Ants are natural inhabitants of garden plots. However, sometimes they become a source of serious problems. This is especially true for those situations when ants decide to settle in a greenhouse or greenhouse.
Ants are an integral element of the natural ecosystem. Their disappearance will quickly lead to a sharp increase in the populations of other insects, including harmful ones. However, sometimes colonies of ants begin to grow and spread throughout the area so actively that at some point they turn from garden orderlies into a real natural disaster.
Why do ants appear?
Getting rid of ants is difficult, especially if you don’t know the reason for their appearance. They mainly appear for the following reasons:
- When there is an anthill next to the greenhouse. For them, the greenhouse is a kind of “farm”, in which they grow aphids. For this reason, before installing a greenhouse, it is necessary to carefully study the selected area. It is also necessary to constantly treat the plants in the greenhouse so that aphids do not appear on them;
- Sometimes anthills appear in an already built greenhouse. They love to nest in a polycarbonate heifer, as ideal conditions for their life are created there: loose soil, lush greenery and protection from temperature changes. Usually, before the appearance of a nest, individual individuals are “scouts” who study the area and determine the suitability of the territory for life; such individuals should be immediately destroyed or driven out;
- The greenhouse may contain plants that attract insects. In this case, it will be even more difficult to get rid of ants, so you just need to plant plants that repel insects along the walls of the greenhouse.
These are the main reasons why ants appear. Before dealing with them, it is necessary to determine the cause of their appearance, and try to eliminate it, and then deal with the problem.
Causes and consequences of the appearance of ants in a greenhouse
Ants appear in a greenhouse due to the following reasons:
- They walked their way, then they noticed a greenhouse. Here it is necessary to drive them away in a timely manner;
- A nest has formed on the site, and insects come to the greenhouse to raise aphids. It is necessary to get rid of aphids and scatter chopped garlic cloves over the beds;
- the nest was formed directly in the greenhouse using external digging. It’s difficult to find it; you won’t be able to find the anthill. This is just a small depression under which the ant kingdom is built.
Such insects are useful in a greenhouse when the colonies have not increased in size. But when pests multiply extremely quickly, the question arises of how to remove them. Possible consequences of the appearance of ants:
- insects secrete acid, which can significantly increase the acidity of the soil. Not every plant in the garden likes the kind of soil that will need to be limed to get a good harvest;
- The main diet of pests is insect larvae, as well as shoots of garden plants and their fruits. Therefore, with a significant increase in the ant population, the greenhouse will suffer significantly and will not produce the expected yield;
- Adults are extremely fond of sugar, which is necessary for their proper functioning. Because of this, they themselves reproduce large colonies of aphids. Such a pest spreads and also feeds on plants from the garden, thus causing significant damage to the crop. In some cases, shoots die;
- insects are able to organize anthills directly next to greenhouse plants, preventing their proper growth;
- since the habitat of pests is not limited to the greenhouse, they bring weed seeds into it from the garden plot, which quickly germinate and choke out the plants in the garden in favorable conditions.
However, in addition to causing damage to the greenhouse itself and the plants growing inside it, insects are also dangerous to people. When ants actively reproduce, it is extremely difficult to prevent their bites, during which they will secrete a special acid. In addition to the pain of the bite, some people develop allergies.
Ants do not like large amounts of moisture. Therefore, if high humidity is maintained in the greenhouse and the plants are frequently watered, the activity of pests will be stopped.
What effect do ants have on plants?
Ants are important to nature and provide the following benefits:
- Destroy pests and their larvae, in particular spider mites;
- They loosen the soil, so that more oxygen begins to flow to the roots of plants;
- The waste from their vital activity is fertilizer for plants;
However, the harm from their presence overshadows all the benefits, since they:
- They destroy plant seeds, which is why seedlings do not germinate;
- They feed on sprouts;
- Aphids are bred on cultivated plants;
- They interfere with cultivating the beds and destroying weeds.
Thus, ants do more harm than good. Therefore, when they appear, it is necessary to take immediate action; if the anthill grows, it will be even more difficult to get rid of them.
How to protect a greenhouse forever?
