Red ants setting up shop.

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fourks Evergreen, CO Jun 16, 2008

I have a nest of red ants setting up shop in one of my raised beds. Should I be concerned? I would like to just let them be.

Thanks for you help!

Post #5113797
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starlight1153 Seale, AL(Zone 8b) Jun 17, 2008

Fourks. Yes you should be concerned. the new small home of ants wil turn into a monster of a home and will disturb and can even cause the death of yoru plants. Plus it not fun having the snarf bite out of your hands and legs when you weeding or working with your flowers.

Also, those ants gonn abe harvesting any and all aphids they cna find and keeping them alive in their nests over the winter and the aphids wil also destroy your plants.

If you feel the need to save the ants, dig a small section of groudn someplace else and get ya a shovel full of there nest and move it over to there.

Is there a particular reason yoru wanting to alow red ants to nest in your flower beds?

Post #5115964
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fourks Evergreen, CO Jun 17, 2008

Will I was afraid i would disturb the roots of my vegetables. Is there anyway to nicely ask them to leave:-) I guess i need to do something. I did notice they were collecting aphids, and fugued this was a good thing.

Post #5116927
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starlight1153 Seale, AL(Zone 8b) Jun 17, 2008

Get ya box of grits. The small box kind that dry like Martha Washington think is one brand. It like 50 cent a box or abotu that.

Cover the mound and around the mound withthe grits. Let the ants eat away at it for several hours. After ya see they have ate some of it them I go out and water the heck out of the hill. The water makes the grits blow up in there tummies, and if you get rid of the workes than there is none left to feed the or take care of the eggs or the aphids and the rest of the hill will die.

I do this all the time so I don't have to worry about putting any kind of posions aroudn my veggies or flowers that might contaminate the food or hurt my beneficials.

Post #5117018
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