Natural & Home Made Methods Vs Artificial Bait Methods
Ants on your lawn can either be done via natural & homemade methods or artificial methods. You first need to target the source to eliminate the ants in your home.
In this case, the nest. Several ways to treat ant nests include natural methods or using specific chemicals to kill these ants.
Using home remedies has its drawbacks, and sometimes its slower. On the other hand, chemicals are effective but may end up destroying your lawn.
But to be comprehensive, Ill cover both methods of destroying ants on your lawn.
What Is An Ant Colony
An ant colony is a basic unit of the lifecycle of ants. It consists of one or more queen ants and mostly worker ants or drones.
A queen ant forms a colony after taking a mating flight. Many male and female ants take mating flights. Male ants die after mating and female ants that survive during the flight bite off their wings and find suitable locations such as the edges of the garden to start dwelling in soil.
She then lays eggs and takes care of the growing larvae. These larvae transform into wingless workers that work to establish ant nests. A queen can leave the nest to form a new nest. When she does that, she takes some worker ants that carry her larvae.
An ant colony can have thousands of ants. It is a complicated structure consisting of multiple underground rooms such as nursery rooms, storage rooms, farming rooms, etc. You may see only one or a few entry points of a nest, but it is quite large under the ground.
Understanding Fire Ant Behavior
To make sense of treatment options, you must first know what youâre up against. Native U.S. fire ants typically arenât problems imported fire ants are the real pests behind homeowner woes. These South American natives were accidentally imported in the 1930s, and their natural South American predators donât exist in the U.S.2 Imported fire ants are aggressive, competitive insects, and traditional ant control products donât work against them.
Fire ant mounds are often your first sign of problems the expression tip of the icebergâ applies. Mounds seem like centers of activity, but bigger problems lie underground. Fire ants live and work in vast colonies housed in extensive underground tunnels. A single, unchecked colony can house up to 500,000 ants which can mean hundreds of mounds in a single acre of land.2 By the time you see mounds above ground, the colony population has been increasing for months.
Another key trait of fire ants is that they tend to move often and react quickly to disruptions. When a person or animal disturbs a mound, fire ants can attack with burning stings. But their reaction to disturbance also extends below ground. Fire ants can relocate to new lawn areas or even into homes, and start new mounds for new colonies seemingly overnight.2
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What Is The Lifespan Of An Ant Nest
An ant nest has a long lifespan as it can exist for years or even decades if you do not remove it on your own.
Worker ants keep excavating the ground and digging it deeper. They also keep providing food to the queen who takes care of larvae which causes an increase in the population of your lawn ants.
Natural Remedy: Baking Soda And Sugar
This natural DIY method features a bowl of baking soda mixed with a pinch of sugar, placed near locations where cockroach activity has taken place. The sweetness of the sugar will attract the cockroaches ingesting the baking soda effectively kills them. It is a simple and safe way to eliminate pests in and around the home. If using this method, make sure to safely dispose of any dead cockroaches.
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Can Ants Cause Health Issues
Although ants are just a nuisance, they can pose serious health issues for homeowner and their family. Did you know you may even catch E. coli from ants? Lets look into this a little more below.
As discussed above, ants will send out scouts looking for food and resources. Anthills in the lawn surrounding your home mean that ants will eventually end up in your home.
As they roam all over the home, they pick up germs and bacteria, which can get deposited onto food that you may not lock away in airtight containers.
The ants can contract other bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella, and E.coli while roaming bathroom areas in your home.
Again these can be passed onto humans or your beloved pets as the ants clamber over the food and preparation areas of the kitchen.
Ants can also contract Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Clostridium. It is usually contracted from feces that the ants have crawled over outside.
It again is passed on to you through food prep areas. You cannot catch any of these diseases through stings and bites.
Is It Bad To Have Ants In Your Lawn
Those mounds can also smother and kill your grass. The soil aerates when ants are underground. When colonies are too extensive, the tunnels cause the soil to become too dry, which in turn causes the ants to burrow deeper into the ground. This can lead to the death of the entire colony. If you see ants in your lawn, its time to get rid of them.
The best way to do this is to use a lawn mower. Lawn mowers are designed to cut down on the number of ants that live in a given area, so you dont have to worry about killing them all at once. However, if youre worried about ants, you may want to consider using an insecticide. Insecticides are chemicals that kill ants and other insects.
