ANT INVASION!!!!!!!

[bonecarver_OG]

its a stormy rainy day..

a moment ago i went down to the grow room - all fine untill i got to the veg area .. it seems the rain has made the ants go away from their usual nest - and they invaded the clone/mom area. they are carrying larvaes etc and they are doing their best to fill a few pots with them.

now i dont know about ants behaviour, so i was hoping tomorow they will have decided to go somewhere else.. IF NOT

might i be risking getting my plants root systems destroyed by the ants?

the ants in general all over the grow area but they havent ever shown any interest in the pos before

i cant believe this..

 

[Weedninja]

I don't think any good can possibly come from letting them set up shop in your pots
If you let them, they will burrow into your soil and build a nest. The big thing with ants is that they keep aphids as "pets". If they don't leave on their own soon, there are good products to get rid of them. Boric acid works well and commercial ant traps contain avermectin, which is the active ingredient in Avid.

I had an ant problem this past summer and I really didn't want to kill them. I suspect they may have carried spider mites to my plants, I can't prove that though.
Good Luck

 

[mexilandrace]

ants saved my veggie garden this year

Ants aint ever hurt nobody, or well when they sting you they do, but I let them fools be. They are the mafia of the bug world, you mess with one you mess with them all.

Gotta love ants.

Diatomacous earth will get rid of any and all crawling bugs in your soil, but I wouldn't mess with them.

 

[mosfetti]

so, aren't they dangerous?

 

[SouthernSmoker]

sorry to hear about the invasion ants will not hurt your plants but they are a tell sign for aphids if they are crawling on the plants them selfs some thing is attracting them and aphids will secreat (sp) a sugar substance that will attract ants so look and make sure you dont have any other kind of critter on your girls .

I agree with mexilandrace Diatomacous earth will get rid of any and all crawling bugs in your soil,

 

[bonecarver_OG]

nah man no aphids here - this is about the heavy autumn rain flooding their usual habitat - and the ants are seeking refuge.

after dusting with chalk powder and vacuming the biggest lots - the problem is well under controll.

no ants are in the pots anymore - i guess they didnt like the heavy watering i was giving them

anyway the aphids are together with the tiny BLACK ants.

i got tiny brown ones

peace!

 

[NiceShoes]

I would not be all that surprised if they came back. Ants can be very persistent and it's usual for them to move/come back determining weather and rain fall. So if they take off when there is too much water in the pot they will remember where that was and go back.

You have many options

Terro is an awesome product, they have a few different active ingrediants depending on which one you go with. The bait stations (not the gel) will normally be your best bet. The active ingredient is Borax

As far as dusts or powders go DE is good but look for Deltamethrin. It is not a natural product like DE but is a non-repellent too. So the ant will not even know it's there. They will walk over it and then die pretty quickly (Usually within 15-20 minute). If you treat under all the baseboards in your room you will create a good perimeter and the ants wont make it to your pots.

On Ebay you are able to purchase commercial grade pesticides. If you go that route look for Phantom for inside applications. Demand SC is a good product for both inside and outside applications, the Termidor is another awesome product however contains high amounts of Fipronil which you do not want all over the place. So read the label.

They will be back,
NiceShoes

 

[bonecarver_OG]

hehe man i know they will be back

final solucion will be to close all gaps and cracks in the block walls the basement of my house got. the ants are in the basement.

i will get traps tomorow and try to look for a few different products -!

but at the moment its just like it used to be - the occasional ant wandering around..

peace!