Cornmeal & Boric Acid
Contrary to popular belief, cornmeal does not kill ants, by exploding them or otherwise. Ants are pretty keen on cornmeal, Spicer says, so spreading too much of it around might worsen your infestation.
You can, however, weaponize cornmeal in your fight against ants by mixing it with boric acid, a cousin to Borax thats available online and at home improvement stores. Mix nine parts cornmeal with one part boric acid, adding a generous helping of soybean oil or peanut butter to create a paste. Place the homemade bait near gaps and crevices, anywhere ants are on the march.
Like borax , any bait containing boric acid should be kept away from kids and animals.
Coffee And Cayenne Pepper
I loved this option because it was using something that I normally throw away. I took used coffee grounds and saved them for about a week and a half. If you dont drink coffee or want to speed up the process, you could ask a friend or neighbor to give their used coffee grounds.
I put the used grounds in an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator so they would not get moldy. I have seen grounds get moldy after only a few days of being out at room temperature. Every day after the coffee grounds cooled, I put them into a container. I also added a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper. This is the part you want to be careful with so you dont have a pet licking it up. This is also a reason to complete the process at night after your pet will no longer be in the yard.
After mixing the coffee and cayenne for about a week, I mixed it with water. I made the consistency runny enough so it would go down into the colony. I also used some chili flakes, thinking that would add some kick. I tried this one time but then realized I was either not pouring enough in or it was just not effective, so I moved to another option.
How Can We Control Ants In Our Lawn
Unless their nests are causing specific issues, they are best left alone. Even if you can destroy a colony, it is likely that it will quickly be re-colonised and the whole process will commence again.
There are some DIY products which might help control ants, such as ant powder. This can be applied by creating deep holes directly into the ants nest with a garden fork or spike. The holes can then be filled with the powder. For a biological approach, Nemasys Nematode ant killer can be applied between April and October. There have been some reports of good results with these when used against ants.
Some people use boiling water to kill these ants, but this isnt a good idea as can result in scorched patches of turf which are then vulnerable to being colonised by weeds. Its better to water the ant hill regularly with cold water as this wont kill the turf but will disturb the ants and encourage them to move on. In general, they prefer dry conditions, so a well-watered lawn may discourage them.
For the anthills themselves, wait for a dry day and scrape them off with a shovel, or brush them vigorously with a stiff broom to scatter the soil over the lawn and reseed any bare areas. The soil has been nicely tilled and aerated by the ants, so think of it as some free top dressing!
Unit 7
Don’t Miss: How To Start Your Own Lawn Mowing Business
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.
Dawn Can Be A Potent Ant Exterminator
Dawn is a dish washing agent that can be used to kill ants without harming the grass. Mix two teaspoons of Dawn with four tablespoons of baking soda and one gallon of water. This wont hurt the grass and other plants in your yard but is very deadly to pesky ants.
Locate where the ants are nesting and pour this mixture directly into their nest. If you want, you can hose the mixture into the nest to inundate the whole colony. This exterminator is particularly effective to fire ants the red-colored ones.
You May Like: How Much Is Trugreen Lawn Service
Why Is Your Yard Infested With Ants
Your yard may be infested with ants because they discovered a food source in the vicinity. They love to eat sweet, fatty, high-protein, and greasy food items. When these things are readily available they will surely invade the place to collect food so they can bring it to their nests.
There are ants that consume bugs, aphids, meat, and dead animals. So when these are prevalent in your yards, ants are soon to follow. Moreover, if your outdoor space has numerous damp areas and water sources where they can comfortably stay these are ideal living conditions for ants.
Will Insecticides That Kill Ants Damage Your Lawn
Whether the insecticide treatment is going to damage your lawn or not depends on the type of insecticide. Several control solutions can harm your grass if they are not applied according to the given instructional manual.
You can also seek professional help from an ant exterminator to avoid potential destruction of your lawn. It is necessary to read complete instructions before the application of insecticide for positive results. Prepare the insecticide solution according to given guidelines and treat the infested area to control ant colonies. Some of the insecticides come with ready to use spray bottles.
