Hi I have a huge nest of ants in my compost bin and I put some ant killing powder in it to kill them and now I am worried that I may have put something in that when the compost is ready will kill my plants. will the powder kill my plants???
How should I have killed them?
2007-07-11 09:20:32 · 10 answers · asked by Mumofthree 5 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
If you didn't go mad with the ant powder your compost should be OK, in fact better than OK as you may have ants elsewhere in your garden and when the compost is spread the powder could continue to do it's work. My dad who has a massive allotment mixes up some borax from the chemist with some icing sugar and puts this all over. The icing sugar attracts them and the borax kills them. They also carry it back deep into the nest an feed it to the queen and babies so it works well that way too.
2007-07-11 09:40:01 · answer #1 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ants In Compost Bin
2016-11-09 20:13:58 · answer #2 · answered by Erika 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ants are one of the many creatures that can colonise a compost bin. As with most of these creatures they are harmless and in fact beneficial to your heap. Generally ants are welcome residents since their tunnelling activities help to aerate the pile.
Ants in your compost heap can indicate that the heap is too dry. You need to add more materials high in moisture, such as grass cuttings and fruit and vegetable peelings, or alternatively leave off the lid of the compost bin the next time it rains. (Source: http://www.compost-it.org.uk/faqs/view.asp?faqid=7)
I am not sure about the powder, but what I would do is check the lavel and research the brand online. Alternatively, you could give the manufacturer a ring and ask them, here number or helpline is usually on the back of the container; or they'll have a website.
Good luck
2007-07-11 09:44:14 · answer #3 · answered by Ms Eddy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had ants in my compost bin a couple of years ago. I used nematodes to get rid of them. What I did was moved the compost around so that the nest was exposed and then simply watered the nematoes in. I got mine from www.greengardener.com a fab website that supplies nematoes for all sorts of undesirables: ants, chafer grubs, slugs. Its a biological control so ideal if you want to garden organically. Alternatively you could simply ignore the ants!! they won't do any harm anyway (I used nematodes because I got fed up wil the little blighters crawling onto me whenever I put new stuff on, or mixed the compost! lol!)
2007-07-11 09:50:30 · answer #4 · answered by nroty0204 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
MsEddy has part of the solution.... more greens... more moisture.... once that's added, the pile will start cooking better and be too hot for the ants to continue to be there.... as for the ant kill powder, no biggie.... it's to kill ants, not plants.... I'd be more concerned about what it is and how it will affect YOU when you get your hands in there to spread it around a plant!!... please do wear gloves!!!.... also.... research what the main ingredient of the ant-kill was, so that you know for yourself, what's in there... and whether that batch of compost should or should NOT be used on food plants......!!!....
2007-07-11 10:27:28 · answer #5 · answered by meanolmaw 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ants often advise that your compost is merely too dry, to that end no longer composting perfect. they gained't draw close out in moist compost. i could upload some water and turn the compost over to airate and make particular that the middle isn't bone dry. you have possibly have been given a nest in there that may not harm something yet ability that the compost isn't breaking down.
2016-10-01 09:44:44 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on what you used to kill the ants, and how much you used, you should be OK. Mix the compost thoroughly before you use it. To kill ants, I sprinkle dry powdered grits on their trails. The ants take the dry grits back to their nest, eat it, and it expands in their stomachs and kills them.
2007-07-11 09:28:17 · answer #7 · answered by Joe B 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don´t think your compost will be damaged. The traditional way is to pour boiling hot water over them, but this seldom work´s as it never reaches the egg-laying queen. Put lot´s of black pepper or the hottest pepper you can find, The ant´s will then carry this into their tunnels & straight to the egg- laying queen. ACHOO. and she will move the rest of the ant´s out. It won´t kill them but it will move them along. TRY for yourself. you will see how quick they run
2007-07-11 09:29:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
they are part of the natural process that helps the compost break down leave them alone
2007-07-11 13:38:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would have killed them with hot water from straining my veg ... this is something my parents always did.
2007-07-11 21:16:41 · answer #10 · answered by axeljo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