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Ants in pots
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 |
"Pam Moore" wrote in message ... 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 What about one of those ant baits where they carry the poison back to the nest and it kills the queen (and thus the nest)? The 'chemicals' wont affect any other species, and wont affect the tree either. -- Tumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com |
On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 18:11:55 +0100, "Tumbleweed"
wrote: "Pam Moore" wrote in message .. . 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 What about one of those ant baits where they carry the poison Isn't poison a chemical you prat? To the original poster use clove oil, that'll drive the buggers away and keep them out, also garlic sometimes. No sense killing things just because you don't like them or there'd be a few missing on this group for sure. |
"Pam Moore" wrote in message ... 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 I don't think I *would* 'deal with' them unless they were actually causing some damage. |
"John" wrote in message ... On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 18:11:55 +0100, "Tumbleweed" wrote: "Pam Moore" wrote in message . .. 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 What about one of those ant baits where they carry the poison Isn't poison a chemical you prat? So is water. Bob |
"John" wrote in message ... On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 18:11:55 +0100, "Tumbleweed" wrote: "Pam Moore" wrote in message . .. 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 What about one of those ant baits where they carry the poison Isn't poison a chemical you prat? You have such a persuasive way with words, you silver tounged devil. I think you'll find, that except for the plasma forming the sun, everything in the solar system is a chemical. The lady wishes to kill the ants. Unless she indiscriminately sprays the neighbourhood with insecticide, how she does it, to a non food plant, will make no difference at all. If she crushes them with her fingers, they are also made of chemicals. To the original poster use clove oil, that'll drive the buggers away and keep them out, also garlic sometimes. I think you'll find that clove oil is composed of many many chemicals. So thats worse than the single chemical I suggested.......you prat :-) And when you use the euphemism 'drive them away' do you think they will be packing their teeny tiny suitcases and moving? I doubt it somehow. FWIW garlic is also composed of chemicals as well, but gets rid of vampires, not ants*. I suppose you were too busy firebombing Huntingdon Research to pay attention in class or watch Buffy? No sense killing things just because you don't like them or there'd be a few missing on this group for sure. LOL. So you *do* think the ants will be packing their teeny tiny suitcases and moving? AH, bless. -- Tumbleweed *ants=small, vampires = bigger with fangs email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com |
In article ,
Tumbleweed wrote: I think you'll find, that except for the plasma forming the sun, everything in the solar system is a chemical. ... No, no, not at all. Something that has been missed by modern science is that there is a complete alternate system of matter, based on the elementary particles called stupidity, ignorance, dogmatism, intolerance and abusiveness. This accounts for the missing matter, commonly called 'dark' matter. Recently, an alternate solar system passed through ours, and some of the inhabitants of the other one, called trolls and made up of those elementary particles, got stuck in ours. Their reasons for disliking anything made up of chemicals should be obvious. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Bob Smith (UK) wrote:
"John" wrote in message [...] Isn't poison a chemical So is water. Actually, this is more interesting than it may seem. In strict English usage, it isn't: the meaning of the word depends on the context in which it is used, and water isn't here considered as the product of chemistry. In another context, of course, water _is_ considered from a chemical point of view; but this isn't that context. In gardening, an almost infinite variety of solutions is accurately referred to as "water": not many laboratories would be happy with such vernacular imprecision! I haven't tried, but if you doubt me you could Ggl "horticultural chemicals" and see how many of the suppliers you find would accept an order for a tonne of water. I'll buy the beer if you find one. (I exclude de-ionised water and the like!) -- Mike. |
Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , Tumbleweed wrote: I think you'll find, that except for the plasma forming the sun, everything in the solar system is a chemical. ... No, no, not at all. Something that has been missed by modern science is that there is a complete alternate system of matter, based on the elementary particles called stupidity, ignorance, dogmatism, intolerance and abusiveness. This accounts for the missing matter, commonly called 'dark' matter. Recently, an alternate solar system passed through ours, and some of the inhabitants of the other one, called trolls and made up of those elementary particles, got stuck in ours. Their reasons for disliking anything made up of chemicals should be obvious. Nick, you don't know how grateful I am! I've been worrying for years about who or what they were! And your lucid exegesis provides the answer to my final riddle, which was why on earth one never actually _met_ one in real life: with our chemically-specialised senses, we can't even _see_ them. You've made an...er...a middle-aged man very happy. -- Mike. |
