Mid-Atlantic Gardening: bugs and diseases treating your plants?, 2 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Sally--I bought a pack of the liquid Terro Ant baits. WOW! $8!!!
Trying to set the first one up along the wall, behind the baker's rack by my kitchen door,
the bait flipped sideways and some/most? of the liquid spilled out on the floor. There goes $ 1.50!

Anyway--I found out the source of all the ants outside, and in my pots, on my little table.
I had one of those BIG spools that heavy electric cord comes on. I use these as small tables outside.

The last on I had was getting completely rotted out--but the top was still good and painted.
SO! I proceeded to remove the boards that make up the stays of these "spools". Long, heavy
work!
I have had this small, round metal table I have been using. The top is all rusted out full of holes.
So--I set the top of the spool on top of this metal table and put all my pots on top.

There was a gouged out, round area underneath this top--with kind of rotting wood.
You guessed it! The ants all made a colony in there.

When I decided to remove the wood top--Mamma Mia! There were ants and larva all over underneath.
No wonder they were crawling up and going in my pots!
With a can of Roach and Ant Spray in hand--I quickly dispelled them all.
Now my pots sit ONLY on the rusty metal table. This little table used to sit on my Mom's back porch.
I have NO idea how old it is....
U usually use it to put my small "Smoky Joe" grill on it if and when I grill something. Safe!

Here is thew bottom of the wood-spool I had on top. The ants' "condo" was inside this bottom layer.
Where all the open area is. You can also see a small part of the metal table on the right.

#1--the removed top
#2--the table as it was before I took it apart. (from May).

For now--no more ants. Still have to check the big Parsley pot...