"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 19:52:02 +0100, "Tumbleweed"
wrote:

'HARMFUL' to what? You can get chemicals which are harmful to ants but
nothing else such as Nippon, or you could use chemicals that are harmful
to
nothing ...but what would the point of that be?

In the sense that Nippon is more harmful than water to most things!
You knew what I meant. Don't be so pedantic!

Pam I didnt know what you meant. Did you mean a chemical that is harmful to
ants and nothing else? Because you did shy away from such a chemical.

I only asked a question and look where it got.

Pam in Bristol

thats usenet for you :-)

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
snip

Thanks Mike. I also would use Nippon without a qualm, but you don't
know my friend!
I have told her I think that I think she should cut off a few branches
and root them in a new pot and somehow scrap the tree, soil, ants and
all.

Pam in Bristol

No point Pam. More ants will colonise the new set up, that why they are
there now, because the environment of the pot is suited to them. They are in
pretty much all my large pots including one with a small maple in in. Once
ina while I use 'harmless' water to flood them out or minimise their
presence if they seem too prevalent, you do need to make sure the pot has
good drainage though since you dont want the roots sitting in water
indefinitely. If its possible to completely fill the pot with water for
quite a few hours by temporarily blocking the drainage holes that might also
work (drowning them, so much for harmless water :-)..but eventually a new
queen ant will arrive and a new colony will arise.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

In article , Tumbleweed thisaccountneve
writes


No point Pam. More ants will colonise the new set up, that why they are
there now, because the environment of the pot is suited to them. They are in
pretty much all my large pots including one with a small maple in in. Once
ina while I use 'harmless' water

Dihydrogen oxide ... major constituent of acid rain, found in all
severely polluted rivers, causes dozens of deaths each year, in gaseous
form can cause severe injury .... ;-)


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Tumbleweed wrote:
[...]
you'll find people drinking coffee and smoking*, campaigning about
the minute and largely theoretical effect that a man-made pesticide
might have. Oliver Goldsmith, who edits 'The Ecologist', would be a
good case in point.

The one about smoking has always tickled me, I must admit! But as an
Australian of a certain age, my world view is coloured with Agent
Orange (no, I wasn't exposed -- I was lucky enough to miss 'Nam).

--
Mike.

"Tumbleweed" wrote in message
...

Agreed, its just the unthinking (not targetting you here) use of the word
natural to equate with safe Well *you* werte the one who thought
'natural' meant 'safe.
Natural means derived from nature and that is entirely the context in which
I used it as the OP said she didn't want to use 'chemicals' by which *I*
assumed she meant artificial manufactured poisons.
Diatomaceous earth is natural and none toxic and safe as long as you don't
breath it in.

In article ,
"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net writes:
| "Tumbleweed" wrote in message
| ...
|
| Agreed, its just the unthinking (not targetting you here) use of the word
| natural to equate with safe Well *you* werte the one who thought
| 'natural' meant 'safe.
|
| Natural means derived from nature and that is entirely the context in which
| I used it as the OP said she didn't want to use 'chemicals' by which *I*
| assumed she meant artificial manufactured poisons.

Everything is derived from nature, more or less indirectly. And
it is foolishness to distinguish the same substance based on its
origin, as far as this aspect is concerned. For example, sulphur
is a naturally occurring chemical, but most sulphur that you buy
has been made from sulphate-containing ores.

| Diatomaceous earth is natural and none toxic and safe as long as you don't
| breath it in.

If I recall, it is about as carcinogenic as white asbestos, but
there hasn't been a hysterical reaction against it yet. Even
blue asbestos is natural and non-toxic.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Tue, 02 Aug 2005 16:10:58 GMT, Pam Moore
wrote:

How would YOU deal with ants which have nested in a pot containing a
tree?
My solution in the past was to stand the pot in a large bucket of
water, so the pot was completely submerged, and drive out the ants,
and pour the water off when they came to the surface.
A friend has ants in a huge pot containing a fast growing willow!
She has nothing big enough to submerge the pot in, and anyway the pot
is too heavy to lift.
She does not like using chemicals.
Any advice for my friend please? Nothing strenuous as she has ME.

My only other solution in the past was to unpot the tree, wash the
roots clean, and repot in fresh soil, but she would need help to do
that and it's a bit drastic this time of year.
TIA

Pam in Bristol

My recipe FWIW:

2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon borax
hot water to make a thin syrup (probably about a tablespoon)
stir until all dissolved

Place in a small pot-saucer or shallow dish near the ants nest, and
cover with an earthenware flowerpot to keep other interested parties
away (a plastic one would do, but needs weighting)

Contains at least three chemicals, all natural products and including
one of which is harmful to ants at least.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 18:17:38 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

My recipe FWIW:

2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon borax
hot water to make a thin syrup (probably about a tablespoon)
stir until all dissolved

Place in a small pot-saucer or shallow dish near the ants nest, and
cover with an earthenware flowerpot to keep other interested parties
away (a plastic one would do, but needs weighting)

Contains at least three chemicals, all natural products and including
one of which is harmful to ants at least.

