Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

In article ,
Roger Tonkin wrote:

Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!

Generally, good, especially the ones that bite most painfully :-)

Common ants are mostly scavengers and play a major part in the
natural recycling process, not least by taking organic matter
underground. A few species, such as Lasius niger, have a VERY
SLIGHT effect of encouraging aphids, but there is no evidence
that killing them reduces aphid infestations in a domestic
context.

Some ants are predators, and so will help keep plant parasites
under control. Those are the ones that bite ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:21:21 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:27:53 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!


Ants can be a damn nuisance. In a lawn, they raise humps that get
scalped by the mower. They undermine paving slabs, which then become
uneven and a trip-hazard, and they can make their nests in plant
roots, causing the plants to die. I notice the last when I try and
establish hedge plants along the tops of Cornish walls/hedges. Plants
won't thrive and usually die if there's a nest under the roots. But
ants are everywhere, and I don't usually worry about them except where
they become a nuisance as I've described.

Most of the time they don't bother me, but if they start coming indoors I
use those 'Antstop' box thingies along their route. They are supposed to
take their contents home to mummy and pop their clogs. I put them under a
stone/tile/slate to keep the rain out and they last all summer.
--
Jim S

On 01/08/2014 00:11, Jim S wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:21:21 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:27:53 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!


Ants can be a damn nuisance. In a lawn, they raise humps that get
scalped by the mower. They undermine paving slabs, which then become
uneven and a trip-hazard, and they can make their nests in plant
roots, causing the plants to die. I notice the last when I try and
establish hedge plants along the tops of Cornish walls/hedges. Plants
won't thrive and usually die if there's a nest under the roots. But
ants are everywhere, and I don't usually worry about them except where
they become a nuisance as I've described.

Most of the time they don't bother me, but if they start coming indoors I
use those 'Antstop' box thingies along their route. They are supposed to
take their contents home to mummy and pop their clogs. I put them under a
stone/tile/slate to keep the rain out and they last all summer.

I have trouble with then in my potato patch. I suspect it can cause
distortion of the potatoes?

Jim

On 31/07/2014 21:27, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!

Usually, if not near the house, they aren't a problem. If they start
looking for food or a new nesting place inside, some dissuasion is required.

The biggest problem I have found is ants excavating pots for new nests,
Ants typically look for dry places to nest, and a pot which has a
cactus or succulent plant often makes an ideal home, as it doesn't tend
to get watered much. Also, pots used for bulbs which are dormant in
summer, and are allowed to dry out, can also be a target.

If it's a small pot, it isn't difficult to remove the ant-infested soil,
and replant in new, ant-free soil. But if it's a large plant in a 40+
cm pot, it isn't that easy, and you often have to deal with a mass of
swarming ants, who, not surprisingly, take exception to being evicted!

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jim Chisholm wrote:
On 01/08/2014 00:11, Jim S wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:21:21 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:27:53 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!

Ants can be a damn nuisance. In a lawn, they raise humps that get
scalped by the mower. They undermine paving slabs, which then become
uneven and a trip-hazard, and they can make their nests in plant
roots, causing the plants to die. I notice the last when I try and
establish hedge plants along the tops of Cornish walls/hedges. Plants
won't thrive and usually die if there's a nest under the roots. But
ants are everywhere, and I don't usually worry about them except where
they become a nuisance as I've described.

Most of the time they don't bother me, but if they start coming indoors I
use those 'Antstop' box thingies along their route. They are supposed to
take their contents home to mummy and pop their clogs. I put them under a
stone/tile/slate to keep the rain out and they last all summer.

I have trouble with then in my potato patch. I suspect it can cause
distortion of the potatoes?

So can stones, tree roots or even worms. No, they don't harm
potatoes, except by the soil disturbance where they actually
build their nest. Worry about something real.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 01/08/2014 00:11, Jim S wrote:
Most of the time they don't bother me, but if they start coming indoors I
use those 'Antstop' box thingies along their route. They are supposed to
take their contents home to mummy and pop their clogs. I put them under a
stone/tile/slate to keep the rain out and they last all summer.

Not a permanent solution as if it rains it gets lost - but if you 'draw'
a line of washing up liquid around their entrance point, they won't come
in. I've used this in a small arc in front of a doorway more than once
- but mainly we used it in the dim and distant days of camping, to stop
them coming in the tent.

--
regards andy

"Jeff Layman" wrote in message ...

The biggest problem I have found is ants excavating pots for new nests,
Ants typically look for dry places to nest, and a pot which has a cactus or
succulent plant often makes an ideal home, as it doesn't tend to get
watered much. Also, pots used for bulbs which are dormant in summer, and
are allowed to dry out, can also be a target.

If it's a small pot, it isn't difficult to remove the ant-infested soil,
and replant in new, ant-free soil. But if it's a large plant in a 40+ cm
pot, it isn't that easy, and you often have to deal with a mass of swarming
ants, who, not surprisingly, take exception to being evicted!

Well - with pot infestations , best just watering the pot either by standing
it in a prewatered saucer or watering the pot from the top.
They will pretty soon (overnight !) vacate the property (:-)

Pete

On 31/07/2014 21:27, Roger Tonkin wrote:

Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

Generally they are good for the garden and only ever worth zapping if
they become a real nuisance by raiding your kitchen or something. We had
some once find their way to candied peel in a glass jar with an
imperfect seal on it - by the time we noticed there was a continuous
line of ants exploiting this new food source!

There is usually a colony every 10m^2 or so. It is only annoying when
you disturb a nest and don't notice quickly enough and so get bitten.

