There is such an abundance of ants *everywhere* in my garden
areas that I wonder if this is an indication of some lack of
balance.
They are so plentiful that they are digging out the sand
from where we've bricked some areas so that there are little
sand mounds on top of the bricks and the bricks are sinking
because of the digging out of the sand.
I try to think of the ants' beneficial qualities but it is
difficult sometimes.
So--how might I discover if there is a problem of balance
here and how it might be addressed. I've been using no-till
methods and have many beneficial insect attracting plants
and no other major pest problems.
Barbara
Lee, that's interesting. I have zillions of ants in my
compost which is moist and full of worms. The ants are also
in my planted areas and the only damage they're doing right
now is protecting aphids on a day lily.
I forgot to say that I'm in Berkeley, CA./Bay Area
Barbara
On Tue, 8 Aug 2000 13:30:57 -0400
Lee Flier
Barbara wrote:
I'm a no-tiller too and I get a lot of ants all over my front yard where the
garden is. They don't seem to hurt anything although they CAN be an
annoyance sometimes as you say. I'm guessing they just like my yard better
than the neighbors who till and/or spray their yards. Also, in very sandy
soils or other situations not favorable to earthworms, ants can do a lot of
"tilling" for you. Maybe in some places where you don't want it
that's how it goes. Generally, I've noticed that ants like the nooks in the
garden where earthworms don't want to go, and vice versa. The worms like
cooler, moister conditions where there's a lot of organic matter in the
soil, while ants prefer hotter, drier and more sandy or barren soil. Are
there a lot of anthills actually IN your plantings or are they mostly around
the perimeters and in the brick pathways?
--Lee
***********************************
Lee A. Flier
lflier@mindspring.com
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
http://lflier.home.mindspring.com
Kevin--I think I may have a problem with some spots that are
very dry. Being in California I try to water as little as
possible.
My only problem with having so many ants *is* the damage I
have with certain plants. For some reason (may plant
weakness in this case) a certain minature day lily I have
always gets attacked by aphids at this time of the summer
and the ants are certainly helping them along.
I've also had scale on a lemon tree, also encouraged by the
ants.
Barbara
On Tue, 8 Aug 2000 14:57:29 -0300
Kevin Chisholm
Dear Barbara
From what I can see, "excess ants means lots of ant food and a dry place
to live."
I have a garden in the woods, and with lots of dead tree material, ants
abound. When I drop a tree, the ants move in. When I set down a tire,
ants move in to it for shelter. When I set some pipe on the ground, they
move into it for shelter.
My thoughts are that you have a lot of cellulostic waste in your area,
encouraging ants to flourish. Additionally, you probably have some "dry
zones" that give them shelter.
To get rid of ants, disrupt their habitat:
1: Remove excess cellulostic waste.
2: Find ways to keep their present living areas continually moist.
However, before you go too far; what exactly is the problem with ants???
Are they damaging your plants? Are they doing something harmful?
Kindest regards,
Kevin
Barbara Sargent wrote:
On 08-Aug-00 12:57:29, in reference to Re: ants & imbalance, Kevin Chisholm said:
> However, before you go too far; what exactly is the problem with ants???
> Are they damaging your plants? Are they doing something harmful?
An excellent point, I have had ants on my corn,
cowpeas and okra this year and in each case they
seem to be of service. As far as the okra is
concerned they have acttually been eating inscet
eggs from the udersides of the leaves (at least they
are carrying them off.
William KING
mailto:wbking@netdoor.com
