Ants in the garden
When ants are predators of larvae and caterpillars, they can be very useful in a garden, but when they promote the appearance of sooty mold, they are less desirable. It is therefore necessary to observe carefully before acting.
To control the ants in your garden while protecting the bees, you will need these products:
- rapeseed oil
- black soap spray
- Pelton glue strips
- whitewash
- nettle manure
To kill ants in the house I recommend reading my article How to get rid of ants in the house without poisoning yourself.
Ants were here long before humans, and they will outlive us. It would be counterproductive to try to eliminate them. Ants can be formidable devourers and predators of aphids and other insect larvae, and that is very practical. But this is not always the case. They sometimes feed on the honeydew produced by aphids and scale insects. As a result, the ants protect the aphids so that they produce more honeydew. This excess honeydew will promote the formation of fungi such as sooty mold. In this case, it will be necessary to prevent the ants from accessing the plants concerned.
You will therefore need some time to observe to make the right decision.
In any case, and as I specify in my blog article on pyrethrums, pyrethrins and pyrethroids , I recommend again that you do not give in to the temptation to use a product containing pyrethrum or pyrethroids outside the house, otherwise you risk poisoning bees, ladybugs and butterflies.
To get rid of ants
After a vigorous watering, but not too much, just enough to dislodge aphids and ants without damaging the plants, you can spray a mixture of rapeseed oil and diluted black soap on the foliage.
Recipe :
In 1 liter of water; 1 cap of black soap + ½ cap of rapeseed oil. Shake well and spray 2x at one hour intervals. Do this treatment three times spaced 2 or 3 days apart. Be careful, this treatment works by suffocating insects. Treat at the end of the day when bees, butterflies and ladybugs are no longer present. Monitor your plants and repeat the operation as soon as necessary. Each time you water, rinse the plants and remove the soap. This way the bees will be attracted to your healthy flowers.
To prevent ants and other insects from climbing trees, paint the trunks with whitewash and place strips of glue.
Nettle manure is a treatment to be done regularly to keep away unwanted pests and to strengthen plants. To protect bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, this treatment should be done at the end of the day.
