Ant infestation

mal_dutton

I have a small patio at the top of my garden where I used to have potted plants. The area over the past few years has become infested with a huge ant colony under the patio, they then move into the pots. Is there anything I can do about them

Obelixx

Keep the pots well watered as the ants nest in dry places.

You can put down ant poison in little pots the size of shoe polish and they will take that back to the nests or, if you prefer just to move them on, pour solutions of clove oil down the cracks in your terrace - 1 gallon/5 litres of water to one small bottle of essential oil of cloves from health shops or the pharmacy.  Repeat as necessary.  They don't like the smell.

SarSpud

Are the pots on feet? That’s meant to help keep ants out. 

Obelixx

I've only ever found ants' nests in pots that had been neglected and got too dry so adequate watering usually works for me ( a regular dunking in a bucket if the pot is liftable) and the oil of cloves if it's something in the ground, like rhubarb, whose leaves and stalks can wilt from lack of nutrients and water caused by having their roots hanging in thin air in the ant tunnels.

Obelixx

I tend to leave them alone too except when they mess with my plants but it can be a serious pain when weeding and they get up your trousers and in your gloves!

I've only used the poison tins once when they were making trails across my kitchen floor.  Not the best place for pouring oil of cloves..........

Fire

I had a big ants' nest under a new rose bush. According to advice on this forum, I flooded the nest with the hose, several days consecutively. It seemed to work just fine.

mal_dutton

Thanks for your tips everyone 👍