Here on the sunny Isle of Wight the ants fly up in droves and noisey are the
seagulls.

Are the ants flying where you are?

The old wives' tale is that we'll get a few days of good weather - but of
course, nobody believes such tales! Or do they?

Regards

Ron

They're flying - en-mass in my garden - Hoghton nr Preston, Lancashire -
this afternoon

Graham Dixon

Ron wrote in message
...
Here on the sunny Isle of Wight the ants fly up in droves and noisey are
the
seagulls.

Are the ants flying where you are?

The old wives' tale is that we'll get a few days of good weather - but of
course, nobody believes such tales! Or do they?

Regards

Ron

On Sun, 3 Aug 2003 16:34:55 +0000 (UTC), "Graham Dixon"
wrote:

They're flying - en-mass in my garden - Hoghton nr Preston, Lancashire -
this afternoon

None seen here further south; maybe I've missed them this year, but my
Dad used to call it "flying ant Sunday". It is usually last Sunday in
July or first in Aug. Why Sunday? No idea but it always seems to be
so!

Pam in Bristol

Plenty here in Swansea area, knew yesterday when the seagulls were circling
and flying high picking them off in the air.
This afternoon lots of wingless female ants around.
I always understood it happens when the humidity is high and thunder is
around.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

"Pam Moore" wrote in message

None seen here further south; maybe I've missed them this year, but my
Dad used to call it "flying ant Sunday". It is usually last Sunday in
July or first in Aug. Why Sunday? No idea but it always seems to be
so!


Millions of 'em flying around last night (Saturday) in NW London. Really
unbelievable amounts, don't think I've ever seen it so widespread! Happened
on a smaller scale last Thursday too. If only one could kill all the
*$#!"£s while they were out in the open!!



a

On Sun, 03 Aug 2003 19:52:49 +0100, Pam Moore
wrote:

~On Sun, 3 Aug 2003 16:34:55 +0000 (UTC), "Graham Dixon"
wrote:
~
~They're flying - en-mass in my garden - Hoghton nr Preston, Lancashire -
~this afternoon
~
~None seen here further south; maybe I've missed them this year, but my
~Dad used to call it "flying ant Sunday". It is usually last Sunday in
~July or first in Aug. Why Sunday? No idea but it always seems to be
~so!
~
~Pam in Bristol

I was in Weymouth for the weekend and was covered with the things
during Sunday morning. My hosts said that they'd been flying all week,
building up to Sunday.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

"tony" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
Can anyone suggest a solution to a problem I have, it's ants. I have ants
eating my strawberries, by plums are infested with them as are my apples
and
pears.
I have used grease bands on the fruit trees and stakes to keep the little
blighters off but they are still there.
My compost heaps are also infested with them and although I turn them
regularly this doesn't seem to deter them.
HELP!!!
Tony

IME they can be reduced or eliminated in local areas by heavy watering. They
like it dry. I'm sure many here have said if you have ants in your compost
its too dry.
I've got rid (For the time being anyway) of a large establishment of ants on
a part of my lawn by watering it every day. Not with a sprinkler but with
the hose running slowly onto the affected areas. The soil is very damp but
not waterlogged an dteh ants are gone. It took 3 weeks though and I'm sure
if I dont occassionally water they'll be back.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

Tumbleweed wrote:
"tony" wrote in message
...

Hi All,
Can anyone suggest a solution to a problem I have, it's ants. I have ants
eating my strawberries, by plums are infested with them as are my apples

and

pears.
I have used grease bands on the fruit trees and stakes to keep the little
blighters off but they are still there.
My compost heaps are also infested with them and although I turn them
regularly this doesn't seem to deter them.
HELP!!!
Tony


IME they can be reduced or eliminated in local areas by heavy watering. They
like it dry. I'm sure many here have said if you have ants in your compost
its too dry.
I've got rid (For the time being anyway) of a large establishment of ants on
a part of my lawn by watering it every day. Not with a sprinkler but with
the hose running slowly onto the affected areas. The soil is very damp but
not waterlogged an dteh ants are gone. It took 3 weeks though and I'm sure
if I dont occassionally water they'll be back.


Apparently you can drown them if you add a little detergent (presumably
washing up liquid would do). They can survive in wet soil because they
have a waxy lining in their lungs, the detergent dissolves this and they
drown - or something. No idea what effect it would have on your plants
though.

I also read something about complementary planting. Some people say ants
hate all mints (spearmint, peppermint, catnip, etc), tansy, and
pennyroyal. Mind you, other people say the ants actually like these
plants, but that's the internet for you - certainly no shortage of
opinions. The americans seem to swear by something called grits that
swell up inside the ant when it eats them, causing it to burst.

Whatever works or doesn't, the general consensus seems to be that you
can't get rid of them, the best you can hope for is to make life so
unpleasant for them that they choose to move somewhere else, which is
perhaps all you need.

The message
from Ben contains these words:

Whatever works or doesn't, the general consensus seems to be that you
can't get rid of them, the best you can hope for is to make life so
unpleasant for them that they choose to move somewhere else, which is
perhaps all you need.

You *CAN* get rid of them, but I only do so when they are being a real
pain, as they do far more good about the garden than harm.

Just get some borax from the chemist and mix it with sugar - about two
measures od sugar to one of borax - and heat it with enough water to
just dissolve all the solids, making a thick syrup. Leave this in
shallow dishes where only the ants can get at them. Bottletops and
similar work well.

--
Rusty http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm
horrid·squeak snailything zetnet·co·uk exchange d.p. with p to
reply.

The message
from Ben contains these words:

Whatever works or doesn't, the general consensus seems to be that you
can't get rid of them, the best you can hope for is to make life so
unpleasant for them that they choose to move somewhere else, which is
perhaps all you need.

You *CAN* get rid of them, but I only do so when they are being a real
pain, as they do far more good about the garden than harm.

Just get some borax from the chemist and mix it with sugar - about two
measures od sugar to one of borax - and heat it with enough water to
just dissolve all the solids, making a thick syrup. Leave this in
shallow dishes where only the ants can get at them. Bottletops and
similar work well.

--
Rusty http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm
horrid·squeak snailything zetnet·co·uk exchange d.p. with p to
reply.