Fire ants are not native to North America. But they came into our gardens and homes in search of food and shelter. When they find a place to live, they make nests in various places in the house, including beds and flower pots where vegetables are grown. If left untreated, these ants can cause serious damage to your vegetable garden and spoil its appearance. So learn from this article how to kill fire ants in vegetable garden.
1. Use Safe Pesticides
One way to keep them at bay is to use safe pesticides. There are a variety of these products that help control fire ant populations, and there are some that are safe. You just need to know what kind of product to buy and use it properly.
Using it is not always recommended because it can harm non-target organisms, including humans. However, if the problem is really bad and the ants start eating your vegetables, spraying an insecticide will work. But first, make sure that you are labeled for ant control. If not, talk to your local pest control professional
If you plan to spray, make sure you wear protective gear such as gloves and long sleeves. Spray around the area where the ants are active and wait 24 hours before reapplying.
2. Cover The Food
If you decide to spray, try covering open food with plastic wrap. Otherwise, cover them with a paper bag. You can even place some sort of trap next to the food. Make sure you remove any bait traps after use.
3. Using Soap
Cut a bar of soap in half, then use a small cup to scoop out the center. Place the two halves together and hold them over the ant hill. To avoid burning yourself, make sure it does not touch your skin. Keep it until it dries up and the ants disappear.
4. Add Mulch
Be sure to add layers of mulch on top of the soil. It prevents rainwater from soaking the soil and encourages root growth. Rainwater is great for your plants, but it also attracts insects. Therefore, adding mulch will reduce the chances of ants living in your garden.
5. Roach Poison
If you have access to it, put some roach poison around the area where it’s coming out of the ground and you should be able to eradicate the problem. You can try to pull them off with their long black legs. But if you’re not careful not to disturb the colony, you may end up starting a new nest elsewhere.
Make sure you don’t step on any ants and move away from the area after you finish applying the poison. Ants are attracted to sweet-smelling food. So if you plant something tasty, keep the area free of ant activity while you work.
6. Remove Piles Of Debris
Piles of wood chips, rocks, and other debris can attract specific fire ant colonies. Accumulating rocks or other objects in the garden can cause fire and problems. It’s very helpful to kill fire ants In vegetable gardens.
7. Encourage Hunters
If you live in an area that doesn’t have fire ants, but still want to discourage them from invading your garden, encourage native predatory insects. They are well aware of how destructive their behavior can be to crops, and predators are attracted to prey they perceive as threatening. By encouraging predator populations in your garden, you’ll help reduce ants and damage to your plants.
8. Apply Hot Pepper
Chili should work well here. You can put them in a container for the ants to steam. But make sure you don’t let them near any plants. If you accidentally blooped yourself, wash the area thoroughly afterward.
9. Boric Acid Solution
The best way to eliminate or at least control fire ants is to prevent them from breeding. To do this, you need to make sure that you have a good barrier between where you want to keep the ants out and the rest of your garden. You need to dig a trench around plants and structures to create a physical barrier. Then, apply an insecticide like boric acid directly to the soil around your plant.
Just mix equal parts of it and water, then spray the mixture on the affected area. Continue spraying until they are eliminated.
10. Borax
Another effective way to get rid of ants is to sprinkle borax along the perimeter of the garden. It is actually a salt that kills ants over time.
11. Salt
Salt sprinkled around the garden creates a barrier between the ants and their food supply. It also kills fungi in the soil that harbor ants.
12. Spicy Food
Spicy foods attract ants away from the vegetables they are protecting. Try sprinkling chili flakes or crushed red pepper flakes around the outside of your garden.
13. Their Traps
You can try trapping the ants instead of killing them. If you put the bait near the ant hill, they will get into the trap and then you can easily get them out. Its works include sticky traps; plastic balls filled with sugar water; and wooden stakes covered in peanut butter, honey, molasses, or corn syrup. Be sure to clean your trap regularly to avoid spreading any disease.
14. Watering
If they are around (which they often are), make sure you keep them away from any wet areas. Keep the soil dry – not wet, but dry. Fire ants need deep, constant moisture. A good way to get rid of an ant problem you may have is to let them do something other than the things you want them to eat.
You can try covering some of their favorite food items in cheesecloth or plastic wrap. When the weather warms up, pull out those pots and take off the covers. They will either go find food elsewhere or die.
15. Pyrethrins
After they have established themselves, you can use a natural substance called pyrethrin to kill fire ants. Pyrethrin comes as a liquid spray, which you can apply yourself or have professionally applied. Just be careful not to accidentally spray pesticides near any edible plants, especially tomatoes.
Conclusion
As we know, there are many pests in vegetables, especially in the summer season. A type of fire ant (also known as red ant). These tiny insects live underground and feed on eggs, larvae, etc. of various types of bugs and insects. If you have enough fire ants in your garden, they can destroy your vegetable sprouts. So, how to kill fire ants in vegetable garden.
Begin by showing how to make an ant trap. After setting it, check that the trap works. Then we take to our garden to set the traps. Finally, you can get rid of that difficult situation.
