Anthills in the garden - help?
 

For the last several years, I've had ant hills in my garden. I mean they are
IN the garden, right with the plants and all. So, when I trim, or weed, or
harvest, it upsets the ants and they all come streaming out and I have to go
away for a day. These are regular black ants, not the fire ant kind (thank
goodness!).

I've planted some of my garden for this year, and am thinking ahead to when
the ants get active.

Does anyone have any suggestions to help either kill the ants, or encourage
them to build elsewhere? I'm in Northern Utah, Zone 4.

Thanks in advance -
Blair

Just regular ant killer in liquid spray (or granules you wet down) will
be ok, and is what I use. keep it on the ground and off the plants.

If you want to keep away from pesticides, there is an "old-timer" trick
using borax and sugar that might be kinda.. nasty.. on the little
fellers.

Apparently a chemical reaction takes place and the ants blow up
(assuming not literally, they just get too big for their
chitin/whatever you call it) and they burst. Other ants eat that, and
it goes on in a chain reaction.

Sorry I don't have the recipe handy, I think maybe I read it in an old
back issue of mother earth news or something along those lines.

Put some grits around their hills. They'll be gone in a day or two.
Someone has suggested that the grits makes them move, but I'm
thinking it kills them (or at least that hill). Try not to disturb the
hill when you drop a spoonfull of grits around it. Let me know if
they are still there two days later.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

"Blair Larsen" wrote:
For the last several years, I've had ant hills in my garden. I mean they are
IN the garden, right with the plants and all. So, when I trim, or weed, or
harvest, it upsets the ants and they all come streaming out and I have to go
away for a day. These are regular black ants, not the fire ant kind (thank
goodness!).

I've planted some of my garden for this year, and am thinking ahead to when
the ants get active.

Does anyone have any suggestions to help either kill the ants, or encourage
them to build elsewhere? I'm in Northern Utah, Zone 4.

Thanks in advance -
Blair