The treatment with insecticides is good for highly infested areas. They kill the ants right after treatment and they are much cheaper than other ant killers. Still if not handled by professionals, there have been cases where people have destroyed their lawns with improper handling of the insecticides.
Also Check: How To Keep Lawn Green In Summer
What Are Good Natural Home Remedies
Homeowners have tried many home remedies and natural products to eradicate their ants with varying degrees of effectiveness.
These include:
All three are easy to obtain and use.
Salt and vinegar wont harm children or pets, but they may destroy vegetation wherever they are sprayed. Baby powder made with talc is controversial as some believe that it can be carcinogenic.
Glass Cleaner And Liquid Detergent
Combining spray-on glass cleaner with liquid detergent or dish soap can help deter ants from entering your home. It does this by removing the scented pheromone trail they leave behind when they walk.
Mix together and spray on areas where ants seem to congregate or originate from. Wipe down the area after spraying, leaving a light residue.
While there are no studies to support this remedy, anecdotal evidence suggests its enough to keep ants away.
Recommended Reading: Overfertilization
How To Kill Ants Outside
This article was co-authored by Kevin Carrillo. Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industrys leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association , QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association . MMPC’s work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News.There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 13 testimonials and 89% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 779,525 times.
A small number of ants located outdoors will not typically pose many problems, but when a massive infestation occurs or when the ants begin to sneak their way indoors, you will need to head outside and kill the colony at its base. Using either chemical pesticides or common household materials, you can get rid of an entire colony in a small amount of time!
Quick Lawn Ant Diagnosis
One hot dry August day, a long time lawn customer was upset. In some areas her grass began to look like hay. She thought one of my lawn mowers had a gas leak and this was the cause of her lawn problem. I quickly reassured her that I would never use a lawn mower with a gas leak on her lawn.
After further examination, I noticed her neighbors on both sides had the same problem. I explained that it appeared to be the early stages of lawn ants. She relied on my expertise and allowed me to apply an insecticide to the problem areas.
As I was cutting her lawn the following week, I noticed that both of her neighbors had ant hills all over their yards. My customer came out to greet me and thank me. If I didn’t make a quick diagnosis the previous week, her lawn may have looked just like her neighbor’s lawns.
Recommended Reading: All Wheel Drive Push Mower Reviews
How To Identify Lawn Ants In Your Yard
- You may see red, yellow, brown or black ants.
- Inspect your property. They live in colonies or nests located in the soil in your yard or alongside the foundation of your house.
- There may be spots in your lawn that look like hay rather than grass.
- The soil may be disturbed or there may be small mounds.
| Lawn Ants can be various colors. These are black ants. | Lawn Ant Hills – You can see the grass is sparse and the soil is disheveled. | More Lawn Ant Hills – You can see the grass is yellowed and haylike in areas. |
Types Of Ants That Can Damage Your Yard
Ants are annoying inside of your home, and even when theyre outdoors, ants can damage your yard. Field ants, farming ants, and army ants can all damage your grass if the situation is left untreated.
Field Ants
Field ants are not a specific species of ant. Rather, the term field ants refers to various species of ants that like to live in lawns and fields.
What They Look LikeField ants can vary a lot in appearance since they encompass a variety of different species. Field ants are usually about a fourth of an inch long, and they vary in color, from red to black to brown. Field ants are the type of ants most people think of when they picture ants.
How They Damage Your YardField ants live inside of mounds. These mounds often start underground but then push up the soil to create visible mounds in your yard. These mounds are large, spanning up to two feet.Field ants mounds damage the grass. They destroy the grasss root structures, causing brown spots to develop in the greenery. Ant mounds can also make the surface of your grass uneven and tougher to mow.
How to Treat Field AntsField ants can live for years, so it is important to get them out of your yard. Applying insecticide directly to their mounds is the most effective means to kill field ants. If you are uncomfortable doing this on your own, our ant control experts at Daves Pest Control would be happy to help. You can contact our pest control team here.
