Ants!

[loznkate]

Hi! all

I'm in my second year of greenhouse gardening and had a pest freee 2005. I've just sited the second greenhouse and I've noticed that one corner has a few ants running about.

I intend to grow the following in this GH:

Tomatoes
Peppers (Inlc chilli)
Cape gooseberry
Cucumber
and Aubergine

Are there any ant implications for the crops??

Cheers all.

Loz

[sandersj89]

Ants can "farm" aphids with all the ettendant problems of having aphids. So if there are loads I would be tempted to remove them.

Jerry

[Pol]

This is worrying as I have found quite a lot of ants in my polytunnel. So the next question is please - what's the best way to get rid of ants without chemicals?
Pol

[sandersj89]

If you can locate the nest they hate to be wet some continual soaking with water can move them on.

If you use boiling water they will also die.

HTH

Jerry

[Pol]

Thanks, I'll have a go.
Polly

[Zena]

My kitchen is invaded by ants every summer. Last weekend I found at the garden centre something called "Ant Stop! Bait Station" 2 roundish black plastic containers. About £2.50 ish? The theory is that the ants are attracted into it, collect the poison and take it back to the nest,killing it from inside. It must be powerful stuff as most of them only made it as far as the window sill before pegging out! Seems to have worked, though, as the kitchen has been clear this week. Apart from the dead ants lying around, the advantage is that the poison is contained, no spraying or sprinkling required.

[oldherbaceous]

Zena we have also got ants in our kitchen for the first time. Of course there a lot posher then your ants.
Could you tell us what garden center you got the ant killer from, as it sounds some good stuff.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

There no fool like an old fool.

[Chantal]

I bought a couple of those from Wilkinsons last year for a couple of quid. They worked brilliantly. However, I'm sure Harrods will stock a really exclusive and expensive version if you ask them OH.

[Zena]

'Twas Poddington Garden Centre, Old H.,so I'm sure anything they sell will be of a suitable standard for your posh ants. It's a wonderful place, full of helpful, knowledgeable staff. They even have a reference library they let you use!
Don't they have any anteaters upat the "big house" that you could borrow??

[Johnboy]

Hi OH,
There is an old Airforce saying "If you lead with your chin you are sure to get it smacked."
I suspect you did and Chantal gave you a perfect upper cut!!!

[Allan]

The main problems I have with ants are undermining plants so that the root fail then the plants die, and they encourage aphids to get the sweet sap. I find the bog standard powders (e.g.Doff)sort it out, and a kettle of boiling water does too, (even non organic kind! :lol: ).
The Japanese type bait e.g.Nippon is good but you can get a similar effect with borax.
Allan

[oldherbaceous]

Well we had a saying in the Bedfordshire Homegaurds, our sea defences are better than most, meaning that, well i haven't got the foggiest what it does mean.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fools like them old fools.

[Pol]

Zena, thanks for the suggestion. I will try that as it will be confined to the tunnel. Don't like it when I kneel down to do something and they run all over my legs!
Polly