They can be used on lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses, but they are most effective when applied in the early morning or late afternoon. You can find a list of insecticides at the end of this article. Be sure to read the label to make sure the product you choose is safe for you and your family.
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How To Get Rid Of Ants Naturally
Most products for controlling Ants are highly toxic to insects the active ingredient Fipronil is banned in agriculture in Europe and the United States to protect Honey Bees, but is not dangerous to humans and its use is still legal in Australia.
But there are numerous natural methods of killing and repelling ants, many relying on the fact they dont like strong odours.
The simplest of all is boiling water, which can be poured into a hole in the centre of the nest and repeated as necessary. Be aware that boiling water will cause damage to any plant it comes into contact with, including your lawn.
Homemade sprays containing dishwashing detergent and vinegar, or olive oil can be used to control Ants in your lawn, but watch out for discolouration of the treated area.
For indoor use, keep a small bowl on the kitchen bench of strong-smelling herbs such as cinnamon, mint, black pepper or garlic.
Or dilute a couple of drops of essential oil into water and vodka and pour into a spray bottle for use on affected areas and wherever you see ants.
Theres more information about managing common pests in your lawn here, and you can browse our range of lawncare products from leading brands at myhomeTURFs online store.
Borax Based Ant Killers
Borax and boric acid products were traditionally used as cleaning aids and as a cutting agent in many household products.
They are also useful in the war against ants, and they are now the base for many pesticides. Borax, a naturally occurring chemical compound, is incredibly toxic to bugs, plants, and fungi.
Effective against many ant species, it comes in powder form mixed with other ant attractant additives. This helps to mask it as a food source and encourage ants to ingest it.
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Kill Ants In Lawn To Enjoy Your Beautiful Garden
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Most gardens have some form of lawn.
They are laid in most new gardens to provide entertainment space for adults and a playing area for children.
But lawns can sometimes also be home to ants.
These ants can become a real nuisance and destroy your lawn from beneath.
Anthills have been a pain to me, so I set out to learn how to kill the ants on my lawn.
There are various ways to kill ants in lawns, Some are chemical, and others are organic.
Natural ways include neem oil, cinnamon, hot water, and dishwashing detergent. Depending on how the lawn is used will depend on the treatment.
Our homes are just like our castles.
Unfortunately, they are not immune to attacks by massive armies of tiny ants.
Ant invasions are not only annoying but also dangerous to your health and the health of pets living in your home.
Who couldve thought insects as small as ants could cause so much damage? Yes, they could. Despite being so tiny, these animals come in droves and work together.
Ants are a nuisance and can quickly destroy your lawn if youre not keen, damaging all the beautiful gardens and foliage by creating mounds and destroying vegetation.
If not eradicated in time, some ant species move into home structures, where they start setting up colonies, weakening structures, and contaminating food.
Roach Killing Myth: Cucumbers
This may come as a bit of a shock, but people have tested using cucumbers as a way to repel roaches away from their home. According to some sources, cucumber peels are supposed to ward off cockroaches because they find the smell repulsive. However, this myth has been busted and is not recommended by usual cockroach control.
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How To Get Rid Of Ants
If you really want to know how to get rid of ants, then I will give you several suggestions below. Let me warn you, though, that some are crueler than others, and although they may get rid of the ants, there is an opportunity also to kill the ant.
Getting rid of ants is hard work, and sometimes they may even return, so, therefore, dont be discouraged if it does not work the first time around. The first thing to know is that under no circumstances will ants cross over a line of chalk. If you can trace the source of where the ants are coming from and really want to get rid of them, then you should put chalk down. I have also heard that baking powder does the same thing, although I have yet to use it to get rid of ants. I am also not sure if it kills ants. You can also try baby powder.
Flea powder also works very well to get rid of ants and kill them. You should sprinkle the powder both on the ants and also on the pathways. If you dont have any flea powder lying around the house, then you can also try cinnamon. Although not effective, it also works fine.
How To Get Rid Of Ant Hills In Your Yard And Garden
This post How to Get Rid of Ant Hills in Your Yard and Garden contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission off these links at no additional cost to you.
How to Get Rid of Ant Hills in Your Yard and GardenI dont like ants and I certainly dont like ant hills. When I noticed not one but three ant hills in the yard, I knew it was time to take action.
I wanted a solution that was simple and inexpensive, plus gentle to my lawn.
