ants control

[John85]

How do you control the ants in the rock garden?
Insecticide powders are effective but I am reluctant to use them as my cat likes to have a nap on the hot stones(he says that he is protecting my bulbs)
I tried boxes with a toxic bait but they were not effective.May be the bait is not attractive or the poison strong enough.
I can use boiling water on the paths but not between the plants.
Has somebody made his own baits?

[Neil]

I use this stuff http://www.lovethegarden.com/product-details/home-defence-ant-stop-granules which does a good job of killing them. 

[illingworth]

For ant control I have used a mixture of 1/2 Borax and 1/2 powdered sugar, or icing sugar.  It can be sprinkled on the ground, perhaps with an upturned plant saucer over it to protect it from rain.  It won't kill the ants instantly, but it is said that they carry the mixture back into the anthill where it is consumed.

Last year I put the mixture in a small plastic container with a lid, and with access holes cut into it, which I put at the bottom of a metal pole that ants kept climbing to get into my hummigbird feeder (oil or vaseline on the pole had failed to keep them away). End of problem.  I have heard that it can also be made into a solution with water but I haven't tried that.

Sharon

[katijah2]

Oh gee,

In the mid summer I had these on the kitchen worktop, took me a week or so to get rid of them.

They don't like talcum powder so I had presumed they came up the drain pipe through the gap into the worktop so I covered a cloth with talc and jammed up the hole...no more ants in the kitchen.

There was something else I used but I can't remember what it was, anyway they stopped coming in the kitchen after that.

I noticed they were also down the cracks in the patio under the bedroom window, so I poured neat bleach and then the talc again. There was'nt as many after that, they took up another corner down the garden...persistent little??

John, I hav'nt heard they do plants any harm but be vigilant. If a plant looks poorly check its root system, pretty soon they will be back in the nest for the winter.

I picked up a drum of Ant killer from Homebase, it costs £5.00.

[John85]

Thank you all.I'll try the Borax if I can find some.