Ants in the raised beds

gtnate · May 16, 2014

Last Fall, I put in two 8 by 4 raised beds that are about 1 foot deep. The beds are made of untreated pine lumber (not cedar), and were filled with a combination of leaf grow compost and peat moss. This spring, I noticed that small black ants have taken up residence around the inside edge of the beds.

My wife hates the ants and wants to get rid of them. I'm not so sure that they are causing real harm, though, as they are only around the inside 1 inch next to the wood, and they aren't aggressive like the fire ants I knew when I lived in Texas as a kid.

We tried getting rid of them with a sugary borax solution, but I don't think they took it. We could move on to trying the protein based solution, but before I do so I would like to know if what I am facing here is a real problem.

Has anyone else dealt with ants in the beds? Do I need to get rid of them or can I just leave them alone?

kurt · May 16, 2014

http://www.amdro.com/All-Products/an...nules/overview

The granules go right to the Queen.If you dont know what kind of ants they are you will not know if they will eat your wood(carpenter ants)farm aphids etc.They will multiply and are probaly looking for moisture.If you can follow the trail and you should be able to locate what they are eating,what they are taking back to the nest/liar.Eventually they will get in the way.They have as much right to live but not in your garden.

feldon30 · May 16, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurt

http://www.amdro.com/All-Products/an...nules/overview

The granules go right to the Queen.If you dont know what kind of ants they are you will not know if they will eat your wood(carpenter ants)farm aphids etc.They will multiply and are probaly looking for moisture.If you can follow the trail and you should be able to locate what they are eating,what they are taking back to the nest/liar.Eventually they will get in the way.They have as much right to live but not in your garden.

"Do not apply this product in any way that will contact any person or pet, either directly or through drift. This product is not for use on crops... Do not use this product on vegetable or food crops."

Worth1 · May 16, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by feldon30

"Do not apply this product in any way that will contact any person or pet, either directly or through drift. This product is not for use on crops... Do not use this product on vegetable or food crops."

Ive been using it for years and it hasn't caused me any problems.

b54red · May 17, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by feldon30

"Do not apply this product in any way that will contact any person or pet, either directly or through drift. This product is not for use on crops... Do not use this product on vegetable or food crops."

I wonder why that warning is on the label. I read the product safety sheet and it is only slightly poisonous in large doses with no carcinogens showing from testing which is really rare with any chemical compound. I'll have to check with my buddy that runs an environmental testing lab and see if he knows.

Black ants are usually not any kind of problem but the fire ants we have down here can be quite difficult to deal with and they are hard to kill and impossible to totally get rid of. Seems that most poisons just move them from one spot to several more spots. Boiling water poured onto mounds is quite effective against ants but it is rather dangerous toting pots of boiling water to the ant beds and be careful when pouring it so it doesn't splash on your skin.

Bill

kath · May 16, 2014

I agree with Kurt and always had trouble with ants when I had wooden raised beds. You might want to try adding an egg white to your sugar/borax mix in case they are protein-eating ants or I've had luck with the Amdro, too. They make small bait traps "on a stick" that you can stick in the soil that might be convenient for you.

kath

LMinAL · May 16, 2014

I have that problem too and it really freaked me out at first. They congregate around the inside edges of one of my beds. Now I see they don't really cause me any problems, so during the season I pretty much leave them be. At the end of the season I will hit them up with a pot of boiling water and that seems to knock them down a bit. I've used Amdro in the yard, but don't know that it's safe to use in the vegetable garden??? I think there is also a product with spinosad that may be effective.

bughunter99 · May 16, 2014

Leave them be. Why add toxins to the soil you are growing stuff in? Mine live under the landscaping blocks that surround the garden. They don't hurt anything.

Stacy

ddsack · May 16, 2014

I live in the middle of forested land, and there is no way I will ever be without ants around my yard or garden. If I got rid of a nest, others would promptly move in from the surrounding woods. They have never bothered my tomatoes or other garden vegetables, even though they may be a visual nuisance to some. I use untreated wood for my raised bed frames too, and expect to replace them every 5 or 6 years as they naturally rot down. Of course I don't have to deal with fire ants, that 's a whole other matter.

Dewayne mater · May 16, 2014

I have just figured out that ants are farming aphids on my zucchini plant, on the flowers. The flowers do not appreciate it and the ants keep coming back with new aphids after I blast off the olds ones with any number of options. I feel I need to discourage these ants because of their aphid farming. What works for that that is not toxic to humans?