There is no point in destroying an ant hill if it is going to kill your lawn too, right? Right!
Here is how to get rid of ant hills in your yard and garden using just two ingredients. You can make it in minutes, and in less than 24 hours your ant hill issues will be handled.
This solution is gentle on grass and wont pose issues to your pets, either!
How to Get Rid of Ant Hills in Just TWO STEPS!Lets get those ant hills taken care of, shall we? As soon as you locate an ant hill in your yard, this is what you can do.
First of all, dont freak out. Solving this issue is simple and requires minimal effort.
Supplies needed: Dawn dish soap heat safe pitcher
If you are interested in buying in bulk, I was able to find a good deal on
Otherwise you should be able to find the rest of these supplies right in your own kitchen. Thats what I love about this budget friendly tutorial, you can do it for pennies if not free.
Directions:1. Start by boiling 4 cups of water. I use about 4 cups per patch of ant hills and it seems to be plenty.
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What Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Ants
I have heard of a bunch of ideas when it comes to how to kill ant hills, everything from using Borax to hot pepper.
I have found that this one not only works best for us but doesnt seem to pose a lot of hazards to my family or my grass.
Many times, when chemicals are used on the lawn you need to stay off for several hours if not days. There is no downtime when this method for killing ant hills is used.
Approaching Fire Ant Treatment
Treating your entire yard and targeting individual mounds will provide the most thorough, long-lasting fire ant control. Many different approaches exist, but you donât need multiple products for effective treatment. With Overân Out!® Advanced Fire Ant products, you can feel comfortable and confident treating individual mounds and broadcast-treating your full yard using the same easy-to-use product.
The main differences between broadcast and mound treatments are your goals, the quantity of Overân Out!® Advanced Fire Ant Killer needed, and the way you apply it. Broadcast treatment starts killing fire ants on contact and protects against new invasions for up to six months. Mound treatment kills mounds in 15 minutes, and kills queens within 24 hours, guaranteed.
This simplified provides the most complete fire ant protection for your home and family. Applied to fit your goal, Overân Out!® Advanced Fire Ant Killer delivers fast, effective, long-lasting control.
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How Ants Affect Your Lawn
Many ants build their nests in or under lawns. They prefer well-drained soil in lawns that dont suffer from compaction. This means even the best cared for lawns can fall victim to ant infestations.
Theyre not all bad though. They hunt other insects in your lawn and their nests can help with lawn aeration.
However, as they excavate the soil they leave it on the surface of your lawn. These ant hills can affect your lawn in a few ways
- They can make your lawn uneven
- Make mowing the grass difficult as the lawn mower blades get stuck on lumps of soil
- Kill the grass under the mounds of earth, especially if the grass is short
They also eat through the root zone of the grass as they build their colonies. This can result in patches of dead grass appearing.
Does Dawn Dish Soap Kill Pests
Yes it does! You may have noticed that Dawn is used in many homemade pest sprays.
It not only works at killing and repelling additional pests, but it is gentle on your lawn as well.
I first discovered the power of Dawn soap when so many gardening tutorials told me to make my own pest repelling spray using just Dawn and water!
Will this method kill my lawn?As long as you are pouring the water directly into the ant hill tunnels you should not experience any issues.
Chances are the ant hill has already caused the grass in that area to die. After you have destroyed the ant hill, you can gently rake the area, scatter some top soil, and put down a sprinkling of grass seed. This should help repair any area affected by the ant hill.
I like to keep grass seed on hand all season so I can sprinkle it on bare spots as I see it. It comes in handy when I treat any hills as well.
A few other tips: Try this method in the evening when the temperatures are cooler and the sun is low. Water and soap on your grass during high sun and heat can cause burning.
Feel free to rinse the area with cold water when done if you are worried about scorching the area.
Kids and pets can play in the area. Since you are not using any hefty chemicals, you dont need to worry about blocking the treatment area off.
You can repeat this method for killing any hills in your yard as needed. But usually once you try it, you wont have the pests return.
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A Range Of Methods To Try
As you can see, there are many home remedies you can try to deter ants from making a home in your garden, and most of them are inexpensive and safe to use, even if you have kids or pets in your home.
As a last resort, you can turn to pesticides too but before doing so, you should also consider whether you really need to kill the ants at all or if you might be better off just leaving them in peace.
