of this.
How to get rid of ants on flowers
You can remove ants that have settled in a flower pot or garden flower bed using various methods. For this purpose, baits can be used, made independently or purchased at a gardening supply store. Some gardeners dilute soap essence to destroy these pests. You can also prepare a drug based on a folk recipe.
It should be noted! The presence of ants on flowers indicates that there are pockets of aphids or worms in the planting pot. Aphids are destroyed with a special agent diluted in water, which is used to spray the flower. You can get rid of worms by transplanting the plant into a larger container.
About the causes
Ants on flowers
Factors contributing to the appearance of ant foci in flower pots are:
- neglect of regular cleaning: an overfilled garbage bin, the presence of food remains on the table surface or on the floor can attract various insects, including ants;
- ant eggs or the pests themselves can be brought into a living space when they come into contact with clothing or shoes;
- insects such as ants prefer to choose warm habitats for themselves, which is the reason for their rush into human housing (if there is no hygiene in an apartment or house, this will be an ideal place for their spread);
- a colony of ants can move into a neighboring apartment if one of the neighbors decides to start removing them.
Note. When ants enter an apartment, they settle in an indoor flower pot, where the conditions for their habitat are most favorable.
About breeding methods
Cases when a flower bed becomes infested with insects are not uncommon. The most common treatment method for getting rid of ants on flowers is spraying with potent drugs, for example, Anteater.
You can destroy insects without damaging the bud or other parts of the plant using an infusion of aromatic citrus peels or a celandine solution, which is prepared by infusing a bunch of flowers for two days.
For house flowers growing in pots located outside, for example, on a veranda, you can fumigate them with tobacco smoke by placing them in a plastic bag and leaving them until the morning. This method is aimed at destroying aphids and repelling ants.
The safest method of removing ants from a garden plot is to install a sweet bait. To do this, the remains of old jam are diluted with water (homemade sugar syrup is also suitable), which must be spread throughout the garden plot. Thus, instead of breeding aphids as food, the ants will consume sugar syrup.
Ants can also be exterminated using a solution based on ammonia in the amount of 10 milliliters per 1 liter of boiling water, which must be poured into the anthill.
A solution based on ammonia for ants
Remedies for ants on the site
The most highly effective remedies for ants on flowers and how to get rid of them:
- An anteater that acts on several species of ants. The affected area is the insect's intestines, which are poisoned by diazinon. The paralyzed pest gradually dies. Upon contact with healthy insects, the infection is also transmitted to them. The solution is poured onto the anthill;
- Ant is a drug sold in the form of granules that destroys various types of insects. Based on the contact-intestinal method of exposure. At normal dosage it is not toxic to the plant. A one-time treatment will be enough to destroy a large colony.
- Muracid is a drug aimed at damaging the intestines and nervous system of the ant, contributing to its death. The ampoule has a dispenser that allows you to measure the required volume of the drug. Designed to treat both anthills and the area around trees.
- Summer resident is a universal-use preparation based on essential oils with a fir aroma. Sold in the form of a spray.
- Grom-2, in addition to ants, is also capable of destroying midges. The granular preparation is laid out in furrows around flower plantings - most often a rose or peony. The pests die after two days.
Highly effective ant repellents
Folk remedies for ants in the house
Scientists believe that the high social structure of these insects allows them to quickly bypass any obstacles. Therefore, you should use an ant repellent that will completely destroy the insects, their queen, or create unbearable living conditions.
How to get rid of flies at home
Here are the techniques that will help you get rid of ants in the house almost effortlessly (folk remedies):
Home remedy for ants: repellent odors
A good home remedy for ants is repellent scents. Insects communicate through smell: smells tell about the health of the colony, etc. The smell of many plants is a strong irritant for insects: it interferes with the transmission and reception of information from the environment and from other individuals.
Here is a home remedy for ants that will help drive them out:
- Garlic. Rub paths, walls, entrances to the anthill.
- Pharmaceutical camomile. Grind dried flowers and place them in insect habitats.
- Lemon. Cut in half, rub the ant paths and nearby surfaces.
What else don't ants like? At home, parsley, mint, cloves, and anise work well for repelling. Essential oils from brightly smelling plants will also be an effective remedy.
