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Ants

Janie BJanie B Posts: 887
in Plants
Recently when digging in the borders I have unearthed ants' nests, with masses of tiny red ants who scurry off trying to carry their eggs / pupae to safety (fascinating to watch). Researching online, it appears that ants are fine, and should be tolerated, although the rhs site does suggest nematodes if you do want to treat them. Does anyone treat them...? Or is it a case of live and let live with ants...? 
Lincolnshire
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  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 982
    Im following your post with interest @Janie B because we recently dug over the entire garden and unearthed much the same as you! 
  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Posts: 955
    I just leave ants to be they ain't doing any harm unless they are going into the house. It pisses me off when you see people have put down ant powder at the entrance to their front garden 50 ft away from the front door what trouble could they probably pose
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,314
    I generally retreat too, let them get on with it and give the birds a chance to go to work on an egg or two.  They may take over the world one day so I'm staying nice and hedging my bets  o:)
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,321
    They only annoy me when they dig up all the sand out of our garden brick paving...but they really cause no issues. Live and let live is my policy with them. Something my grandma instilled in me as a child. As a farmer she never fell for the mad use of artificial fertilizers that everyone went along for, with heavy subsidies by the agrochemical companies, in the 80s in Greece.
    Nowadays you'd call her an organic farmer...back then she saw it as the way to work with nature even if sometimes it impacts yields. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,818
    We live and let live ... the ants like us so much that yesterday they came to visit us in our sitting room ... we’ll have to do something ... not sure what yet ... 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • B3B3 Posts: 25,206
    So long as they stay out of the house and out of my containers. I leave them.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • HelixHelix Posts: 631
    If they head into the house I find that a line of chilli powder sends them elsewhere.   Otherwise I leave them be, they eat things that we don’t want and keep things in balance.   If there is a nest on the terrace that’s causing stones to lift or sink then I kill the nest with boiling water. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,818
    edited June 2019
    I think they’re living in the front step and house wall 🙄 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 982
    edited June 2019
    So far, we have unearthed about 4 nests but they're all under soil in the back garden.
    I'm not keen on the idea of killing them off and they haven't ventured into the house...plus our 'patio' is a rather unattractive strip of broken old concrete, which will be dug up in a year when we have some money again, so I'm inclined to leave them to it.
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 887
    Thanks for your comments, @dappledshade @Dovefromabove @Helix @herbaceous@B3 @amancalledgeorge @BirminghamMarc1972

    I think you've all confirmed what I suspected... nothing to worry about!
    Lincolnshire
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