itssarafaye
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:49 pm

What about the ants?!

Hello,

I have been loving my first bountiful vegetable garden but lately so have the ants. Any tips for keeping them at bay. I'm completely organic right now and would like to stay that way.

Thanks!

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Congratulations on your garden!

Ants are not particularly a problem in the garden. They do not eat living plants and their tunnels do aerate the soil.

Things that will keep them away include strong smelling aromatics like mint, tansy, etc or making a ring of powdery stuff (flour, talcum, chalk, etc) around plants you want them to stay off. They have a hard time walking over powder, clogs their spiracles.

If they are fire ants or for some reason you feel like you really have to get rid of them, pour boiling water down their nest.

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Francis Barnswallow
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Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:28 pm
Location: Orlando

If you see a lot of fire ants, check under leaves for aphids. Where there's fire ants, there's aphids......at least in my experience.

littlekrb
Full Member
Posts: 26
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:04 pm

I have recently noticed a ton of ants on my cucumber plant specifically. Little black ones. They are concentrated on just one of the three plants. I have also noticed an uptick in cucumber beetles. I used to always see like one when I went out, now I see like 5 every time I go out. My plant looks completely healthy and continues to grow so should I not be worried?



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