It is common to get ants everywhere since they are quite elusive insects and difficult to detect despite their large populations. As is well known, ants, in addition to being elusive, are insects that are characterized by living in a community and an organized manner.
However, these insects qualify as pests because they can affect many things, including houses and even gardens. They are attracted not only by the possibility of nesting but also by the food that may be on the site they invade. It is necessary to have extensive information about them to address the subject properly or more appropriately.
Types of Ants in the Vegetable Garden
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Although people may automatically associate ants with open spaces or rural areas, gardens are rarely mentioned. You can get different species of ants in the orchards, which can sometimes be beneficial for it. However, this is not always the case, as at various times, these insects can be rather annoying pests. If you do not have control or knowledge of these ants, they can become an uncontrollable pest due to their rapid reproduction.
Therefore, it is necessary to know the species of ants that can most commonly be found in an orchard. Among the species that can be found in an orchard, the most outstanding to be mentioned are the following:
- The smelly house ant.
- The carpenter ant.
- The pavement ant.
- Red fire ants.
Are Ants Good for a Vegetable Garden?
It all depends but, in reality, they can be very beneficial for your garden as they help aerate the land and fertilize it. In line with these two great benefits, it can also be noted that ants contribute to seed dispersal and pollination.
In the same way, they can effectively prevent the appearance of fungi and diseases as ants produce an antifungal compound.
Do Ants Harm Your Vegetable Garden?
Also, as they are beneficial, they can become a pest that would affect your garden practically indirectly by interaction. Well, ants’ appearance can attract other types of pests that will directly affect your crops, damaging them for others.
The ants establish direct contact with different pests such as aphids, which will greatly affect different crops such as melon or strawberries. This issue is a bit ambiguous since many ants are good for orchards, but a lack of control will be fatal.
How To Eliminate Ants In The Garden Soil?
The best way to protect your garden is with natural methods that do not affect what has been grown or sown, such as:
Use cornmeal
Spreading it along the usual path of these insects will be useful to scare and get rid of them without affecting your garden.
Lemon juice
Spraying the lemon game where ants commonly pass is an extremely advantageous option as the acid affects their senses of orientation.
Coffee beans
Placing the coffee beans in strategic places will result in them not wanting to go through there because the smell of it will scare them away.
Use baking soda and sugar
It is a mixture harmful to the ants’ body, becoming the perfect insecticide to combat this pest.
Find the nest
Looking for the nest is treating the root problem because if this is not taken into account, the ants can reappear constantly. For this reason, you must find the nest by placing different types of baits for the ants to guide you to it. Although it may seem like a good idea to destroy it as soon as you find it, it is best to go in parts to make sure you destroy it completely.
Spray Neem oil
Neem oil is a very effective natural insecticide that promises to eliminate them from your life and garden.
How To Get Rid Of Ants On Vegetables, Fruits, Or Flowers?
There are several ways to get rid of this particular pest when they are found on fruits, vegetables, or flowers:
Garlic water
It turns out that garlic’s smell is very annoying for ants, so prepare a mixture of garlic in water. Once prepared, you should pour it into a spray bottle to spray the fruits, vegetables, or plants that have been affected in your garden.
Use rice
This method works more like a trap because the way to use it is by leaving some grains of rice where they usually pass. The ants will quickly take the rice grains as food and take them to their nest, fermenting, and becoming toxic.
Orange peels
The peel of this particular fruit releases an unpleasant substance for ants, making it the perfect repellent.
White pepper
This method results in a natural ingredient with different compounds effective to repel and get rid of ants in all your crops and fields.
How To Treat Ants In Vegetable Garden?
Ants can be controlled in different ways, so you no longer need to worry about these insects’ existence in your garden. Follow the steps below:
Get rid of pests
Getting rid of other pests that, if they directly affect your garden, such as aphids, will prevent ants from roaming around it.
Boiling water
Pouring boiling water over the anthill or nest is an infallible method that will kill the queen, thus preventing her from reproducing.
Ground cinnamon or cayenne pepper
Sprinkling either of these two products helps repel ants, but it should be noted that it does not affect them fatally.
Artificial sweetener
Distributing this product is a great method because it results in something fatal for the insects above to be one of the most effective.
How To Prevent Ants In Vegetable Garden?
There are several methods to prevent the reappearance of ants in your garden, and that will also help keep them away from it:
Plant plants
You can choose to grow some plants that result in natural repellants such as peppermint, sap, lavender, pyrethrum, pennyroyal, or citronella.
Keep it clean
Ensuring that your waste and garbage are perfectly sealed and at a safe distance from your garden will be a good way to prevent them.
Seal
Close all possible access points that ants can use to access your gardens, such as crevices or crevices.
Cover food
Avoid leaving food outdoors without taking action, as they are the perfect attraction for ants to come to your garden.
Grow herbs and spices
As with plants, many spices can be grown in your garden to prevent them. Well, many spices emit a strong smell that repels ants naturally and without affecting what is cultivated or sown in your garden.
