How to eliminate ants from the garden?

Ants are insects that have a double face: on the one hand, they are very important for plants since they fulfill the function of pollinating flowers, but on the other, when they pile up and walk in groups on the stems and branches ... it is usually a very bad sign. Especially during hot, dry springs and summers they are often seen with aphids, which if not fought could leave us without flowers and, as a consequence, without fruits.

Thus, How to eliminate ants from the garden? To have the plants protected from these insects, fortunately there are many home remedies that we can use.

Remedies to eliminate ants from the garden

If we have seen that there are too many ants in the garden, it is time to take action. As the plants we are growing are for human consumption, it is important that the remedies are organic and, if possible, homemade, something that as we are going to see is not going to be complicated at all 😉. Here are seven remedies to eliminate them:

1. Cinnamon: it has to be sprinkled in those areas where the ants pass, also at the entrance of the anthill. You have to be very constant and apply for several days in a row.
2. Coffee grounds: these insects do not like anything. They must be placed near the plants that we want to protect.
3. Lemon:
   • Once a lemon has been squeezed, fill a sprayer with its juice and spray the area where the ants are.
   • Another option is to cut a lemon in half and rub the trunks with a piece. So they sure won't get close.
4. Peppers spray: Ants really do not like the smell, so they can be crushed well with a crusher and filled into a spray with the resulting liquid. Afterwards, it is sprayed wherever these insects are.
5. Boiling water: it has to be thrown in an area where there are no plants, otherwise they could burn.
6. Bicarbonate of soda: a continuous line must be poured at a distance of about eight inches from the plants.
7. Rue in infusion: some leaves are cut into pieces and soaked for 24 hours. The next day, it is applied by spraying on the roads that travel the most.

Products to eliminate ants

If home remedies don't work, then chemicals should be used, such as ant traps for instance. But yes, spray-type products (such as House and Home) are harmful to crops, and can cause burns on the leaves, so we do not recommend them since we are talking about garden plants, that is, plants for consumption. human.

Ants and aphids, symbiotic companions

As we discussed at the beginning, ants usually appear when the plant is being attacked by aphids or also called aphids. The latter are small insects, about 0,5 cm long, green, yellow, black or brown in color, and they feed on the sap of the leaves and flower buds, which is why we will see them in those parts of the plants.

But why is it so likely that we see ants and aphids on the same plant? Well, because they have established a symbiotic relationship, from which both obtain benefits. Turns out that aphids, once they digest the food, expel the remains in the form of molasses. This molasses is a delicious food for ants, who do not hesitate to approach them and eat what they leave behind. In turn, the aphids receive protection from the ants, since they act almost as if they were their parents.

Knowing this, if you see that you have ants in any of your crops, the first thing you have to do is look for some tenant plus. Check its leaves well, especially the underside, and the flower buds if it has them. If you see that it has very, very small bugs (like the ones seen in the image above), and that can be easily removed with the fingernail, do not hesitate to take action.

How to eliminate aphids?

Aphids can be killed in several ways:

• Yellow sticky traps: they can be hung for example on the plant's tutor, put next to it, or even if it is large enough, on a branch. Get them here.
• Vinegar: Mix 1 liter of vinegar with 10 liters of water, and spray / mist the plants. It is used as a preventive.
• Garlic: 4-5 cloves of garlic are well chopped, put in 1 liter of water and left to boil for 20 minutes. Then let it cool down and fill a sprayer / atomizer with the resulting water.
• Dishwasher soap: you have to mix 1 liter of water with a small tablespoon (of those for dessert or coffee) of soap that you use to wash dishes by hand (not machine). The plant is then sprayed / sprayed with the mixture.

Do you know other remedies to eliminate ants from the garden? We hope that now you can keep these insects away from your plants 🙂.