So far, we’ve provided gardeners with humane tips to clear their vegetable gardens of unwanted rabbits, squirrels, and cats. Methods ranged from ultrasonic devices to physical barriers. However, ant infestations are a different beast of a problem. Too small to be restrained by fences and too numerous to be relocated, we’ll help you tackle your ant issue by providing non-toxic methods used successfully by other gardeners.
If you can see the anthills, pouring boiling water over them several days in a row is a great way to reduce or eliminate an ant colony. If you can’t see their hills, read on.
Ground cinnamon
While not the cheapest method, sprinkling ground cinnamon along the perimeter of your garden (or any surface area, for that matter) will repel ants, but not kill them. Create a thick line that will force ants to climb over and watch both red and black ants refuse to do so. Cinnamon will also reduce the amount of ants in your compost pile if they are bothersome.
If you scout for deals, you can find 1-lb bulk bags that are inexpensive.
Diatomaceous earth
Created from the crushed shells of fossilized diatoms to form a fine powder, this substance actually consists of incredibly sharp edges that will penetrate an ant’s body, causing it to die of dehydration within two weeks.
Although incredibly lethal to insects, diatomaceous earth will not harm humans or family pets. Be sure to use 100% food grade diatomaceous earth in your vegetable garden. Prices are reasonable on Amazon.com, with a 5-lb bag at a low price.
Mixture of cornmeal, borax, and honey
Cornmeal is an inexpensive method to reduce (read: not eliminate) the ant population, but will take some time to work. It’s also completely safe for your vegetable crops. However, if you mix cornmeal with borax (a household chemical compound found in toothpaste or soap), you’ll see results much more quickly. Borax is extremely lethal to ants when ingested and also harms their outsides.
Add a touch of honey to mask the taste of borax and to attract ants. Place the mixture where there is a heavy concentration of ants: you can even leave it in the mixing bowl. Ideally, the sticky substance will be taken back to the colony and kill the queen as well.
You can find borax here, and cornmeal here.
Use beneficial nematodes
These worms can repel ants, beetles, moths, flies, and fleas. How can a worm do all of this? These microscopic creatures enter host bodies and excrete bacteria from their digestive tract that proves lethal within 24-48 hours.
However, nematodes can only be applied to garden soil that is between 42-90 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, you should make sure the air temperature is at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Beneficial nematodes can be purchased at nurseries or online. You can find them here.
Orange guard
If you can’t find the source of the colony, you can at least target the ants themselves. Orange Guard is a liquid spray that includes only natural ingredients (the main ingredient is orange peel extract, otherwise known as d-Limonene). This product is not harmful to garden soil or surrounding environment and is EPA-registered. Since all ingredients are food grade, it also won’t damage your crops.
A majority of consumers attest that this $8 product (32 oz) does what it claims, but one customer warns that the essential oil in d-Limonene is not completely safe for cats, so bear this in mind if you decide to purchase.
Provide strategically placed trap or repellent crops
Scented marigolds typically repel ants, although some gardeners have actually experienced ant attraction. Either way, ants may leave your vegetable crops alone. Other plants that have been suggested to repel ants? Artemisia, catnip, pachypodiums, adeniums, optunias, chrysanthemums, garlic, spearmint/peppermint, and tansy. Plant these around or in your garden to help reduce crop destruction from ants.
What methods do you use?
Creative Commons Flickr photos courtesy of William Warby and OliBac.
Cinnamon DOES NOT work! I’m not sure the Orange Guard would work because the ants are in my orange tree!
Diatomaceous earth doesn’t work, either. I hilled it around my hummer feeder poles, and the damned ants kept crawling up the posts.
I have heard that if you slather your wire (that holds the feeder) with Vaseline, the ants will not get to it.
I had the D stuff put down over Vaseline. Gone in 24 hours. I was in tear I was so greatful. They were in the chick in coop. We had only had the chickens 3 weeks.
The Vaseline doesn’t work either. In the end you have a pole that is sticky but doesn’t resist ants. I have taken a tomato cage and turned it upside down in my bird bath and attached the feeder to the prongs. This is the only way I can keep them out of the hummingbird feeder. They will not cross water to get to the cage.
DE only works for this purpose while it is dry…..and you have to be VERY careful NOT to inhale any of the dust….the dust will scratch up your lungs.
Put dawn around your pole, or on your pole and the ants won’t cross it.
Wow! Where do I find Dawn?
Dawn dish detergent at your grocery or WalMart, Target, etc
Look up how to make moats for your hummer feeders. They’re extremely easy and inexpensive to make and they work! Wish I could include a picture of ours to give you an idea.
Last year little brown ants invaded my raised bed. The built mounds in the soil and around the beds. This happened shortly after I planted my direct soil seeds. I was nervous about anything as I was nervous about germination.
Within a weeks I my beds were invaded and I felt I had no choice, but to apply cinnamon, diatomaceous earth into the mounds. They’d go away and pop up again a few inches away. I poured boiling water – they’d disperse and come back back. They were in between the wood in my beds. I made a mixture of honey and borax and they stayed away. Eventually I put out ant traps around the beds and that slowed them down. I had lemon gem marigolds in several places in my beds and they ignored them. They ignored the areas around my tomato plants, but loved my carrot squares and lettuce. They didn’t eat, they just hung out and disturbed the seeds. They were like little volcanoes.