Dewayne Mater

**mdvpc** · May 16, 2014

Diatomaceous earth is nontoxic and works if you follow directions and get the right preparation.

Dewayne mater · May 16, 2014

Thanks! Can you point me in the direction of the right preparation for DE? Will that be on the bag of DE?

heirloomtomaguy · May 16, 2014

I called the company that makes the Safer brand DE today and they told me that you should not apply the DE to any food crop or plant. They did say it was safe to use in the garden as long as it does not come in contact with the plants.

RayR · May 17, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

I called the company that makes the Safer brand DE today and they told me that you should not apply the DE to any food crop or plant. They did say it was safe to use in the garden as long as it does not come in contact with the plants.

Huh?

Please elaborate on what this company person said because it makes no sense to me.

heirloomtomaguy · May 18, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayR

Huh?

Please elaborate on what this company person said because it makes no sense to me.

When i spoke with the company representative i informed her i used plastic mulch in rows in my garden. She then stated that DE is " safe to use around your garden ", as in on the plastic mulch but advised me not to put it directly on the plants especially when fruiting. She also stated that the DE would be inactive when wet which i already knew.

May 16, 2014	#1
gtnate Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 88	Ants in the raised beds Last Fall, I put in two 8 by 4 raised beds that are about 1 foot deep. The beds are made of untreated pine lumber (not cedar), and were filled with a combination of leaf grow compost and peat moss. This spring, I noticed that small black ants have taken up residence around the inside edge of the beds. My wife hates the ants and wants to get rid of them. I'm not so sure that they are causing real harm, though, as they are only around the inside 1 inch next to the wood, and they aren't aggressive like the fire ants I knew when I lived in Texas as a kid. We tried getting rid of them with a sugary borax solution, but I don't think they took it. We could move on to trying the protein based solution, but before I do so I would like to know if what I am facing here is a real problem. Has anyone else dealt with ants in the beds? Do I need to get rid of them or can I just leave them alone?

May 16, 2014	#2
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,500	http://www.amdro.com/All-Products/an...nules/overview The granules go right to the Queen.If you dont know what kind of ants they are you will not know if they will eat your wood(carpenter ants)farm aphids etc.They will multiply and are probaly looking for moisture.If you can follow the trail and you should be able to locate what they are eating,what they are taking back to the nest/liar.Eventually they will get in the way.They have as much right to live but not in your garden. __________________ KURT

May 16, 2014	#9
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I live in the middle of forested land, and there is no way I will ever be without ants around my yard or garden. If I got rid of a nest, others would promptly move in from the surrounding woods. They have never bothered my tomatoes or other garden vegetables, even though they may be a visual nuisance to some. I use untreated wood for my raised bed frames too, and expect to replace them every 5 or 6 years as they naturally rot down. Of course I don't have to deal with fire ants, that 's a whole other matter. __________________ Dee **************

May 16, 2014	#11
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	Diatomaceous earth is nontoxic and works if you follow directions and get the right preparation. __________________ Michael

May 16, 2014	#6
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	I agree with Kurt and always had trouble with ants when I had wooden raised beds. You might want to try adding an egg white to your sugar/borax mix in case they are protein-eating ants or I've had luck with the Amdro, too. They make small bait traps "on a stick" that you can stick in the soil that might be convenient for you. kath

May 16, 2014	#7
LMinAL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 46	I have that problem too and it really freaked me out at first. They congregate around the inside edges of one of my beds. Now I see they don't really cause me any problems, so during the season I pretty much leave them be. At the end of the season I will hit them up with a pot of boiling water and that seems to knock them down a bit. I've used Amdro in the yard, but don't know that it's safe to use in the vegetable garden??? I think there is also a product with spinosad that may be effective.

May 16, 2014	#8
bughunter99 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: zone 5 Posts: 821	Leave them be. Why add toxins to the soil you are growing stuff in? Mine live under the landscaping blocks that surround the garden. They don't hurt anything. Stacy

May 16, 2014	#10
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	I have just figured out that ants are farming aphids on my zucchini plant, on the flowers. The flowers do not appreciate it and the ants keep coming back with new aphids after I blast off the olds ones with any number of options. I feel I need to discourage these ants because of their aphid farming. What works for that that is not toxic to humans? Dewayne Mater

May 16, 2014	#13
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	I called the company that makes the Safer brand DE today and they told me that you should not apply the DE to any food crop or plant. They did say it was safe to use in the garden as long as it does not come in contact with the plants.