How do I get rid of all the ants that are coming in from the garden?
Strictly speaking, ants aren't a gardening problem since the role they play in the garden is primarily beneficial.
When they’re in the garden, ants can be found nesting in old stumps, under rocks or in the soil or running about scavenging organic matter and small insects. They don’t harm living plants and only have a positive effect on the soil. Although it's true that some species of ants farm aphids for the honeydew residue they produce, it's really the aphids that are doing the harm and not the ants who are herding them.
Ants only really register as a problem when they leave the garden and enter your home in search of food, which they will most certainly find since they’ll eat just about anything you and your pets will.
When not in the garden, they like to nest under cement or pavement and occasionally will set up shop in or near house foundations. They usually get into your house by exploiting any gaps around windows, doors, plumbing, siding or over the top of the foundation. The best way to stop them from coming into your house is to figure out where they are gaining access and to take measures to block that access off.
Since ants leave behind an invisible scent trail for other ants to follow to get to a food source, you’ll also need to run a soapy cloth over whatever path they took to get into your house. By removing the scent trail, you'll discourage other ants from trying to enter along the same access point.
It's not normally necessary to control ants when they’re going about their business in the great outdoors. If they get out of hand, you can destroy their nests by repeatedly flooding them with water. Rarely is it necessary or advisable to use baited traps in the garden. The ants aren’t causing any problems out there and you run the risk of exposing pets or children to toxic substances. It’s far better to take steps to keep them out of your house than to interfere with them when they’re minding their own business out in nature. Even if you do succeed in killing large numbers of them, another batch is just going to show up sooner rather than later and you’ll find yourself engaged in a never-ending battle.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
