Ants in a vegetable garden are no fun. They can eat all your vegetables, damage plants, and make the space impossible to visit. Getting rid of them can be even trickier. If you’re dealing with an ant problem, you might wonder – how can you get rid of ants in a vegetable garden effectively?
If you’re looking to get rid of ants, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to learn more about getting ants out of your garden, no matter how big or small it may be. We’ll discuss five of the most effective methods you can use. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get going!
Use Borax and Something Sweet
A combination of borax and something sweet, such as honey, can get rid of ants in your garden in no time at all. You can also use sugar if you have no honey on hand or if the honey method is too expensive.
To set the trap with borax and sugar, you will need to:
- Mix equal parts of borax and sugar or honey
- Spray the mixture in the areas where you notice ants
- Repeat as needed
Borax is one of the most effective items to use when dealing with ants. The sugar attracts the ants, and when they eat it, the borax kills them. Although effective, it’s critical to remember that borax is poisonous to humans and animals. Ensure you don’t have a cat or dog that will root through your vegetable garden and harm themselves.
Try Lemon Juice
Citrus is one of the most effective repellents in the gardening world. There are plenty of high-end repellent products that use citric acid as the main ingredient. Rather than spending lots of money on this spray, you can utilize lemon juice for a similar effect.
To use lemon juice to get rid of ants, you will need to:
- Purchase lemon juice, or juice lemons to get the liquid
- Soak cotton balls in lemon juice
- Place the cotton balls in problem areas around your garden
The smell of citrus is unappealing to ants, and they will take care to stay away. If you won’t have lemon juice, you can use lemon essential oils or try another citrus. Limes, oranges, and clementines have the same effect. If you don’t have cotton balls, you can sprinkle the juice around the area by itself.
Utilize Boiling Water
Boiling water works best if you’ve found an anthill that you want to get rid of near your garden. It’s practical if you have a small number of ants but won’t work as well if your ant trouble is out of control.
The boiling water method will effectively drown ants. To do this, you will need to:
- Locate anthills in or near your garden
- Boil three gallons per mound
- Carefully dig up the hill
- Pour boiling water inside
Ensure you’re careful with this method because boiling water can cause burns. Drawing the ants is an excellent way to cut off the problem right at the source.
Invest in Dish Soap
Most people already have dish soap in their house. If this is the case for you, take advantage of the liquid to deal with your ant troubles. All you need to do is mix it with oil to be effective.
The method of getting rid of ants with dish soap has a high success rate. You will need to:
- Mix half a teaspoon of soap with one and a half teaspoons of olive oil
- Add this combination to a quart of water
- Pour it into a spray bottle
- Spray the ants outside the next
- Pour the rest in the mound
The soap and oil will soak into the ant’s shell and kill them. It’s one of the most affordable ways to get rid of ants.
Protect With Grits
Grits are an affordable and effective way to get rid of ants in a garden. They’re also safe to lay out, as bigger critters can eat them without too much worry about harm
To defend your garden with grits, you will need to follow this simple process:
- Purchase grits or oatmeal from the store
- Sprinkle them in your garden
When the ants eat the grits, they will expand in their stomach and kill them from the inside. It shouldn’t take long to get your ant problem under control.
Conclusion
Ants can be a huge problem in an anthill. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get rid of them. From drowning them with boiling water to pushing them away with citrus, there are many methods you can try.
We hope this information was helpful! Although ants can be good for an ecosystem, they can also be a problem. With these techniques, you can keep your ant number under control and grow the best vegetables.