How to get rid of ants in a private house: effective ways
Chamomile flowers: Pixabay
How to remove ants from flower pots
How to remove ants from flower pots
There is a list of removal methods if ants appear on flowers and how to fight them:
- The widely used well-known folk method of flooding is carried out by placing a flower pot in a large, deep container, which must be filled with water. If your household equipment does not have a container of a suitable size, the pot is filled to the top with water. After a few minutes, when faced with flooding conditions, the pests will almost stop fussing;
- Work on replacing the soil must be carried out correctly: the pot is turned over and the flower is carefully removed from it. Next, the entire root system is thoroughly cleaned and washed to remove eggs laid by ants;
- The method of applying repellents is to treat the pot and trunk with garlic or vegetable oil.
- The list of herbs that repel ants includes:
- sagebrush;
- mint;
- lavender;
- anise;
- parsley;
- tomato tops;
- basil;
- cinnamon;
- carnation;
- black pepper;
- red pepper.
Herbs for ants
Insects cannot tolerate the smell of the above herbs, which forces them to look for a new habitat.
Helpful advice. If it is impossible to replace the contaminated soil, it must be calcined by placing it in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. The soil can be used for its intended purpose after cooling.
- You can also catch ants by covering a flower pot with tape so that the sticky side faces outward;
- A soap solution for killing ants is prepared from 1 teaspoon of liquid soap dissolved in 0.5 liters of water. The resulting liquid is poured into a spray bottle and used to treat the flower planting by spraying. In addition, it is recommended to pour a little solution into the soil;
- You can exterminate ants by placing a mixture of oatmeal and honey near the container with the flower. Honey is a strong-smelling component that attracts ants, oatmeal is a poisonous substance for these insects, and if they eat it, they will immediately die;
- When ant pockets appear in a flower pot, you can sprinkle the soil with millet. When eating cereal, the ants will die, since due to the swelling of the millet inside the insect, its body is deformed;
Note. The method of killing ants using millet is considered the most suitable for use in gardens.
- A solution of camphor oil for removal is prepared by diluting 10 drops of this essential component in 1 liter of warm water. The resulting liquid is used to water diseased flowers. The treatment should be repeated 3 times.
Prevention of ants
You can prevent the occurrence of anthills on your garden plot by carrying out gardening activities, including:
- timely digging of the earth;
- if you remove old tree bark;
- placing plant residues in a compost heap during harvesting;
- refusal to plant linden and viburnum in the garden;
- sowing mint, garlic, onions and calendula around the perimeter of the site;
- ridding the land of weeds.
Mint on the site as prevention against ants
At home, you can prevent ants from appearing in the following ways:
- remove food from the table;
- do not leave dirty dishes;
- collect crumbs;
- get rid of stains;
- store garbage in a sealed bag;
- clean the house regularly.
In garden plots, in most cases, ants are not completely exterminated, only the necessary plantings are treated. The only exception is the situation when ants fall into the well. But if they enter domestic living spaces, they can harm both the property and the health of the owners of the house or apartment. In this case, fighting them is mandatory.
Preventive measures against the appearance of ants
To prevent ants from appearing in your home again, take preventive measures:
- Pay close attention to the cleanliness of your kitchen. Do not leave dirty dishes and thoroughly wipe all work surfaces from food residues.
- Do not leave the following products open: sweets, meat, bread and other products.
- Store fruit in tightly closed food containers or the refrigerator.
- Frequently remove trash that may serve as a beacon for ant colonies in your kitchen.
- If you have determined the paths where the ants appear, then stick a 5 cm wide adhesive path using double-sided tape. This will deter the onslaught of uninvited guests.
- Keep juices and sweet drinks in closed plastic bottles.
- Sprinkle soda, black or red hot pepper near the doors, as well as on the window sills. This will repel insects.
- Ants also cannot tolerate the smell of cinnamon, basil, mint and cloves (spices). If you place repellent folk remedies around the room or on the windowsill, the ants will smell them and will not return to your house.
- Seal your windows and sprinkle your window sill with deterrents to prevent them from sneaking in through your window.
Ants in flower pots: pest control at home
There are different ways to get rid of ants that have taken a fancy to flower pots in an apartment or house.
You can use store-bought and homemade baits at home, make a soap solution and drown insects in it, buy special products, or use folk remedies that many people have at home.
It’s very disappointing when you tried to grow flowers on the windowsill, and ants appeared in them.
First of all, you need to get rid of pests that parasitize indoor flowers at home. If it is an aphid, then you need to buy a special product, dilute it with water and spray the plant with a spray bottle.
Are there worms in the soil? Change the soil by transplanting the plant into a larger pot.
