Ants are very common insects to see, and you can suffer from an infestation of them in their different species. Thatch ants are one of these pests that you don’t want to have around the house because they will quickly eat your plants. If you have a beautiful garden and ants of this type are nearby, they will be able to eat your plants’ leaves and finally dry them.
You have to know about thatch ants, how to identify them, and their life cycles so that you prepare against the plague. Find out the infestation signs with these ants and the damage they cause if you let them form infestations. Learn how you can get rid of thatch ants or how you can prevent a large infestation.
What Are Thatch Ants?
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Thatch ants are those insects that you can see on your plants devouring their leaves and drying them out. These ants are very common in the garden because it is from there that they extract their food to live a long time. You can find thatch ants throughout South America or even North America, forming an infestation.
They are very active ants during the day, doing their best to keep their colony afloat with plenty of food. You may suffer from these ants in your garden more than in your home because they love to form a colony near their feed.
Identification Of Thatch Ants
In appearance, the straw ant has a predominantly brown color on its body and very discreet black legs. You can see that in size, the ant measures 0.2 to 0.4 mm in its adult stage. They are ants that remain active almost all day, although their feeding is always focused when the sun is present.
These ants are usually annoying against plants more than against your body because they tend to be peaceful in general. They are ants that you can often see outside your home, eating the plants if you let them form infestations.
Life Cycle
Like almost all ants species, thatch ants’ life cycle is subjective, depending on how much they feed. These ants can live from 1 year to 2 years, depending on how much they take care of themselves by food and predators. You can have a long time with the thatch ants, which in turn will have a new generation guarded by their queen ant.
Signs Of Straw Ant Infestation
You quickly know that you are suffering from straw ant infestation because of their plants’ presence. These ants are very obvious in their way of feed plants’ leaves in broad daylight. You have to look for those little brown dots on top of your plants, quickly eating the leaves.
Another sign of an infestation with thatch ants is that you will observe a colony of them near your garden. These ants do not stray too far from their food source, making the process of root removal easier.
Damage Caused By Thatch Ants
The damage that thatch ants do is serious if you let the infestation take over your entire garden. All the plants that you have at home will dry out in a short time due to the bite of these ants on their stem. They are ants that do not let the plants live and increase their activity when the summer weather begins to drop.
In winter, thatch ants slow down, being the perfect time for you to kill them. They are controllable ants if you spend a few minutes of your time using the best natural remedies to eliminate them.
How To Get Rid Of Thatch Ants Naturally?
You have to learn how to get rid of thatch ants naturally with some remedies such as:
Diatomaceous earth
You can buy some diatomaceous earth to get rid of thatch ants from your home. This repellent is good against all kinds of pests, but mainly thatch ants. You don’t have to limit yourself to using a good amount of diatomaceous earth where these ants walk.
Water
When you see the thatch ants on your plant, you have to apply water to fall and flee from there. You can create natural repellants with water by combining them with garlic, salt, washing, or other elements. It is good that you are always attentive to your plants and do not hesitate to apply water against pests conveniently.
Salt
Salt is good for ants, and you have to place it at the base of your plants, creating a perimeter. This element causes ants to suffocate when they eat it and finally die, causing their infestation to decrease. You can apply salt to your plant and then add water to it to make it an almost invisible repellent for ants.
Lavender
With some lavender that you buy or motivate yourself to plant a lavender plant, you can scare away the ants. This element is perfect for ants or other pests that you will face at home, protecting it from infestations.
Rosemary
If you buy some powdered rosemary and form a perimeter on your plant, you will likely avoid thatch ants. The rosemary smells these ants to suffocate or avoid the area not to die.
How To Prevent Thatch Ants?
Now that you know how to get rid of the plague, you must learn how to prevent it in the future with:
Clean your plants
You only have to clean your plants when you see the thatch ants on top of them eating their leaves. You can apply water or remove each ant with your hands and then kill them. It is good that you receive your plants every day to observe if their leaves have bites from this species of ant.
Plant repellent plants
You can also grow straw ant repellent plants like lavender or others with a strong odor. With these plants acting as protectors, you will prevent ants from passing through your garden by eating your plants. It doesn’t matter how many ant repellants you plant because they will give you good results against the pest.
Use water
If you set out to prevent thatch ants in your home, you can use water as a low-cost repellent. You only have to spray your plant with water every so often so that the ants there fall off. With a little daily water that you apply against the plant, you can kill the ants.
Prevent them from forming a colony
To prevent thatch ants near your plants, you must finally avoid colonies. These ants form their colony near your garden, so you must locate and eliminate it now. You can fill the ant colony with water, cleaning products, vinegar, or other strong-smelling items to suffocate them.