Farming Ants
Army Ants
You May Like: Disposing Of Old Lawn Mower
Controlling Ants In Your Lawn
The unseasonally dry weather for April has led to a dramatic increase in the number of ant hills in lawns. It is not the ants that are a problem, mostly their anthills that are like mini mole hills across the lawn. Ants prefer living in dry light soils and are capable of shifting a large proportion of soil onto the lawn’s surface, causing havoc with the mower as these raised areas will get easily ‘scalped’ by the action of mowing.
We always hear horror stories of lawn owners pouring boiling water over the anthills with the net result of dead patches of grass where the hot water scalded and then killed the grass plants. There are over 15,000 different species of ants in the world and no matter how interesting or fascinating they are as a subject, the fact remains that the few species found in the UK are totally unacceptable pests in the home and garden.
The UK species of red and yellow ants are mainly carnivorous and are generally only an outdoor problem. Black ants however, are a species of sweet eaters their natural food being honeydew, a secretion from aphids and other plant sap eating insects. Food is taken up by aphids in a volume which they cannot digest, thus, they produce a high and continual discharge of honeydew. Ants will farm the aphids and protect them against other predators. If you see black ants on your roses, vegetables, shrubs and fruit trees, you can be certain that the new growth of such plants is being attacked by sap sucking insects.
How To Get Rid Of An Ant Infestation Outdoors
The effective solutions are the utilization of natural ant repellents like peppermint oil, tea tree oil, citrus fruits, and cayenne. Commercial insecticides can also be used if the infestation is too severe or it is a recurring one. Baits and traps can also be effective in getting rid of these insects.
You can do the following methods to get rid of an ant infestation outdoors:
1. Inspect your outdoor areas for the presence of ant hills and colonies.
When you search for these ant territories, look for piles of soil or dirt around the foundation structures of your house or within the vicinity of tree logs, rocks, and shrubs. You will probably see a huge throng of ants swarming around it.
2. Destroy the ant nests and trails using natural and artificial ant repellents, sprays, baits, and insecticides.
Utilize natural ant repellents such as tea tree oil, peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and cinnamon leaf oil. You can also use commercial insecticides containing substances such as permethrin and bifenthrin.
You can use ant baits by mixing sugar with boric acid and water and placing it in a bait container. Other homemade remedies that are effective include the application of boiling water directly on the anthill or mopping your outdoor floors with detergent, cleaning solution, or vinegar.
3. Regularly clean and organize your outdoor space.
- Disposing and storing the garbage properly.
- Mow the lawn regularly.
- Trim the shrubs and trees that are near your house.
You May Like: How To Kill Wild Violet Weeds In Lawn
How To Get Rid Of Ants Outdoors
These creatures can be seen anywhere. They are a nuisance, and once they discover a place with food or shelter their numbers can grow rapidly.
So, how to get rid of ants outdoors? First, you should inspect your outdoor areas for the presence of ant hills and colonies. Then, destroy the ant nests and trails using natural and artificial ant repellents, sprays, baits, and insecticides. Finally, regularly clean and organize your outdoor space.
In this article, well cover how to identify ants type, products to use in deterring their presence, and a few excellent techniques in stopping and preventing their infestation.
Easy Ways To Repel Ants
To lower the chances of ants wandering indoors, follow these easy tips.
- Make a barrier. Place a substance that ants dislike along door thresholds, window ledges, baseboards anywhere ants might enter your home. Ants dislike cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ground chalk and cornmeal.
- Spritz vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with equal amounts common white vinegar and water. Spray where ants enter your home.
- Peel citrus. Save and dry citrus peels . Place dried peels in a food processor or grinder and pulse them into powder. Sprinkle powdered peels in areas where ants enter the home.
- Use oils. Essential oils including peppermint, tea tree and citrus types repel ants. Blend 1/4-cup of water with 7 drops of citrus oil or 15 drops of tea tree or peppermint oils. Shake well and spray along baseboards, windowsills or other places ants enter your home. Or place a few drops of orange, lemon or peppermint oil on cotton balls and tuck into cabinets or pantry areas to keep ants out.
Don’t Miss: Where Are Cub Cadet Lawn Mowers Made