That's very helpful. Thank you Chris.
Where do you buy borax?
Last time I tried to buy borax (I think for some cleaning process
recommended on How Clean is your House!) I could not get it. Tried our
local Handyman shop, they sent me to Boots, Boots told me to try the
Handyman's etc. I never did get it.

Pam in Bristol

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 19:52:37 GMT, Pam Moore
wrote:

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 18:17:38 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

My recipe FWIW:

2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon borax
hot water to make a thin syrup (probably about a tablespoon)
stir until all dissolved

Place in a small pot-saucer or shallow dish near the ants nest, and
cover with an earthenware flowerpot to keep other interested parties
away (a plastic one would do, but needs weighting)

Contains at least three chemicals, all natural products and including
one of which is harmful to ants at least.

That's very helpful. Thank you Chris.
Where do you buy borax?
Last time I tried to buy borax (I think for some cleaning process
recommended on How Clean is your House!) I could not get it. Tried our
local Handyman shop, they sent me to Boots, Boots told me to try the
Handyman's etc. I never did get it.

Pam in Bristol

We have an old packet, bought a few years ago at Boots (it says Boots
Domestic Borax on the packet) but when I said 'harmful to ants at
least' I had a vague recollection that our lords and masters had
decided that borax was the most lethal poison on earth and decreed
that it should be withdrawn from sale, or similar. It seems my
recollection might have been correct.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Nippon was a sugar and borax
syrup, sold at extortionate prices.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Chris Hogg wrote:
[...]
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Nippon was a sugar and
borax
syrup, sold at extortionate prices.

That's what it is, and they make little secret of it. But if you buy
the cheapest form it's not _that_ expensive when you consider all the
factors.

--
Mike.

"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 19:52:37 GMT, Pam Moore
wrote:

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 18:17:38 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

My recipe FWIW:

2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon borax
hot water to make a thin syrup (probably about a tablespoon)
stir until all dissolved

Place in a small pot-saucer or shallow dish near the ants nest, and
cover with an earthenware flowerpot to keep other interested parties
away (a plastic one would do, but needs weighting)

Contains at least three chemicals, all natural products and including
one of which is harmful to ants at least.

That's very helpful. Thank you Chris.
Where do you buy borax?
Last time I tried to buy borax (I think for some cleaning process
recommended on How Clean is your House!) I could not get it. Tried our
local Handyman shop, they sent me to Boots, Boots told me to try the
Handyman's etc. I never did get it.

Pam in Bristol

We have an old packet, bought a few years ago at Boots (it says Boots
Domestic Borax on the packet) but when I said 'harmful to ants at
least' I had a vague recollection that our lords and masters had
decided that borax was the most lethal poison on earth and decreed
that it should be withdrawn from sale, or similar. It seems my
recollection might have been correct.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Nippon was a sugar and borax
syrup, sold at extortionate prices.

I happen to have a tube of 'nippon ant killer liquid' in front of me as I
type.
Its about 2 years old and still has a price label on it ...£1.20. Not
exactly extortionate especially considering the instructions refer to using
drops of it.

On the front it says 'contains 5.5% Borax' (thats the only reference to
ingredients)

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

On Thu, 4 Aug 2005 08:13:23 +0100, Kay
wrote:

In article , Tumbleweed thisaccountneve
writes


No point Pam. More ants will colonise the new set up, that why they are
there now, because the environment of the pot is suited to them. They are in
pretty much all my large pots including one with a small maple in in. Once
ina while I use 'harmless' water

Dihydrogen oxide ... major constituent of acid rain, found in all
severely polluted rivers, causes dozens of deaths each year, in gaseous
form can cause severe injury .... ;-)

So you've been reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide
:-)



--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On Thu, 4 Aug 2005 22:27:18 +0100, "Mike Lyle"
wrote:

Chris Hogg wrote:
[...]
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Nippon was a sugar and
borax
syrup, sold at extortionate prices.

That's what it is, and they make little secret of it. But if you buy
the cheapest form it's not _that_ expensive when you consider all the
factors.

So has anyone bought borax recently (in UK!) or seen it on shelves
anywhere. Boots told me they no longer sell it.

Pam in Bristol

On Fri, 05 Aug 2005 17:47:36 +0200, martin wrote:

Dri-pak sell Borax
http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/products/householdborax.html

by mail order 2.2kg for GB10
http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/mailorder.html
--
Martin

Thanks Martin
Very interesting site! You could kill a lot of ants with a kilo!


Pam in Bristol