You dreamed of ants - expect prosperity in business.
But if they have settled in your house or apartment, get ready for a big and long battle. After all, such a small opponent is strong; insect families belong to evolutionarily advanced colonies, which have a developed division of labor and their own communication system. Domestic red ants were brought to us on ships with fabrics and sweets from India in 1940. It was believed that red ants were Egyptian migrants, mistakenly calling them pharaohs. People call house ants ship ants, which is quite consistent with the history of resettlement.
Why do ants appear in the house?
Ants are insects that live according to a clear hierarchical pattern. Their families are numerous, they are controlled by the queen ant, which hatches the larvae of new insects.
When you find an ant trail, count the number of ants moving along it and multiply the number by 10. And this will be the approximate number of inhabitants of the anthill.
The worst thing is that there may be two or three such anthills near the apartment. But in a garden plot it’s difficult to even guess the number of nests with ants.
House creeps multiply quickly because they live in warm rooms. In just one month, their initial number increases by hundreds!
The benefits and harms of ants in a greenhouse
Black garden ants constantly loosen the soil and thereby saturate it with oxygen, which has a beneficial effect on plant growth. They dispose of insect carcasses, process them, and help replenish the soil with phosphorus and potassium in forms that are beneficial to plants. They kill other insect pests. This is where the benefits of ants for the greenhouse end.
But the harm from them is much more noticeable:
- eat leaves, buds, fruits;
- damage the root system, shoots, trunks;
- bring weed seeds;
- eat seeds and seedlings;
- aphids are bred, which destroy greenery;
- acidify the soil;
- they bite people working in a greenhouse with plants and the ant’s bite is quite painful;
- They carry pathogens of infectious diseases - both human and those affecting cultivated plants.
Ants must be removed from the greenhouse. It’s one thing if several ants crawled into the greenhouse, but it’s completely different when there are a lot of insects or, even worse, they’ve built their own anthill.
The pestilence of red ants
Unlike black ants, red ants are united. One colony can have up to 3-5 nests. If one of the anthills is endangered or destroyed, then this nest will soon be populated by relatives and quickly restored.
At home or in an apartment, these are the insects’ favorite places:
- building foundation;
- behind the wallpaper;
- in the pantry;
- behind the stove;
- in a warehouse;
- behind the electric heater.
R
The red species of ants is active throughout the year. As the weather cools, they require moist, warm conditions and darkness. That is why they move to home buildings for the winter.
Inside the living quarters the following are used as food:
- food products;
- home water supply system;
- garbage;
- electricity supply;
- leather items;
- natural fabrics;
- paper and wood.
People living in a house or apartment, including animals, often become victims of red ant bites.
It is very difficult to get rid of insects, as they can quickly adapt to unfavorable living conditions.
other methods
Ants will be reluctant to leave their favorite places. It is better to combine the use of strong folk techniques or poison baits with local remedies. They will help reduce the ant population while the main method takes effect. Examples:
- Place a jar of leftover jam or honey on the garden bed. After a while there will be a lot of insects inside. In two approaches you will significantly reduce the colony.
- Place clumps of coffee grounds, mint greens, finely chopped garlic or cut arrows, cinnamon, tansy or elderberry leaves around the greenhouse. The more unpleasant the smell for ants, the more unbearable their life will be.
- A 2-day infusion of citrus peels or celandine also produces a pungent odor. Use it to spray plants and ant habitats.
- Draw insect crayon stripes on several pieces of wood. Lay them out on the floor of the greenhouse. The poison will stick to the paws of the pests and will soon end up in the anthill.
- Use red ants if they have a home nearby. They often attack black gardeners and destroy their nests with eggs. At the same time, they rarely remain in the greenhouse themselves. To help red ants, make a path of soil from the anthill to the greenhouse pests.
Once you defeat and drive out one colony forever, stay alert. Another may take her place over time. It is important to eliminate all factors for this. For example, replace the wooden parts of the greenhouse structure with new ones, or even better, with metal ones. Regular loosening of the soil and preventing insects on the remaining open plot of land is also useful.
Gardeners note: effective options for controlling ants in a greenhouse and in a house differ from each other. Use known methods in combination. Complement one with the other. Use pesticides against ants last.
How does boric acid affect ants?
This drug is produced in the form of a powder or solution and can be purchased in pharmacies. Despite its low price, boric acid is an excellent insect intoxicator. The drug itself is odorless and dissolves well in hot water.
Boric acid has a contact-intestinal effect on ants. The substance can destroy insects even if it gets on its cover. The acid components penetrate the ant's body through the chitinous shell. And then they corrode the walls of the insect’s organs.
And once in the stomach, the substance causes severe intoxication, dehydration and paralysis.
Crystals of boric acid, which can be hidden in the bait, can destroy an entire colony when they are brought into the anthill by prey insects. There is a high probability of infection of the entire family if the poisoned ant dies in the nest and is eaten.
Causes sterilization of both male and female ants and even a minimal amount of the drug leads to the destruction of the colony.
