Our composter is invaded by ants!

When I open the door at the base to take some out there are thousands
of ants in it.

What is they best way to deal with this? The bin is full and I could
do with removing some from the base so I can add more peelings etc to
the top!

I feel uneasy about spreading the ants round the garden (using compost
as mulch) as it seems that I'll be spreading ants all over the garden
adn then the whole place will have hundreds of ants nests!

Any advice (non-chemical) much appreciated.

Get some Borax (an old-fashioned laundry detergent booster); mix it
thoroughly (grind together) with equal parts of *icing* sugar and put it in
jam-jar lids. Place lids in and around the composter and this will
(according to old tried and true methods) get rid of the little blighters.
....Pinetree

wrote in message
ups.com...
Our composter is invaded by ants!

When I open the door at the base to take some out there are thousands
of ants in it.

What is they best way to deal with this? The bin is full and I could
do with removing some from the base so I can add more peelings etc to
the top!

I feel uneasy about spreading the ants round the garden (using compost
as mulch) as it seems that I'll be spreading ants all over the garden
adn then the whole place will have hundreds of ants nests!

Any advice (non-chemical) much appreciated.

In article . com,
writes:
| Our composter is invaded by ants!
|
| When I open the door at the base to take some out there are thousands
| of ants in it.
|
| What is they best way to deal with this? The bin is full and I could
| do with removing some from the base so I can add more peelings etc to
| the top!

Keep it a bit damper. Ants are a sign that it is too dry. So are
woodlice. Neither do any harm to a compost heap, and may even do
some good.

| I feel uneasy about spreading the ants round the garden (using compost
| as mulch) as it seems that I'll be spreading ants all over the garden
| adn then the whole place will have hundreds of ants nests!

No, you won't! Worker ants are sterile, and the only way that new
ant nests can form is following a mating flight. Forget that - it
is a TOTAL irrelevance.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote:
Our composter is invaded by ants!

When I open the door at the base to take some out there are thousands
of ants in it.

What is they best way to deal with this? The bin is full and I could
do with removing some from the base so I can add more peelings etc to
the top!

I feel uneasy about spreading the ants round the garden (using compost
as mulch) as it seems that I'll be spreading ants all over the garden
adn then the whole place will have hundreds of ants nests!

Any advice (non-chemical) much appreciated.

They're usually a sign that the composter is too dry.

Try making it a bit more moist (pee in it, or would that be
too "chemical" ?).

Other than that, the ants are pretty harmless.

In article , R.A.Omond
writes
wrote:
Our composter is invaded by ants!



They're usually a sign that the composter is too dry.

Try making it a bit more moist (pee in it, or would that be
too "chemical" ?).

Other than that, the ants are pretty harmless.

Not when they bite you, the little b*ggers aren't! (Red ones, that is -
which is what are in my compost).

Thanks for all the comments here, though - I have also been puzzling how
to get rid of them - I'll try all the suggestions.

(Will need to muster some men to pee on it, though - I have always
understood that male urine is like manna from heaven as far as
accelerating compost heaps is concerned ;-))
--
Roz Cawley

On 11 Jul, 14:04, Roz Cawley wrote:
In article , R.A.Omond
writes

wrote:
Our composter is invaded by ants!

They're usually a sign that the composter is too dry.

Try making it a bit more moist (pee in it, or would that be
too "chemical" ?).

Other than that, the ants are pretty harmless.

Not when they bite you, the little b*ggers aren't! (Red ones, that is -
which is what are in my compost).

Thanks for all the comments here, though - I have also been puzzling how
to get rid of them - I'll try all the suggestions.

(Will need to muster some men to pee on it, though - I have always
understood that male urine is like manna from heaven as far as
accelerating compost heaps is concerned ;-))
--
Roz Cawley

I don't think there's any difference between male pee and female pee
in terms of benefit to your compost heap - surely both contain
nitrogen, potassium, etc. I have a compost bin at the bottom of the
garden next to the shed. If I'm in the garden and need to go to the
loo, I just nip into the shed and **** into a plastic jug, then tip it
onto the compost (along with the used bog roll). Ideally you should
dilute it with water, I think, but I don't bother. If you add a lot,
you can put more carbon on your heap (such as cardboard/woody prunings/
shredded paper).