Ants around pond

I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.
Mostly in the mound of earth around the waterfall pool
and under the coping stones.
Went to sink a plant today and uncovered a LOT of ants... again.
Problem is what to do about it.
I've been digging them up and pouring boiling water on them,
as I am afraid to use poison around the pond.
The only thing I can think of is possibly Diatomaceous earth.
Anyone else have this problem?
What if anything can be done about it?
They're wearing me out.

jammer wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 21:58:03 -0400, "D."
wrote:


I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.
Mostly in the mound of earth around the waterfall pool
and under the coping stones.
Went to sink a plant today and uncovered a LOT of ants... again.
Problem is what to do about it.
I've been digging them up and pouring boiling water on them,
as I am afraid to use poison around the pond.
The only thing I can think of is possibly Diatomaceous earth.
Anyone else have this problem?
What if anything can be done about it?
They're wearing me out.


In a bucket of water add a cheap can of orange juice concentrate. Stir
to disolve and mix. Add 1/4 cup dawn or some such liquid dish washing
soap, and barely stir. Pour all over and around where the ants are.

Good luck.


Thanks!
Five Gal. bucket of water?
Does this kill them, deter them or both?

I know O.J. attracts them, does the soap then kill them?
And will this concoction kill plants?



jammer wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 21:58:03 -0400, "D."
wrote:


I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.
Mostly in the mound of earth around the waterfall pool
and under the coping stones.
Went to sink a plant today and uncovered a LOT of ants... again.
Problem is what to do about it.
I've been digging them up and pouring boiling water on them,
as I am afraid to use poison around the pond.
The only thing I can think of is possibly Diatomaceous earth.
Anyone else have this problem?
What if anything can be done about it?
They're wearing me out.


In a bucket of water add a cheap can of orange juice concentrate. Stir
to disolve and mix. Add 1/4 cup dawn or some such liquid dish washing
soap, and barely stir. Pour all over and around where the ants are.

Good luck.

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 22:44:17 -0400, "D."
wrote:



jammer wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 21:58:03 -0400, "D."
wrote:


I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.
Mostly in the mound of earth around the waterfall pool
and under the coping stones.
Went to sink a plant today and uncovered a LOT of ants... again.
Problem is what to do about it.
I've been digging them up and pouring boiling water on them,
as I am afraid to use poison around the pond.
The only thing I can think of is possibly Diatomaceous earth.
Anyone else have this problem?
What if anything can be done about it?
They're wearing me out.


In a bucket of water add a cheap can of orange juice concentrate. Stir
to disolve and mix. Add 1/4 cup dawn or some such liquid dish washing
soap, and barely stir. Pour all over and around where the ants are.

Good luck.


Thanks!
Five Gal. bucket of water?
Does this kill them, deter them or both?

I use a 5 gallon bucket. The citrus eats the oily layer of protection
off and the soap penetrates and kills them.

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 23:01:58 -0400, "D."
wrote:

I know O.J. attracts them, does the soap then kill them?
And will this concoction kill plants?

It doesn't attract them, the soap kills them and i have never had a
plant suffer.

"D." wrote in message
...
I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.
Mostly in the mound of earth around the waterfall pool
and under the coping stones.
Went to sink a plant today and uncovered a LOT of ants... again.
Problem is what to do about it.
I've been digging them up and pouring boiling water on them,
as I am afraid to use poison around the pond.
The only thing I can think of is possibly Diatomaceous earth.
Anyone else have this problem?
What if anything can be done about it?
They're wearing me out.

You created a fantastic place for wildlife to thrive...let 'em thrive!


BV.

Are the ants actually damaging the area around the pond? Just wondering why
you want them to move out.

LeeAnne

"D." wrote in message
...
I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.

jammer wrote in message . ..
On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 23:01:58 -0400, "D."
wrote:

I know O.J. attracts them, does the soap then kill them?
And will this concoction kill plants?

It doesn't attract them, the soap kills them and i have never had a
plant suffer.



I have used soapy water in a spray bottle for years to kill insects
on/off plants - from aphids to wasps (espicially!!!!)/bees, box elder
bugs to ants to whatever insect. Just spray it on them (or their
opening) and within 2 minutes they are dead and the plants don't seem
to suffer at all. I believe the soap suffocates the insect by
blocking up their abdominal airways. Not sure though.

Good to know about this mix. I have thousands of pesty ant hills
around my pond. It is a former farm field that has run unchecked for
many years. Time to fill buckets and start the purging.

Rick

The Pond would be one huge ant hill if I let them have their way.
It's a small pond and I had them under almost every coping rock
and they were just getting warmed up.
I guess I could fill in the pond with sand and sit next to the
ant hill sipping mint juleps.
We get them coming into into the house a LOT also so I don't
find them amusing, they are pests.

And to think I had an ant farm as a child... yuck.

D.


LeeAnne wrote:
Are the ants actually damaging the area around the pond? Just wondering why
you want them to move out.

LeeAnne

"D." wrote in message
...

I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.

If the hills are big, and you have the space to do so, take a trowel
full of ants from hill A and put on hill B, Then take a trowel full of
ants from hill B and put on hill A. I hear they will fight to the
death. I would rather do the oj, water, and soap, but someday i may
have to check this fighting theory out.


On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 16:05:19 -0400, "D."
wrote:

The Pond would be one huge ant hill if I let them have their way.
It's a small pond and I had them under almost every coping rock
and they were just getting warmed up.
I guess I could fill in the pond with sand and sit next to the
ant hill sipping mint juleps.
We get them coming into into the house a LOT also so I don't
find them amusing, they are pests.

And to think I had an ant farm as a child... yuck.

D.


LeeAnne wrote:
Are the ants actually damaging the area around the pond? Just wondering why
you want them to move out.

LeeAnne

"D." wrote in message
...

I'm getting ants in the dirt around my pond.