I've got ANTS!

[Organic*Shaman]

I have ants that decided it would be a good idea to make a home in my plants soil. I have 5 plants, and the rootbase has been taken over on 4 of them. Now I'm not completley sure this is a bad thing but i know ants can carry diseases and I have a feeling the might cause harm to my roots regardless. What i was wondering was, does anybody know of a thurough effective solution to kill them fast without ant poison affecting the quailty or safty of my plants. I know mj is notorious for pulling toxins out of the environment. Now they are still in veg and have a couple weeks before flower, so maybe that helps. I hope i gave enough info, anything else just let me know. Thanks all!
Shaman

 

[CornDog]

diatomaceous earth is what you need. you can get it here http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=49918

It's completely organic, won't effect your soil composition what it does is prevent the ants from entering your pots or exiting them, then put some beer in a shallow cup to ketch the rest.

 

[otherwhitemeat]

Is this indoor or outdoor? If indoor, I may have experience from when my vivaria were attacked.

Also, do you use Molasses or Shultz fertilizer? Could be the sugar, or perhaps they are attracted to decaying material in your dirt.

I would advise repotting and replacing the soil. Once you break the link between foodsource and home, they'll go away. Cleaning the ant 'trails' with vinegar may offer short term help too, but they will eventually win this battle.

In my case, I had to add steel legs to my enclosure and put the legs into empty tuna cans with an inch of motor oil in each. A motor oil 'moat' if you will for each of the four legs. I tried numerous controls for months and this was the most effective.

I couldn't use Diatomaceous Earth cuz of the animals, but DE is very effective for use in and around pot plants, a simple perimeter of DE might work as it kills the ants without pesticide.

Sticky traps may work too, but ants will eventually just walk around them....don't use 'poison-bait' traps, ants carry that shit all over the place.

Alas, the most effective control I had was to prevent the ants from getting to where they want, they are very persistent and I couldn't use poisons because of the reptiles and amphibs---the oil-can-feet was a useful tip from another collector and it worked great.

 

[FreezerBoy]

the oil-can-feet was a useful tip from another collector and it worked great.

I've used "vaseline" corrals to great effect. Make a circle with strips of masking tape. Smear it with Vaseline, Chapstick, Texas Red Axle Grease, whatever you have. Ants won't cross it. Works on floors, walls and ceilings. I use it to corral the ant's entrance to the house and drop a bait trap into the middle (Tacks will hold traps to the ceiling or walls) They now have free access to all the poison they want, as long as they take it outside back to the nest. Once ants are gone, pull up the tape.

 

[Organic*Shaman]

Thanks for the quick responces. It is indoors. No pets so I think I will try the diatomaceous earth supplimented with a moat or corral of some kind. Cool, ill post when i reach some kind of result or lack there of for that matter. Thanks again
Shaman

 

[otherwhitemeat]

I've used "vaseline" corrals to great effect. Make a circle with strips of masking tape. Smear it with Vaseline, Chapstick, Texas Red Axle Grease, whatever you have. Ants won't cross it. Works on floors, walls and ceilings. I use it to corral the ant's entrance to the house and drop a bait trap into the middle (Tacks will hold traps to the ceiling or walls) They now have free access to all the poison they want, as long as they take it outside back to the nest. Once ants are gone, pull up the tape.

Heheh, I had to share my one anecdotal experience with vaseline...I tried little vaseline roadblocks, about a 1/4 inch thick early on in my siege of the ant kingdom. I probably didn't make it thick enough. Do you know that the ants started getting stuck in it? After about two days enough ant corpses piled up that the ant trail went right over the little ant corpse bridge. They ate several gecko eggs on me that weekend I was away.

 

[Organic*Shaman]

What about borax? do you folks think that would negativley affect my plants i.e. quality safty?