Every cottager can probably answer quite clearly which pests bother him most in the garden plot. Some will first mention slugs, others will mention fruit beetles, and many will name the Colorado beetle. But almost everyone has a common “headache” – ants. I am no exception. Year on year it is not necessary: some pests appear more, some less, but ants are the primary problem of my site.
This year, the beginning of may was extremely hot and dry. Fruit trees quickly and profusely gained color, quickly faded, birds at a furious pace built nests and with increased enthusiasm “scolded” cats passing near the tree. Even the wasps started building their homes in the most unexpected places.
Ants also bred in incredible numbers. And when I saw a branch of viburnum, just exhausted by aphids, and next to a young, first-blooming Apple tree, an earthen anthill, I decided to finally test different ways to fight ants, to choose the most effective and most suitable.
On the Internet about this write a lot. Both summer residents and manufacturers of ready-made products offer different options for getting rid of ants. They do not always inspire confidence, so I chose 9 ways and conducted tests on my site.
Method 1. Jam
It is known that ants have a sweet tooth. And I thought that they would like the old jam, they would crawl to the bait, get stuck in it and stick. And then I will just remove the stuck ants and change the sweetness until the ants run out. Having constructed a reusable backing from a plastic tray and food wrap, I smeared it with jam (plum). For catching insects, I chose an ant hill, which appeared in a log shop located near the fire pit. No one wanted to sit on it, which was covered with ants.
After a while, I checked the bait. It was completely unclaimed! I decided not to give up and moved the jam closer to the ants, additionally putting more convenient sticks on which the insects could comfortably get to the treat.
After a couple of hours, I was convinced that this method did not work for me. The ants didn’t want to stick to the jam.
Method 2. Millet
Only lazy did not write about the fact that millet can scare away ants. Reviews on this method of fighting insects are very contradictory, so I decided to make sure of everything myself. I took the millet and poured it in. I want to say that in the ant passages it was placed in such a large number that I did not expect.
An hour later, I went to see what was there. And the ants were busy: they mobilised and carried the yellow specks out of their tunnels. Each worker easily and quickly carried a ball and threw it at a distance. After some time, the anthill returned to its former rhythm of life, receiving an additional decor in the form of millet, which the residents did not consider necessary to remove.
Method 3. Cinnamon
I found out about ground cinnamon as a repeller of goosebumps by accident: people write that it is effective in fighting these insects in apartments. I tried to use it on a small anthill on the lawn, to know for sure-whether to count on this tool.
Sprinkled on top of a small earthen house. I went to check several times — the ants were not impressed. Perhaps cinnamon is more suitable for indoor use.
Method 4. Tobacco dust
Tobacco dust is a long-known insecticide. This is a caustic and harmful waste from tobacco production. Therefore, I had high hopes for such a powerful tool. Infusions, decoctions and spraying are used for pest control. I, of course, wanted to get results with a minimum of effort, so I decided to apply spray.
I found a fairly large earthen anthill, which was located next to a young Apple tree, slightly excavated it and sprinkled tobacco dust. About an hour has passed, and what I see: ants are trying to remove odorous and acrid particles. Some of the area had already been cleared, but there were few working insects. I hoped it was because of the toxic effects of tobacco dust. Alas! An hour later, all my dust insecticide was removed, and the ants were very active in restoring their home after my intervention.
Method 5. Coffee
On the web, I found recommendations for getting rid of ants using coffee grounds. In our house, there is always coffee: at least once a day, we drink a Cup of this wonderful drink, brewed in a drip coffee maker. So the remains may well not be thrown away, and pour out on the ant nests. To begin with, I decided to check — I chose an anthill located right among the Hosta shoots.
Filled it with two-day coffee leftovers. I looked in there after an hour and a half — the anthill continues to function as if nothing had happened. There was no particular activity among the insects, other than clearing entrances and exits, but they paid no more attention to the coffee. However, they did not crawl over it — only on clean paths.