How to Keep Ants Out of Garden: Explained with Tips & Tricks

5 Effective Solutions That Will Keep Ants Out of Garden: Step by Step Guide: Ants can be described as frenemies as they are beneficial for the ecosystem and harmful for your plant’s health. Now, as a gardener, it is normal to wonder how to keep ants out of the garden to keep the plants safe. Well, there are many solutions to this problem. But you have to keep in mind that it might harm your plants or garden. 

Ants usually love to roam all over the garden. But if there is a whole colony of ants in your garden, then this is not good news for you. There is a very thin line of difference between benefits and drawbacks. Again, you have to think about your plants also. So, before applying anything you have to think twice. 

In this article, you will have a brief idea about how to keep ants out of the garden with a step-by-step guide. So, please stay connected. 

About Ants 

 

 

A Garden without ants is impossible. There are numerous types of ants spices that live all over the world. Among these, some of the garden ants do not harm plants,s but what about other ants. They can really harm and destroy your garden. It will be difficult for you to recognize which one is a blessing and which one is harmful. 

There are some common garden ants that you might often see luring in your gardens. These ants are members of gardens, such as red ant (Myrmecia), tiny black ants, acrobat ant, fire ant, etc. But there are also other ants that invite carnage to your garden. 

Benefits That Ants Provide

If you are thinking, are ants beneficial to my garden? The answer is yes. They provide a good number of benefits to the garden. These are: 

Good for pollination 

A number of ant types are very good pollinators. They pollinate by going from flower to flower to gather food sources, same as butterflies and bees. 

Control pests

Ants control pests like lady beetles, green lacewings, bugs, etc. By eating their eggs or the spoil, the feeding process. As a result, they fail to destroy the garden. 

Improves Ecosystem 

Ants make tunnels that help to aerate the soil. It allows oxygen, water, nutrients to reach the plant roots. Also, they help to speed the decomposition of organic matter. 

Disadvantages Of Ants Of Having Garden 

Killing ants is always not necessary as they carry benefits, but when the number is getting out of control, they can invite massive problems. Some of the disadvantages are:

• The populations of ants multiply in doubles. In no time, they can take over all the plants and weak the root system. 
• Ants increase the pest populations such as whiteflies, mealybug. They produce sweet secretion, which is loved by garden ants. They will protect the insects, which will allow them to increase rapidly in the garden. 
• Fire ants are harmful to gardeners as they tend to bite. So, if they live in a large number of plants, then it’s risky to touch or go near. 
• Suppose any gardener has leaf cutter ants that it can do serious agricultural damage. Also, the anthills that pop up can be annoying and damage the pavers and burying rock.s

There is nothing to worry about this matter as there are some solutions that will provide you with the desired result and will help you to get rid of ants in no time. 

How To Keep Ants Out Of Garden: 5 Effective Solutions

There are various methods on how to get rid of ants from the garden without killing plants, but if they fail to produce the desired result, then all your efforts will get wasted. So, here’s five effective solutions that will help you to get rid of ants from your garden. 

The combination of Borax and sugar 

This is an effective method that can help you to get rid of ants quickly. It will show its effect within one week of using this. Borax is a synthetic chemical that is toxic to ants whereas sugar is one of the favorite items of ants. 

Ants love eating sweet items, so you can easily mix Borax with white sugar, make this a sweet paste and apply in a hot spot. It can easily wipe out all the ants and their gigantic colony.

Diatomaceous Earth

 

 

Diatomaceous Earth, often known as DE, is a super rock that has been transferred into crushing power. It has a variety to it; however, it is safe to consume. It can easily kill the ants in the garden also other insects. 

To eliminate the ants, you need to use food-grade DE. Sprinkle it all over the ant nest, hills. After a time, you will notice that the ants are getting vanished from their den. One thing to keep in mind is that DE works well when the soil is dry. 

Home remedies 

If you are thinking about how to keep ants out of the garden naturally then, there are some easy home remedies that will keep ants out of the garden without any chemicals. The result will be effective and will surely control their population. 

• Cayenne or black pepper spray 

Both of the ingredients will drive out the ants from their place. This option can be applied in the soil, or you can make a spray out of these. You can apply these sprays without any doubt but be careful while using them as if this touches the skin there can be skin irritation. 

• Dish soap spray

 

 

To eliminate insects like ants, this can be an ideal solution for you to choose. The mixture of dish soap, water, cooking oil will make a perfect spray. Mixing all this together, you can make a strong spray that can be applied directly to the ant’s nest.

• Cinnamon and coffee grounds 

Cinnamon is a sweet item that can help to control the ants; you just have to sprinkle it over your garden. Whereas coffee grounds can help get rid of all kinds of ants, be it fire ants, black ants, red ants, etc. Ants avoid the smell of coffee grounds so they will dislike it very much. 

• Vinegar 

It is a very effective solution against any kind of insect. 1-liter vinegar will entirely destroy the whole kingdom of ants. Ants simply loathe vinegar, and it kills them on contact. It will not harm, your plants but will kill all ants near it. 

Using boiling hot water 

 

 

This is one of the quick and easy solutions you may apply to your garden. The hot boiling water will finish all the kinds of ants present in the plant. However, it should be given in control as the plants should not be directly harmed. 

Apply ant killer or poison 

If your garden is overrun with ants, then there should not be mercy. If the natural methods are not that effective, then you should apply ant killer gels or ant poison available in the market, which will surely eliminate all the kinds of ants in a quick session. 

These are the best effective solution you can apply to get rid of ants. Some of the solutions may not kill the ants, but it will sure repel them not to come back. But the result also depends on you, as you should apply all correct measures properly. 

Final Thoughts: How to Keep Ants Out of Garden? 

In this article, we have tried to provide you with all the information you need to know about how to keep ants out of the garden. It is up to you to decide which solution is best for you. If the ants are on average to a limited number, then the natural methods will work great, but if the number is out of control, then you have to be mercilessly brutal and kill them for the sake of your garden. Also, you have to be patient with your efforts as it might take a bit. So, have a safe garden.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kills ants but doesn’t harm the plants?

Nontoxic solutions like white vinegar and water, mixed with some dish soap, kill ants on your plants. But make sure you are using this mixture away from your soil.

 How to get rid of ants in the garden overnight?

Mix a cup of warm water, 2 tbsp of Borax, and half a cup of sugar. Then soak some cotton balls in the mixture and carefully place those balls in the trails of those tiny soldiers. Keep doing this for 2-3 days in a row to see effective results.

Do ants harm the plant in the garden?

Ants usually don’t damage the plants directly. However, they disturb the soil around plant roots and damage the soil quality of your yard during their nest-building activities.