Tumbleweed wrote:
:: "John" wrote in message :: ... ::: On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 18:11:55 +0100, "Tumbleweed" ::: wrote: ::: :::: :::: "Pam Moore" wrote in message :::: ... ::::: 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 :::: :::: What about one of those ant baits where they carry the poison ::: ::: Isn't poison a chemical you prat? :: :: You have such a persuasive way with words, you silver tounged devil. :: :: I think you'll find, that except for the plasma forming the sun, :: everything in the solar system is a chemical. The lady wishes to kill :: the ants. Unless she indiscriminately sprays the neighbourhood with :: insecticide, how she does it, to a non food plant, will make no :: difference at all. If she crushes them with her fingers, they are also :: made of chemicals. :: ::: To the original poster use clove oil, that'll drive the buggers away ::: and keep them out, also garlic sometimes. :: :: I think you'll find that clove oil is composed of many many chemicals. So :: thats worse than the single chemical I suggested.......you prat :-) :: :: And when you use the euphemism 'drive them away' do you think they will :: be packing their teeny tiny suitcases and moving? I doubt it somehow. :: FWIW garlic is also composed of chemicals as well, but gets rid of :: vampires, not ants*. I suppose you were too busy firebombing Huntingdon :: Research to pay attention in class or watch Buffy? :: ::: ::: No sense killing things just because you don't like them or there'd be ::: a few missing on this group for sure. ::: :: :: LOL. So you *do* think the ants will be packing their teeny tiny :: suitcases and moving? AH, bless. Maybe they can all get jobs advertising the Post Office on TV? :-p I was going to suggest writing on one of those plant labels that sticks into the soil, 'No Ants' and see how it goes. -- If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs. |
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... Something that has been missed by modern science is that there is a complete alternate system of matter, based on the elementary particles called stupidity, ignorance, dogmatism, intolerance and abusiveness. This accounts for the missing matter, commonly called 'dark' matter. I thought 'dark matter' was rich compost. |
The message
from "Tumbleweed" contains these words: LOL. So you *do* think the ants will be packing their teeny tiny suitcases and moving? AH, bless. Just as a matter of interest, perhaps the Ant-agonist could tell us what ants pack in their teeny tiny suitcases..I've always wanted to know. Janet |
On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 19:58:04 +0100, "pammyT" fenlandfowl
@talktalk.net wrote: I don't think I *would* 'deal with' them unless they were actually causing some damage. Thanks Pammy T. The trouble witha ants in pots is that they remove the soil from round the roots and the plat may eventually die. I was hoping for a few more helpful suggestions but see the thread's gone off on a tangent! I'm sure you knew what I meant by no chemicals! I'm still hoping someone may have another idea of what to do without resorting to HARMFUL chemicals! Pam in Bristol |
On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 21:14:30 +0100, "Tumbleweed"
wrote: To the original poster use clove oil, that'll drive the buggers away and keep them out, also garlic sometimes. Oil of cloves; isn't that what used to be recommended for toothache? Can you guarantee that it will also drive off ants? In solution I assume? Garlic how? crushed? planted? Thanks anyway! Pam in Bristol |
Pam Moore wrote:
On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 21:14:30 +0100, "Tumbleweed" wrote: To the original poster use clove oil, that'll drive the buggers away and keep them out, also garlic sometimes. Oil of cloves; isn't that what used to be recommended for toothache? Can you guarantee that it will also drive off ants? In solution I assume? Garlic how? crushed? planted? Thanks anyway! Haven't heard of oil of cloves for this purpose, but it's certainly worth trying if you don't want to use the products of the chemical industry. Till we hear back from Tumbleweed, though, my guess is that it wouldn't drive out a colony that was already established: like bees, they can't take a laying queen anywhere, as far as I know. If I thought the colony really was causing a problem (but they don't usually: they won't hurt the plants), I probably would use Nippon. If that's too chemical for you, I'm afraid you really will have to help your friend tip over the pot and destroy the nest -- boiling water usually does the trick. Spread out a plastic sheet, and tip the whole thing over; then wiggle the plant out: it should be quite easy between the two of you. A bit of boiling water on the very tips of the roots shouldn't do any harm. You need to do this now, before they send out drones and unmated queens (if it hasn't happened already -- it's quite a beautiful sight, really. In some parts of Africa, they're big enough to eat: when a colony starts sending out flying ants, you make a fire at the entrance and grab them as the heat burns off their wings. A bit like shrimps.). But...a willow in a pot? It's not my garden, but, for goodness' sake, _why_? Such a vigorous grower is probably due for soil-replacement anyhow, and it hardly matters how much you abuse it: they're tough. This is one of those crises for which the Chinese character, they tell us, is the same as the one for "opportunity". Opportunity either to replace the soil, or to plant something else. -- Mike. |
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