wrote in message
.. .
I've got a nest of ants in my biggest compost pile. It is still working
and hot in the middle when I turned in yesterday. Any suggestions of best
way to get rid of them? Thanks

--
Elaine

Poison info for ants which only try to clean up our mess yet...

Go to your local drug store and purchase boric acid powder. Mix it 1
part Boric acid to 10 parts sugar. Place it on you pile about 1/4 cup of
the mix and cover with a rock. Same mix works with carpenter ants or
others in your home. Place 1/4 cup in a few containers in your
basement or under kitchen cabinets and it is good for years.

Best practice still may be to aerate your pile and not provide ant
desirable stuff.

My Dad gave me some boric acid clothes washing stuff but I forgot the
name. Perhaps it was 20 mule tide ? I have it about but have yet to
use it.

Bill

--
S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade
This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

Doug Kanter wrote:
I pour common household bleach on them if I can't fry them with my
magnifying glass.


Doug, I hope you meant that as a joke. Any bleach would make the
compost worthless for a very long period of time.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Gardening Since 1969

To see pictures from my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

My Dad gave me some boric acid clothes washing stuff but I forgot the
name. Perhaps it was 20 mule tide ? I have it about but have yet to
use it.
It's called "20 Mule Team Borax Powder". You can also use it in your yard to
control hookworms in your pets. It doesn't kill from what I heard, but makes
the soil unfavorable for them so they leave. I thought about using that the
other day maybe I will. If it doesn't kill the hookworms it shouldn't kill
the ants, just make them leave, right? And it should also be alright for the
plants later. What are your thoughts anybody?
"William Wagner" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
.. .
I've got a nest of ants in my biggest compost pile. It is still working
and hot in the middle when I turned in yesterday. Any suggestions of
best
way to get rid of them? Thanks

--
Elaine

Poison info for ants which only try to clean up our mess yet...

Go to your local drug store and purchase boric acid powder. Mix it 1
part Boric acid to 10 parts sugar. Place it on you pile about 1/4 cup of
the mix and cover with a rock. Same mix works with carpenter ants or
others in your home. Place 1/4 cup in a few containers in your
basement or under kitchen cabinets and it is good for years.

Best practice still may be to aerate your pile and not provide ant
desirable stuff.

My Dad gave me some boric acid clothes washing stuff but I forgot the
name. Perhaps it was 20 mule tide ? I have it about but have yet to
use it.

Bill

--
S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade
This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

In article ,
says...
the soil unfavorable for them so they leave. I thought about using that the
other day maybe I will. If it doesn't kill the hookworms it shouldn't kill
the ants, just make them leave, right? And it should also be alright for the
plants later. What are your thoughts anybody?


It doesn't take a lot of borates in the soil to make it where plants
won't grow.

Lar wrote:

It doesn't take a lot of borates in the soil to make it where plants
won't grow.

Lar is correct. You have to be careful about what you put in your
compost pile. I avoid any kind of material that has had any chemicals
applied to it. Some stuff can take years to become inert.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Gardening Since 1969

To see pictures from my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

OK back to plan B then. Thanks, don't want dead plants or ants and would
rather go the natural way. I am careful about what go in the compost.
Mulched leaves, coffee grounds, grass clippings mostly and some lime. I did
give the pile a hard kick today after the good rain we had last night. (It
was still moving-tomorrow I will throw in some more lime give it a good
turning and run fast!)

"Bill R" wrote in message
...
Lar wrote:

It doesn't take a lot of borates in the soil to make it where plants
won't grow.

Lar is correct. You have to be careful about what you put in your compost
pile. I avoid any kind of material that has had any chemicals applied to
it. Some stuff can take years to become inert.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Gardening Since 1969

To see pictures from my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

"Bill R" wrote in message
...
Lar wrote:

It doesn't take a lot of borates in the soil to make it where plants
won't grow.

Lar is correct. You have to be careful about what you put in your
compost pile. I avoid any kind of material that has had any chemicals
applied to it. Some stuff can take years to become inert.

that would however depend on how much borax you used eh. I you threw masses
in to the compost expect it to be poisioned. If the borax was mixed with
sugar and placed in a bait station it should be fine. Borax is poison, hence
we should not eat it, but is also a common cleaning product. I use it in the
washing machine. My pick, and feel free to prove me wrong, is that a
reasonably small amount of borax (in a bait station) will not harm the
compost too much. If some finds its way in it will be diluted with rain and
be mixed into negligable amounts when the compost is turned and eventually
dug out. It is also a fairly simple chemical as far as I know that does not
reside for long periods after become wet.

rob

wrote in message
.. .
OK guys you have convinced me. I respect and love Mother Nature too.

I did not realize ants had similar poop as worms and I know they have a
job
to do I guess,

elaine, I do not know if ant poo is as good as worm poo. I spoke about
anthropods in general (of which ants are one variety) however if ants are
common to the rule then their poop will contain some nutrients as well as
spreading bacteria. When you turn your compost and eventually dig it out you
should do enough to disturb the ants nest (unless it is below ground level).
Try turning the compost and see what effect that has on the ants.

rob

rest of thread snipped.

"George.com" wrote in message
...

"Bill R" wrote in message
...
Lar wrote:

It doesn't take a lot of borates in the soil to make it where plants
won't grow.

Lar is correct. You have to be careful about what you put in your
compost pile. I avoid any kind of material that has had any chemicals
applied to it. Some stuff can take years to become inert.

that would however depend on how much borax you used eh. I you threw
masses
in to the compost expect it to be poisioned. If the borax was mixed with
sugar and placed in a bait station it should be fine. Borax is poison,
hence
we should not eat it, but is also a common cleaning product. I use it in
the
washing machine. My pick, and feel free to prove me wrong, is that a
reasonably small amount of borax (in a bait station) will not harm the
compost too much.

by that I mean not throwing borax all over the compost like you would lime.
Mixing it with sugar and placing it in a container ants can reach is the way
to go. You would not pour litres of commercial ant bait on the compost don't
do the same with borax.

rob