I guess this year I’ll try beneficial nematodes in my beds a few weeks before planting. I’ll be adding milk spores as well as last year, the beetles were flying out of soil in June every night around 7. I’d be out there squishing cabbage moths and beetles. My neighbors probably thought I was a lunatic.
OMG, you spoke my life! You must live Texas! Lol! I swear I’m freaking out, dealing with the exact same issue. Those ants won’t go away. Thanks so much for that info about the borax and honey. I did read about that, but there’s so many other things too, like the cinnamon, powdered sugar and baking soda mix, etc. So I was going to try them all. Now I know what will work! Thanks!
I’ve planted chives and onions around my fruit trees to keep the leaf cutter ants out and it has worked. I haven’t tried the method yet with the stinging red ants, but intend to do so. I have a worm farm that’s full of them and am waiting for the seeds to sprout so I can get them planted out.
Put uncooked grits on the ant beds and it will kill them.
What is grits, from Australia
It’s a hot vestal mix like oatmeal or cream of wheat.
Cornmeal — just a coarser grind, like Polenta. In the American South it’s a common breakfast food.
I planted marigold and they move just a bit. They have created more hills outside the garden like they are preparing for a ambush.
By far the best way to get rid of ants is used coffee grounds! It apparently burns on their feet and whenever I use it, they are definitely gone within days! And generally it’s good as mulch/compost in your garden!
Any kind of coffee grounds?
I also had success with coffee grounds and as pluen says, coffee grounds are also great for your compost
How do you apply the coffee beans to potato plants as I have ants on them
Borax and honey!!!!! Works within hours and they stay for months. I’ll never use anything else. I keep a large baby food jar of it mixed up and when I see them, I put a tablespoon on a paper plate and within minutes the ants are swarmed to it. Cut the sides off of the plate, it makes it easier for them to get to the mixture. The next day, not one ant to be found!!!!!
I did this and a rainstorm came up and poured rain. The borax mixture washed into the ground and killed the pepper plants! The ants are still there.
Sprinkling cream of wheat works too. Let ants eat it.. they explode.
Mashed potato flakes. Harmless for other animals, but reacts with the formic acid in their stomachs and kills the ants.
Is it safe to use Borax around pets as i have 2 nosy dogs
Why does cornmeal kill ants?
This works because ants are attracted to corn meal and treat it as food, but they can’t actually digest it, causing them to slowly starve. It won’t kill a colony as quickly as poison, but it’s incredibly cheap, and completely safe to use in a house with pets or small children.
I just pulled up my potatoes to find a bunch of holes drilled into them by ants today i grieve tomorrow they pay
thx for the tips
I don’t want to use anything toxic for me or my veggie plants to get rid of ants. Do I spray the top of soil or do I turn soil and place whatever I end up using to get rid of the colony of ants? They are Fire Ants.
Did you get any help with this? I also have fire ants in my garden and nothing has convinced them to move on. I need something that will not harm the plants, me or the outdoor cats.
FIRE ANTS….2 OZ OF ORANGE OIL TO GAL OF WATER…….WARM DAY ABOUT 10AM WHEN ANTS ARE ACTIVE…..DRENCH MOUND…WILL KILL QUEEN …NO MORE FIRE ANTS…DO EACH MOUND THAT WAY….
I have all the same problems as all these folks , I’m staying Applecider vinegar on and around the vegetables , the ants run , come back , they have ruined my potatoes , corn , red leaf , spring onions. I’m so frustrated.
I use Vicks vapor rub around the pole that holds my hummingbird feeder..works great
Boiling water and vinegar ‘chases’ them within 24 to 48 hours but they will ‘pop up’ somewhere else. Sevin works too but as w/vinegar the ants will just move. Some suggest ‘putting ants from one mound into another’ because they fight until the mound dies, haven’t tried that though.
It works!! I’ve done that.
It appears the ants may be eating the wood from the raised bed box, as I looks like sawdust in the area where they are. They’re very small ants, and don’t look like termites. Anyone else experience this?
Hi everyone . I too am frustrated. I have an incredible amount of ants attacking my okra and also on my pepper plants. Thanks for the tips . I guess I’ll start with the cinnamon and cream of wheat which I have .Do you put it around the plants oat base?
The ants have invaded my cucumber plants and I tried the cinnamon spritz 3 times a week and it has not deterred them at all.
I tried neem oil with baking soda as that would have taken care of the aphids too but nothing worked !
Now 2 plants are dead and I am still researching to save the other plants using organic method. Also I dont wanna kill the ants.I just want them to go.
I did not realize vacuum cleaners could help. This article is really helpful. Thank you!
I’ve used dry yeast. The ants take it back the the queen and she will die when ingested.
A sunny day and a magnifying glass is very satisfying, especially when there aren’t any flies to pull the wings from.
This is the best solution!! I’ll get my kids started right away!