To protect the greenhouse from pests, it is necessary to take the following preventive measures:
- break the arrows on the garlic and place them near the beds; pests will avoid these places. Experienced gardeners have invented a reliable method that will forever protect the greenhouse from pests: weave ropes from garlic shoots and tie the base of the greenhouse;
- Also, insects do not like the aroma of vegetable oil, mint, wormwood and elderberry. By scattering 2 branches with leaves in a greenhouse, you will be able to get rid of black ants very quickly. In addition, pests do not tolerate ground cinnamon.
However, you should not try to completely eliminate all ants in the greenhouse. You just need to control their number. If you get rid of all the insects, the ecosystem of such a closed soil will be disrupted. As a result, the greenhouse will be attacked by other pests.
It is necessary to counteract ants, since the damage caused by pests is quite large. It is worth constantly inspecting the greenhouse for the presence of insects. When ants are identified, appropriate measures must be taken immediately to eliminate them once their presence is clearly established.
Rules for fighting ants
How to get rid of ants in a greenhouse forever? There are many ways to get rid of garden ants in a greenhouse, but sometimes they are ineffective, usually due to the fact that a person carried out the procedure incorrectly.
First of all, this is due to the fact that they do not eliminate the cause of their appearance or do not process all the nests. It is imperative to find all the places where they have built nests, this is important, since if you eliminate one nest and leave the others, the procedure will have no effect.
Also, the entire area must be cleared, especially from old wood, slate and similar things, as they attract pests, and it is under them that ants like to make their nests. Before carrying out the procedure, you should completely dig up the nests and destroy the uterus, this way you can get rid of the problem for a long time. After this, the dug area must be treated with chemicals or folk remedies.
If they have made a nest in the center of the garden bed and don’t want to dig up the soil, then you need to make holes and find passages so that the substances penetrate deep into the nest.
Destruction of the uterus
It often happens that after a serious chemical treatment is completed, insects disappear for a certain period of time and then appear again. Pesticides kill only adult individuals, while the queen continues to actively reproduce.
The queen lives in the depths of the galleries and is extremely difficult to find. Therefore, experts have come up with the most effective way: you need to make sure that the poison gets to the female from the ants. When it is destroyed, the nest will also spread.
To destroy pests in a greenhouse, you need to get rid of the main root of the problem - their uterus. For these purposes, you will need to dig up the soil, as well as carefully examine it, trying to find the largest ant that lays eggs.
Wait for her to appear
Regular loosening of the soil near plants also helps reduce the number of pests, or forces them to change their habitat. This is due to the fact that the nests and passages that are used for movement are constantly being destroyed. When, during loosening, it was possible to find and get rid of the queen, the anthill ceases to exist.
Preparation of a weak poison
When the poison left by insects acts very quickly, they do not have time to convey it to the female. And if the effect is insignificant, slow, over time the queen will be killed.
To prepare a weak bait, an ordinary sweet solution of boric acid is made, in which cotton wool should be soaked and thrown inside the jar. The trap is covered in such a way that insects can get inside. They bite off pieces of cotton wool and bring it to the female. After 15 days, you need to update the contents, reducing the concentration of the solution over time. After 6 weeks, the colony will be completely destroyed.
In addition, you can mix honey and dry boric acid in a ratio of 2 to 1, add 2 drops. water and stir, making the mixture quite thick. Such bait is placed on ant paths. After this, you need to wait for it to be delivered to the female. If the acid penetrates inside the ant, it will initially begin to itch and then be destroyed.
Remedies for getting rid of ants
You can get rid of ants using special chemicals, or you can prepare them yourself.
Specialized stores have a variety of pest control products that do not harm crop plants. But some remedies are effective, while others are of no use at all. The products are usually sold in powder, gel or crayon form.
The best means for getting rid of insects in a greenhouse are:
- Ant-eater;
- Muratsid;
- Grom-2;
- Ant;
- Diazinon.
These substances act very quickly and almost always cope with the problem. They must be used strictly according to the instructions indicated on the packaging.
Long-lasting gels are recommended for use before planting. Powders can be used at any time; they need to be scattered in places where pests accumulate. You need to add a little product, the layer should be no more than 40 mm. Gardeners recommend covering the bait with a thin layer of soil.
