| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Blue Sky |
Ants and lettucesWhat is the most favoured way of keeping ants off the lettuce patch (and other veg for that matter)?I have used soapy water to rid my lettuce of aphids with considerable success but the ruddy ant bring the things back within a few days. The veg patch is storming with ants and I can't seem to find the nests. What does everybody else here do to combat 'em? |
| Blacksmith |
Don't know if it would work with ants, but I was told the best way to get rid of crab lice was to sprinkle the area with sand, then pour on some cheap whiskey.
Appently, the crabs get drunk, get into fights and stone each other to death with the sand 
Dave |
| Blue Sky |
yes OK!
Maybe I should allow them a courser aggregate? They might get rid of the slugs at the same time
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| nettie |
I would like an answer to this too, my allotment has loads of red ant nests on, I don't really want to use chemicals, and if I put boiling water down I will kill the roots of the surrounding veg 
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| tawny owl |
Well, boiling water works, but obviously you'd have to make sure the nest wasn't anywhere near the actual veg, otherwise you'll roast them too!
Ants tend to like dry places, so you could try watering the veg patch a bit more. |
| judith |
Are the ants actually doing any harm? If you have the aphids under control, then what are they doing that bothers you?
If the nest is underneath your lettuce patch, then you might want to encourage them to move elsewhere (or move your lettuces), but otherwise I am happy to live in harmony with my ants - particularly when they are carrying off cabbage white caterpillars  .
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| cab |
Normally I leave ants be. They're all over several parts of my allotment, but I've yet to identify that they're a problem; I'd be harsher on them should I find them cooperating with aphids! |
| Bugs |
I do find that a nest under a plant or of course in a pot means the plant tends to dry out and die off. If this is a problem we dig out the offending area/empty the pot, soak any retrievable plants and repot, then dispatch most of the remaining ants and eggs with a biological control, Gallus gallus 
I read somewhere there's not much point destroying ant nests because your patch will quickly be colonised by incoming ants when they find there's no competition. I'm not certain how true that is, I can't remember where I saw it either, that'll teach me for reading again. |
| Bugs |
Also, I can't remember if we mentioned this, but walking in some woods a few weeks ago we came across what I think was a wood ants nest, ants a good centimetre in size, main centre of activity looked about the size of a bike laid on its side, but the ants were pretty thick on the ground for metres in every direction, and you could *hear* them rustling. I was terribly impressed
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| Lozzie |
Bugs - I think you are absolutely right - ants are fiercely territorial and love to march in with no competition whenever possible.
Found this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/lifeofants.shtml L x |