Ants

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DKR10 Cottage Grove, MN Jun 29, 2010

Hello, what a great website!

I have ant hills in my vegetable garden. My question is do they hurt anything? If so, how do I get rid of them without hurting my plants?

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stephanietx Fort Worth, TX(Zone 8a) Jun 29, 2010

They can eat vegetation, but in general, they're not harmful unless you get stung. You can sprinkle dry instant grits (found on the same aisle as the instant oatmeal) on the mounds, sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth on them, or just leave them alone.

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HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC(Zone 7b) Jun 29, 2010

For the most part, ants are considered to be "beneficial insects" - except for fire ants. One way to keep fire ants away is to maintain a healthy "local ant population" so I would leave them alone.

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XMelissaX Indianapolis, IN(Zone 5b) Jun 29, 2010

I think ants will "protect" aphids. They feed on the honeydew secreted but I'm not sure exactly how the ant/aphid relationship works. If you have no aphids, ants shouldn't be a problem or really damage your plants.

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onyxwar Greeley, CO(Zone 5b) Jun 30, 2010

If they do become a really big problem I use equal parts of peanut butter, honey and borax. Most people say this will kill them all, but that is not the case w/ my little friends. What it has done is limit the population and keeps them out of the strawberries. I think they like it better than my berries, who knows.

If they are not causing damage or helping the aphids I would leave them alone, since they are good bugs for the most part.

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bluepool Vero Beach, FL Jun 30, 2010

what exactly does dry grits do for ants?? yes, ants have their place in the yard but
what about when they start roaming inside the house???

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locakelly Phoenix, AZ(Zone 9a) Jun 30, 2010

They eat the grits and they expand and kill the ant.

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stephanietx Fort Worth, TX(Zone 8a) Jun 30, 2010

Inside, they get sprayed with either orange oil or Simple Green, whichever I can get to first.

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HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC(Zone 7b) Jul 04, 2010

Boric acid will kill ants and roaches. It will also kill pets, children, and you, so be careful with it. When I lived in Florida I purchased echols roach pills in the supermarket.

If you Google "Roach Prufe" you'll find a powder tha kills ants and roaches. It works, but again be careful. Sprinkle it at the back of things, or under heavy furniture where your pets/children cannot get to it. Once roach prufe gets wet, it's useless.

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