Gardens take a lot of work and keeping your plants safe and healthy is always important. Ants marching through your garden can be a worrisome sight. Knowing what’s attracting them is the first step to determining how to get them to leave. We’ve gathered information to help you keep ants out of your garden.
Why Are Ants in My Garden?
Ants invade yards and homes in search of food and shelter. When they find these necessities, they are likely to stick around. Your garden gives ants access to places to hide including mulch and soil. Some species of garden pests, like aphids, can attract ants. Ants feed on the honeydew produced by aphids. They also eat other small pests that are likely to roam around your garden. Ants build nests in soil, which makes your garden and yard the perfect place to live.
Are Ants Dangerous?
Ants are usually more of a nuisance than a serious threat. In the garden, they don’t typically harm plants. They can actually be beneficial by controlling other pest populations and helping to aerate the soil. Ants become problematic when they start protecting aphids. These pests are known to cause damage to plants. One ant species, fire ants, are aggressive and they’ll sting when disturbed. This results in painful, red bumps. Fire ants can also harm some plants. It’s important to remember that if ants have taken over your garden, they’re only a few steps away from your home.
How to Prevent Ants in Your Garden
Preventing an ant infestation is always easier than having to fight one. Check out a few tips for keeping ants out of your garden.
- Remove Food Sources: Check your garden for aphids and other pests that can provide ants with a food source. If they can’t find something to eat, ants will move on to another location.
- Remove Yard Debris: Some ants will use items in your yard as shelter. Remove fallen leaves, logs, rocks, and grass clippings to avoid an ant problem.
- Keep Your Lawn & Shrubs Trimmed: Tall grass and overgrown vegetation are possible hiding spots. Shrubs and plants that touch your home can act as a bridge and help ants sneak inside. Trim your plants and mow your lawn regularly.
- Plant the Right Plants: Some plants have fragrances that naturally repel ants and other pests. Try adding a few of these plants to your garden. Ants aren’t fond of mint, rosemary, thyme, and chrysanthemums.
- Create a Protective Barrier: Spraying the perimeter of your garden and yard with a plant-based insecticide spray can help keep ants away. Our Yard Bug Spray kills on contact and has residual repellent properties that help to deter ants from hanging around your garden.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Garden
One or two ants aren’t really a problem, but an entire ant army is another story. Here are a few ways to help get rid of ants in your garden.
- Control Garden Pests: Garden pests can harm your plants and attract ants. Removing them from your garden will help to control ants. Spraying your garden with our 3-in-1 Garden Spray will help to eliminate an infestation. It kills on contact and provides you with residual repellency.
- Maintain Your Garden & Yard: The steps used to prevent ants are needed to control an infestation. Keeping your garden and yard free of things that attract ants will help to reduce their numbers.
- Eliminate the Source of the Infestation: To get rid of ants, you’ll need to attack the source of the infestation—the colony. Our No Spill Ant Kill bait stations can help with this task. They’re formulated with borax (a naturally occurring mineral) and are designed to lure ants to the bait. Ants feed on the bait and carry it back to the nest. This will help to eliminate the ants you see and the ones you don’t.