Fighting ants in the garden and flower bed
Arriving at my summer cottage today, I immediately noticed suspicious bumps in my favorite flower garden and guessed that these were ant nests. The interesting thing is that 2 days ago they were not there. It became annoying that the ants set up their “maternity hospital” on my “alpine hill” and a flower bed with gladioli. So I thought about how to start fighting ants in the garden and flower garden, so as not to lose the harvest and prevent the death of your favorite flowers.
Usually, seeing such masonry, I took a shovel, a bucket and dug up an ant nest, moving the whole mess away from the dacha. Sometimes I had to take out 2 buckets of earth with eggs, but I was not sure that I had cleared the area, because... the uterus lies very deep in the ground.
But here, I imagined that I would have to disturb the landscape, dig up the roots of my well-groomed flowers on the hill. And I rushed to study special literature to find other methods of fighting ants in the garden.
Fighting insects with various means and baits
Nowadays, in stores that sell flowers, on the market, or via the Internet, you can buy chemicals or buy traps that will help you get rid of uninvited guests - ants - at home.
Permethrin
This is a product that is used to treat the soil at home and outside.
Insects eat it, and their nervous system is affected. Insects die due to paralysis.
Permethrin can be purchased as an aerosol or powder.
Before applying the drug to a flower at home, carefully read the instructions. This product is harmful to humans. Do you want to protect yourself?
Immersing the pot in water
Let's look at several ways to get rid of insects when immersing a flower in water? The instructions are simple and clear.
Method No. 1
Do this step by step.
Look in the apartment and take a large brew, a container, or put a flower pot in the bathroom.
Pour enough lukewarm water so that the pot is immersed in it. Leave it like this for half an hour. The ants will crawl out and drown or sink directly into the ground.
If the pot is on the floor and you cannot place it in some container, you need to fill the drainage holes in the bottom with plasticine.
Now water the pot generously and let it sit in the apartment for 30 minutes. The insects will drown. After this, carefully free the roots of the plant from the soil and replant it in a new pot using fresh soil.
Pack the old soil well in a disposable garbage bag and immediately take it out and throw it out of the house, clean up the apartment. Place the pot in its old place and do not place sugar, sweets, or anything that can attract ants near it.
Method number 2
If there are a lot of insects, you can drown the insects in an aqueous solution with an insecticide. You will need to consider several nuances.
Fill it with 4 liters of water. With a large pot and a plant in it, the dose of water can be doubled or tripled.
Insecticidal soap, dishwashing detergent or cleaning powder per 4 liters of water requires 250 ml. All of these remedies are effective. Choose any. High-quality soap and other brands: Dove with Dawn, Ivory with Palmolive, Joy.
Divide the solution into 2 parts. You will use one to fill the pot when you place it in a bathtub or large container. Fill the spray bottle with the second part and spray the insects trying to escape. Let the plant drenched in the solution stand for 1 hour.
Now use a hose to rinse the plant from the solution in the bathroom. It will be washed off, and the plant needs to be replanted in clean soil. It will feel great in an apartment.
Use the same washed pot or a new one, preferably larger than the previous one. When you only sprayed the stem with leaves and flowers with the solution, you can wash it off with water without replanting the flower.
Kitchen products
To get rid of ants, you can use products that you probably find in your kitchen.
This could be coffee grounds, pepper and other products, or a homemade trap with self-adhesive film. Let's take a closer look at these methods of controlling insects in an apartment.
Coffee grounds
For some reason, ants really don't like coffee grounds. They will avoid her. To get rid of them, sprinkle it on the soil in the pot and around the pot. Soon the insects will leave.
Spices and products that are on hand
Some mothers worry whether various toxic insect repellents will harm their children? They are safe, just follow the precautions.
Despite this, some housewives prefer natural repellers in the apartment. These include:
chili pepper or black powder.
One or more of these products needs to be drawn in a circle around the flower pot. Seal the windows. Gradually, the insects will leave the flower, and new ones will not get into it.
DIY non-poisonous trap
You can make your own insect trap. It will be non-toxic from a self-adhesive film. Do it like this:
- cut out a self-adhesive ring of such a size that it tightly covers the flower pot;
- Remove the protective layer from the tape and place it with the sticky side facing out so that insects crawling past are caught in the trap. The pot will stand in the center of such a tape;
- The adhesive film should be changed when necessary.
Do you want ants to leave your home forever after treatment? Clean the kitchen thoroughly after meals, do not leave sweet jam, honey, fruit and other foods that attract insects.
Cover juices and compotes in jars with a nylon lid. Take out the trash regularly.
Disinfect and keep the apartment clean. New insects will not take root; using various means you can get rid of the old-timers.