Containers infested with ants

Billm302 · May 25, 2017

Several of my containers have become infested with ants. I need to clear them out before I replant. I do not want to throw the potting mix out but dont know what to use to get rid of the ants. Years ago I would have drenched the soil with a diazinon solution but diazinon Is no longer available. What can I use as a soil drench to get rid of the ants?

bower · May 28, 2017

Billm302, a good drench to get rid of an ants nest is water, really soak em and keep it moist, they don't like that. They want a place that's dry and undisturbed.
Boric acid baits work better than other poisons on ants, afaik. I have tried spraying with some pyrethrum stuff a few years ago, and they even seemed to get off on it!

Insecticidal soap spray was really slow to have any impact on them, not a very effective way of crushing them..
Hot water and bleach did the job on a nest in a wall...

Rockporter · May 28, 2017

Amdro, just pour some granules on top and poke some holes. They love the stuff and will take it back to the nest and kill them all. I just put some around my garden because the fire ants decided to move in.

Correction: I guess Amdro is just for non crop lands. I've never used it in a container, just around my garden area.

AlittleSalt · May 28, 2017

I planted an 1884 plant in a pot full of fireants just to see what would happen. The fireants are no longer in the pot. I'm guessing I watered them out as bower wrote above.

RJGlew · May 28, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by bower

Boric acid baits work better than other poisons on ants, afaik.

Agreed with the effectiveness of borax.

http://www.wikihow.com/Kill-Ants-Using-Borax

Imthechuck · May 29, 2017

I used to use spinosad, and flood the container

roper2008 · May 29, 2017

https://youtu.be/ntLU2do_DZM

amideutch · May 29, 2017

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/apply-d...ens-45493.html

Cole_Robbie · May 29, 2017

The ant poison Terro is just sugar and boric acid. The bottle of it is getting hard to find. They want to sell you the pre-packaged baits, which are of course much more expensive. One small bottle of Terro will go a long way.

This is my kitchen windowsill yesterday. They ate it all, and I put out more this morning.

ginger2778 · May 29, 2017

Permethrin or pyrethrins kills them in seconds and you can safely eat the fruit the next day.

Shrinkrap · May 30, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

The ant poison Terro is just sugar and boric acid. The bottle of it is getting hard to find. They want to sell you the pre-packaged baits, which are of course much more expensive. One small bottle of Terro will go a long way.

This is my kitchen windowsill yesterday. They ate it all, and I put out more this morning.

Is that real?

habitat_gardener · May 30, 2017

water it. They will go away.

RJGlew · May 30, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrinkrap

Is that real?

I see the same feeding ring with the Raid equivalent which is 7.7% Borax. I put a few drops on a small sheet of waxed paper. The workers take it back to their nest and feed it to the queen - the entire colony is wiped out in a few days.

http://www.raid.ca/en-ca/products/ra...bs/ingredients

HoustonHeat · June 21, 2017

I have not tried it yet but my father tells me he make couple holes to bottom of container and fills it with Sevin dust and covers the top back up with dirt. He claims it will kill anything bad in the container but is not accessible to good bugs, except earth worms.

JRinPA · June 21, 2017

I used borax and sugar for the first time a week or so back. Ants were ticking me off at a hummingbird feeder. I was shocked just how effective it is - sugar borax cotton ball. I don't know what is in the traps we have been using for years, but the ants don't even go in them.

May 25, 2017	#1
Billm302 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Phoenix Posts: 8	Containers infested with ants Several of my containers have become infested with ants. I need to clear them out before I replant. I do not want to throw the potting mix out but dont know what to use to get rid of the ants. Years ago I would have drenched the soil with a diazinon solution but diazinon Is no longer available. What can I use as a soil drench to get rid of the ants?

May 28, 2017	#3
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	Amdro, just pour some granules on top and poke some holes. They love the stuff and will take it back to the nest and kill them all. I just put some around my garden because the fire ants decided to move in. Correction: I guess Amdro is just for non crop lands. I've never used it in a container, just around my garden area. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~ Last edited by Rockporter; May 28, 2017 at 10:53 PM.

May 29, 2017	#8
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	http://homeguides.sfgate.com/apply-d...ens-45493.html __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

May 28, 2017	#2
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Billm302, a good drench to get rid of an ants nest is water, really soak em and keep it moist, they don't like that. They want a place that's dry and undisturbed. Boric acid baits work better than other poisons on ants, afaik. I have tried spraying with some pyrethrum stuff a few years ago, and they even seemed to get off on it! Insecticidal soap spray was really slow to have any impact on them, not a very effective way of crushing them.. Hot water and bleach did the job on a nest in a wall...

May 28, 2017	#4
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I planted an 1884 plant in a pot full of fireants just to see what would happen. The fireants are no longer in the pot. I'm guessing I watered them out as bower wrote above.

May 29, 2017	#6
Imthechuck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: SouthFlorida Zone 10 Posts: 120	I used to use spinosad, and flood the container

May 29, 2017	#7
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	https://youtu.be/ntLU2do_DZM

May 29, 2017	#10
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Permethrin or pyrethrins kills them in seconds and you can safely eat the fruit the next day.

May 30, 2017	#12
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	water it. They will go away.

June 21, 2017	#14
HoustonHeat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Houston Zone 9A Posts: 132	I have not tried it yet but my father tells me he make couple holes to bottom of container and fills it with Sevin dust and covers the top back up with dirt. He claims it will kill anything bad in the container but is not accessible to good bugs, except earth worms.

June 21, 2017	#15
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	I used borax and sugar for the first time a week or so back. Ants were ticking me off at a hummingbird feeder. I was shocked just how effective it is - sugar borax cotton ball. I don't know what is in the traps we have been using for years, but the ants don't even go in them.