Repotting cacti they can be something of a hazard especially if you
don't notice quickly enough and don't want to drop a specimen plant!

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!

If you disturb an ants nest then back off quickly.

It is even worse if you put a spade through a wasps nest when the best
advice is run for it and get indoors ASAP leaving the spade where it is!

Again they are really only worth zapping if they are in the wrong place
- in this case where a fence post needed replacing. So they had to go.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Jeff Layman wrote:

Usually, if not near the house, they aren't a problem. If they start
looking for food or a new nesting place inside, some dissuasion is
required.

They can be pretty devastating if you put down grass seed.
We put some down a couple of years ago,
and when we looked at the hoped-for lawn next morning
there were literally thousands of ants,
each carrying off one grass seed on its back.
It was like a scene from Antz.

I guess we could have used seed that ants don't like?

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

On 01/08/2014 08:05, Jim Chisholm wrote:
On 01/08/2014 00:11, Jim S wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:21:21 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:27:53 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!


Ants can be a damn nuisance. In a lawn, they raise humps that get
scalped by the mower. They undermine paving slabs, which then become
uneven and a trip-hazard, and they can make their nests in plant
roots, causing the plants to die. I notice the last when I try and
establish hedge plants along the tops of Cornish walls/hedges. Plants
won't thrive and usually die if there's a nest under the roots. But
ants are everywhere, and I don't usually worry about them except where
they become a nuisance as I've described.

Most of the time they don't bother me, but if they start coming indoors I
use those 'Antstop' box thingies along their route. They are supposed to
take their contents home to mummy and pop their clogs. I put them under a
stone/tile/slate to keep the rain out and they last all summer.

I have trouble with then in my potato patch. I suspect it can cause
distortion of the potatoes?

Jim




I'm surprised you even have a 'potato patch'. Potatoes need to be part
of a crop rotation scheme to avoid build-up of disease. Further,
potatoes like lots of water as they develop - ants do not. Water your
potatoes well and the ants should disappear.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

"Spider" wrote in message ...

On 01/08/2014 08:05, Jim Chisholm wrote:
On 01/08/2014 00:11, Jim S wrote:
On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:21:21 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Thu, 31 Jul 2014 21:27:53 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!


Ants can be a damn nuisance. In a lawn, they raise humps that get
scalped by the mower. They undermine paving slabs, which then become
uneven and a trip-hazard, and they can make their nests in plant
roots, causing the plants to die. I notice the last when I try and
establish hedge plants along the tops of Cornish walls/hedges. Plants
won't thrive and usually die if there's a nest under the roots. But
ants are everywhere, and I don't usually worry about them except where
they become a nuisance as I've described.

Most of the time they don't bother me, but if they start coming indoors I
use those 'Antstop' box thingies along their route. They are supposed to
take their contents home to mummy and pop their clogs. I put them under a
stone/tile/slate to keep the rain out and they last all summer.

I have trouble with then in my potato patch. I suspect it can cause
distortion of the potatoes?

Jim




I'm surprised you even have a 'potato patch'. Potatoes need to be part
of a crop rotation scheme to avoid build-up of disease. Further,
potatoes like lots of water as they develop - ants do not. Water your
potatoes well and the ants should disappear.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay
================================================== ==

That to me is a sign of a too dry compost heaps. As soon I see Ants in my
compost heaps I water them.

Mike

..................................................
For those ex Royal Navy.
http://angelradioisleofwight.moonfru...ive/4574468641
7.30 – 8.00 pm Wednesday 6th August 2014
‘From the Crowe’s Nest’

On 31/07/2014 21:27, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!

This may give you something to think about
CHOCOLATE COVERED GIANT ANTS
Hand toasted Giant Queen Leafcutter Ants coated in the finest Belgian
Chocolate. Every spring when the rains come in Colombia the Guane
Indians collect the new Queens when they are emerging from their
underground nests, only one Queen Ant is needed in a colony so the new
Queens have to leave. The Indians have been collecting these ants every
spring when they fly from their nests to toast in a clay pot over an
open fire for centuries, and they are considered a rare delicacy. The
ants are also nutritious and tasty and are said to be good for boosting
your immune system, because they are rich in formic acid. They can also
give you a mini energy boost.

On Fri, 01 Aug 2014 16:04:56 +0100, David Hill
wrote:

This may give you something to think about
CHOCOLATE COVERED GIANT ANTS

If anyone wants to try them there are many places in the UK that sell
them. A few birthdays ago I got a present of chocolate ants. The taste
was nothing special.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software http://www.npsnn.com
EasyNN-plus More than just a neural network http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN Prediction software http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN Just a neural network http://www.justnn.com

In article , david@abacus-
nurseries.co.uk says...
This may give you something to think about
CHOCOLATE COVERED GIANT ANTS
Hand toasted Giant Queen Leafcutter Ants coated in the finest Belgian
Chocolate. Every spring when the rains come in Colombia the Guane
Indians collect the new Queens when they are emerging from their
underground nests, only one Queen Ant is needed in a colony so the new
Queens have to leave. The Indians have been collecting these ants every
spring when they fly from their nests to toast in a clay pot over an
open fire for centuries, and they are considered a rare delicacy. The
ants are also nutritious and tasty and are said to be good for boosting
your immune system, because they are rich in formic acid. They can also
give you a mini energy boost.

We ate ants in Australia, years ago. It was an outback dinner
featuring "local foods" and included a salad dressing of sugar ants.
They were rather lemony and sharp, quite pleasant; and since we were
eating outside by candlelight after dark , eye-appeal was not an issue.

(The ants were not as yes-please-more delicious as the smoked
crocodile).

Janet