While I ’m very pro insects in the garden , sometimes they can get out of hand and do more hurt than good . This can admit ants ! Rather than seek to root out the whole universe of pismire in your garden or use toxic chemical that could affect other good insect and your plant , here ’s how to get rid of ants in the garden naturally .

In this post , you will learn …

What Are Ants Eating?

First , chance out what the ant are eating and what ’s eat it . When conduct with any pestilence , endeavor to understand the environmental science of the plague , the host industrial plant , and the surroundings leave the pest to get to an unbalanced amount .

This is known asintegrated gadfly management , and it ’s how you get to the root of the cause !

If you notice more than the common amount of emmet in the garden , there ’s believably a food source in the domain . Perhaps it ’s ahummingbird feederor some of your fruit .

how to get rid of ants in the garden naturally

Ants farming aphids.

Eithertry to eliminate the food reservoir , space the food source out(AKA , do n’t put all your yield and vegetables together in one place ) or put measures in billet that will hold back the ants from eating the food .

Another example is aphids . Ants screw to ‘ farm’aphidsfor the sweet honeydew they produce . Ants are n’t harmful to plant , but they will protect the aphid from predatory animal .

If ant become a detriment to the predatory insect , hosiery off the aphids daily for a week or two . The ants will eventually move on to other food reference that are n’t so much difficulty .

Aphid infestation can attract ants

What Eats Ants?

Another way to naturally get rid of ants in the garden is byintroducing predators . attempt to make your garden as friendly as possible for these predators . For representative , leave behindspider websrather than drag them up .

appeal birds to the garden with a feederor a shuttlecock bath . Make certain there are rocks and nooks in your garden where frogs , lizard , and snakes might inhabit . Build a germ hotelto invite all other predatory insects !

How to Get Rid of Ants in the Garden Naturally

Once you take a look at environmental science as a whole , here are some other ready to hand tip to try .

Keep a Clean Yard

pismire areattracted to all variety of smells , so you desire to keep yourcompostand garbage away from the house and any specific expanse of the garden you want them away from . This admit BBQs , butterfly feeder , hummingbird feeders , and razzing feeders .

Debris can also attract emmet , such as dead branch andfallen parting . Rather than remove the leaves and debris from your garden ( they ’re very of import to good wildlife ! ) , relocate them out of the way .

Herbs to Deter Ants

There are some herbs that ants hate ! Add them to myherbal pest deterrent sprayor use them on their own to deter emmet .

Since the sprayer can discourage just dirt ball too , only use it when the ant population demand interventionand then discontinue use once the balance is under control again .

Companion plantingwith the industrial plant above can also work well when you want to get rid of ants in your vegetable garden .

Close up of a garden spider in the center of a web.

REdirect the Ants

Sometimes , you could attract pismire to come to your garden . If you notice they populate a certain garden region ( such as your fruit and veggie ) , you canencourage them to vacate to a different part of your garden where they wo n’t bother youor your produce !

This could mean make a motion your compost bin to an unused box , attracting aphidswith nasturtium or Shasta daisies for ants to farm , or setting up a jarful with something sweet for them to eat .

Will Vinegar Kill Ants in the Garden?

There are many mode advertised to obliterate ants . I recommend not killing them as they ’re beneficial ( more on that below ) . Instead , mold on preventing emmet in the garden from infesting certain areas .

White vinegaris one way to repel ants rather than kill them . You candilute it with waterand spray it in areas you want to keep ants away from . think of thatvinegar can belt down plant life , so be careful where you spray .

A Note in Praise of Ants!

If the ant is n’t on the local picket list and is n’t cause much damage , it may be good to leave it be . Your garden is simply part of the ecosystem !

ant may be farming aphids on yourrose Vannevar Bush , but they also mould firmly in the garden to clean up debris and air the soil . In most cases , ants wo n’t cause any hurt to flora and are quiteharmless to have in the garden .

FAQ About Ants in the Garden

pismire are one of the most harmless insects in your garden . They can be annoying in declamatory amount , but if they are n’t get you a concern , they should be left alone . In fact , they ’re an essential part of the ecosystem and can really helpaerate the territory .

There are many ways advertised to kill ants . I recommend not killing them as they ’re beneficial . Instead , work on preventing ants in the garden from infesting sure areas . White vinegaris one agency to gross out ants rather than down them . you could dilute it with urine and spray it in area you want to keep ants away from . commend thatvinegar can stamp out plant , so be careful where you spray .

Usingcoffee groundsto repel ants is a common remedy touted on the internet with varying answers . Ants do n’t needfully like coffee grounds , as they will not fertilize on them . That being say , they wo n’t necessarily forfend an sphere just because coffee ground are present . I do n’t think they would work long - condition to help with an plague . You ’re beneficial to try and solve the base of the problem .

keep your yard debris-free to get rid of ants naturally

Share this post:

Close-up image of mint leaves, one of the ways to get rid of ants naturally.

Nasturtium and flowers on a barn wall

natural cleaner

how to get rid of ants in the garden

Pin image for how to get rid of ants in your garden, naturally.