They are in my vegetable garden and I don't want to spray any commercial killers for fear of food contamination. Any home remedies or food freindly products that anyone can recommend?
2006-08-14 22:43:01 · 7 answers · asked by Beth M 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
Use sevin dust 5%... its poisonous but if you wash your veggies before you cook/eat them you will be safe and it really works, but you have to re-apply after every rain.
2006-08-14 22:49:07 · answer #1 · answered by eggman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For ants, I just received this tip but don't know if it works. Use Aspartame, the artificial sweetener in Nutrasweet or Equal. Sprinkle contents of the Nutrasweet packages wherever ants are, whether inside the house or outside in the garden. Supposedly it works wonders and on all types of ants too including Fire Ants. Good luck!
As for the garden slugs, dig shallow hole(s) to fit an aluminum disposable pie tin and even the tin off level in the hole and with the surrounding earth and fill the tin with beer. The beer attracts the slugs, they fall in and drown (but I think they die pretty happy). This remedy has been around for years and years.
2006-08-15 08:06:39 · answer #2 · answered by COACH 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The easiest and most cost effective, and no pesticide way, (besides being pretty) is to plant chrysanthemums in and around the garden. Bugs of all kids HATE THEM, and will stay well away. I've used that in a regular garden, and now that I'm container planting, I also plant them around the rim of the container vegetables, and I have never found one ant or slug, or any other bugs except for bee's!!! You can get the regular mums, that they sell in the fall, or the separate orange and yellow ones that they sell in the spring. Both work great!!!!! Also after the planting season is over, dry the flowers, and put the petals in your couch cushions and under your furniture to kill and keep away flea's in the house
2006-08-15 00:30:31 · answer #3 · answered by Judith O 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put wood ash down for the slugs or a pan of beer the slugs will climb into the pan and drown.
For the ants use boric acid powder. You can get this at Walmart in the drug department.
2006-08-14 22:49:14 · answer #4 · answered by couchP56 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ants are relatively simple to get rid of
boiling water on nests ( you may need to repeat this]
( just follow the line hey travel and it will ,lead you to the nest site )
slugs and snails are more persistent and difficult to eliminate
( remember that hedgehogs and thrushes, depend on them as a large part of their diet .]
TO "thin them out ",by collecting as many as i can see ,putting them in a bucket and 'releasing 'them on the common land, some miles away.
Beware! if you drive slowly, the wretched things will wander all over your car AAAAAGH!
another way, is to set up SLUG PUBS !
tall jars, with about 2" of beer in them , placed between your flowers and vegetable rows ,. slugs and snails really love beer .
So they climb into the jar,get drunk and die happy .
Removing and refilling the Pub daily ( yuk not nice )
dispose of the bodies care fully, or you will have, alcoholics in your hedgehogs and thrush population .
O,o,I0= ;o((
2006-08-14 23:19:11 · answer #5 · answered by sweet-cookie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I just use white lime (not a spray or contamination thing). It actually puts calcium into the soil. That's the only thing I use on mine and have been very successful with it.
All the beer traps, etc...are only gonna attract more.
2006-08-15 00:16:55 · answer #6 · answered by Dreamcatcher 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
place salt around the edge of your garden
2006-08-14 23:13:03 · answer #7 · answered by COURTNEY D 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