What damage can ants cause in the bed?
Even if the ants don't eat your plants, they can certainly harm them. On the one hand, an ant nest on the plants prevents the roots from being able to absorb sufficient water and nutrients to survive, because contact with the soil is lost. Instead, small cavities form.
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On the other hand, ants like to care for and protect aphids and you certainly do not want them on your plants. Since the ants even drive away natural enemies of the aphids such as ladybugs, it is difficult to get rid of the lice.
How do I drive away ants?
Ants prefer a dry, loose soil, if possible without direct sunlight. That is why their nests are often found in the forest. In the garden, ants like to build their nests under stones or trees or on the border near the border. If you water your affected plants abundantly (if they can tolerate it), it will become uncomfortable for the ants and they will probably move.
It is also possible to drive them away with fragrances. Strong-smelling herbs like lavender or chervil, but also spices like cloves or cinnamon are suitable for this. Unpleasant “scented” herbal manure or fragrant essential oils are also suitable. Fighting the aphids also drives away the ants.
Tips to drive away ants:
- ensure plenty of soil moisture
- Fight aphids
- Fragrances: herbs, spices, essential oils, vegetable manure
Can I prevent an ant infestation?
To a certain extent, ants can even be classified as beneficial insects, but they should not settle anywhere. To prevent them from entering your house so easily, try to keep the animals away by making your patio and / or garden paths near the house unattractive to ants.
For example, use sharp basalt chippings instead of fine sand for paving. There is a special synthetic resin-based mortar for the joints, which is water-permeable but does not allow ants or weeds to live in the joints.
Tips
Ideally, you combine different ant control methods.