You can also fight ants with crayons; they are quite effective. Because these crayons emit a scent that repels ants. Thanks to this smell, the ants will leave the greenhouse for a long time.
Some types of drugs penetrate into the ants through the upper integument or with food, and affect the insect's intestines. Insects die from such products within 1-2 days. But such substances are dangerous not only for insects, they can also harm the human body, as they accumulate in ripe fruits.
Types of greenhouse ants
There are several varieties of ants that live in countryside villages, including greenhouses. Most often these are black garden, forest red, brown meadow and sometimes yellow ants. The harm from all of them is approximately the same - they eat the sprouts and seeds of young plants, destroy the root system of plantings, infest the greenhouse with aphids, and also bite painfully. Black ants are most often found in suburban gardens, which is why they are called “garden ants.”
Red forest
It is quite difficult to breed small red ants in a greenhouse. In most cases, they are forest dwellers and appear only in dachas located close to the forest. But they also prefer to settle and create colonies in residential buildings and apartments.
The best protection against small red ants is prevention. It is recommended to dissolve 5 g of baking soda in 1 liter of clean water, and then add 30 liters of linseed oil. This solution must be spilled onto the soil in the greenhouse. Treatment should be carried out 2 weeks before planting. This solution will force the pests to leave their nest.
Black garden
To eradicate black garden ants in a greenhouse, it is recommended to prepare a solution of 50 g of 9% vinegar and 50 g of any vegetable oil. Then pour this mixture over the areas where pests accumulate. They will quickly leave the greenhouse. Black ants are considered the most common species on the planet, but in a greenhouse they need to be distinguished from the harvester ant, which is larger.
Yellow pharaohs
It is quite difficult to drive yellow ants out of a greenhouse. They prefer to parasitize in people's homes and other outbuildings. Such pests are also called pharaoh ants, as they were first discovered in the crypts of Egypt. Within human homes, they organize large nests that are connected to each other. They are difficult to destroy because if one nest is eradicated, its inhabitants will simply move to a new one. It is recommended to treat all areas with Grom-2. The product must be spread in places where pests accumulate.
Folk remedies for pest control
Chemicals do not have a local effect, no matter how the manufacturer claims otherwise. Harmful substances accumulate in the stems and in ripe fruits, and negatively affect the human body. For this reason, it is better to use folk remedies to control pests; they do not harm the human body and have a beneficial effect on cultivated plants.
To control pests, you can use the products that are available in every home:
- Garlic;
- Jam;
- Kerosene;
- Various aromatic herbs;
- Potato;
- Regular boiling water;
- Ammonia;
- Vinegar;
- Millet;
- Soda.
These substances fight pests as effectively as special chemicals, and they are harmless. They need to be used correctly, and it is also advisable to carry out preventive maintenance a couple of times a season.
Traps
If there are not too many black ants, you can try traps to combat them. The simplest and most common among summer residents is a bottle or jar with a funnel inserted into the neck. Jam, honey, sugar syrup are poured onto the bottom and a convenient “bridge” is made for the ants from the ground to the neck. When ants appear, such traps are placed in the beds. Insects crawl inside and cannot get out. This method is suitable if you need to reduce the number of pests. Of course, you can’t get rid of an entire colony of pests this way.
Not very convenient, but you can still use glue traps to remove ants from the greenhouse. An adhesive composition is applied to a paper or plastic base, which remains sticky for several days or weeks. Insects stick to it and die. There are also electronic traps, they kill with a weak discharge of current. But firstly, they need a constant power source. Secondly, when working with the ground, you can accidentally touch them and receive an unpleasant blow. Thirdly, this can kill all the insects in the greenhouse and destroy the eco-system. For the same reason, you should not use ultrasonic repellers to get rid of greenhouse ants.
Killing ants with garlic
Garlic is an effective and cheap pest control product.
You need to use it as follows:
- You need to grate the garlic and mix it with sawdust. The amount of garlic depends on the area of the plot and the size of the anthill;
- You need to fill the nests with sawdust and garlic;
You can also use garlic in another way:
- Grated garlic should be soaked in water and allowed to brew for 24 hours;
- After this, the infusion should be poured over the passages of the anthill, where there is a particularly large concentration of ants;
You need to use garlic at least three times to get rid of insects.
