ants in the yard?

Question

How do I get rid of ants outside? Like in flower pots,hanging baskets and trees ,flower beds,porch I have tried everything. They are not fire ants or sugsr ants. PS whatever the ants get in will eventually die, like my flowers and trees.

Answer 1

Why do you feel the need to get rid of the ants outside? Every insect has a niche that they fill in the environment. Ants are the "garbage men" in nature that remove all the dead insect and small animal bodies. If you eliminate them, some other insect will fill that niche and it may not be as tolerable as ants usually are. Nature will not allow the niche to remain empty.

It would be much better to try to figure out why the ants are there and what their food source is. As long as they are not fire ants, which pose a safety issue, it is best to let them exist and look towards the issues drawing them to the plants. Most likely you will find aphids which secrete "honeydew" that the ants feed on.

You can also call a pest management company in your local area and chances are they will come out and identify what is going on for you at no charge. If the first one wants a fee, call another. If they all want to charge you for identification, check with your local county extension office about insect identification.

Answer 2

be careful as last summer in Seattle wa. i was getting something off my cat as she was screaming..it was wood ants'they look like fire ants,,they sprayed me in my eyes and i had to go in aid car to hospital/for2days i could see nothing they spray acid...I'm 49yrs old and i never seen or heard of fire ants in our yard or any yard.....with the global warming the insects are going bonkers.the bugs that come out in spring have been out awhile already.....good luck

Answer 3

I GUESS GETTING RID OF GLOBAL WARMING WILL GET RID OF ANTS? TELL THE PEOPLE IN HILLARY COUNTRY ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING. Got that off my chest! Borax soap spread around the base of whatever will keep the ants away. i promise!