red ants

Hi! I have red ants in my vermicompost bins!! Is there something I can use that will kill the ants but not the worms?

I usr lime in my bins but sparingly because it can alter the ph

Get the bin contents soaking wet. The worms will survive and the ants will leave. Usually ants aren't a problem if you keep the bin moist enough for the worms to thrive.
Maggie

I put seven dust around the outer edge of my bin. I would dump the whole thing, pick out the worms and start over.

Adding a sprinkle of Diatomaceous Earth ( DE ) Just a sprinkle don't get carried away.

DE is fossilized diatoms they have sharp little edges that scratch through a bugs wax coating and the bugs dehydrate to death. It is natural and stable so it never looses effectiveness only one application needed, ever.

You will need the food grade DE. Not the stuff sold for aquarium filters it has had all the sharp edges worn off, it wont work.

DE is pretty safe stuff. You don't really want to inhale much of it but they use it as a food additive to keep bugs out. It will only hurt things that have exoskeletons, so it wont bother the worms.

It is commonly called Fossil Shell Flour and is used to organically control insects, as an internal wormer, and for parasite removal in both humans and animals.

It is sprinkled around shelving, pantry's and under counters to keep bugs out of the kitchen or just about anywhere in your living space. During new home construction it is often sprinkled inside walls, crawl spaces and attics to help prevent future bug problems.

I sound like i sell the stuff - i don't i just use it at home.

It won't work in the worm bin though- unless your bin is dry. DE doesn't work when wet- http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/513178/
Did you try making the bins really moist? that will always drive them out- without hurting the worms.

Maggie

I guess i should have mentioned that you should sprinkle it on TOP of the dry bedding. Don't stir it in.

caterbacher,
I think Southern California is built on one giant ant hill, it's no wonder you're finding them in your bins. Ants are one of the most common “pests” in worm bins.
Someone already mentioned keeping the bin moist, if that doesn't send your ants, packing you can stop feeding for a week, and stir the bin every day, that should get rid of the ants that weren't chased off by upping the moisture of the bin.

Please don't resort to Sevin Dust...ACK!
Why have something as lovely and organically perfect as a worm bin and poison it with chemicals.

Sevin (aka Carbaryl) can cause serious neurotoxic effects in animals and humans, including irreversible neurological damage and behavioral disturbances. It is easily absorbed through the skin, with almost total absorption through the forearm.
Humans and cats develop aggressive behavior with irritability, paranoia and physical assaults.

Sevin is also a mutagen, toxic to the kidney and liver, damages ovaries and testes. Children, women, pregnant women and the elderly are particularly susceptible to Sevin/carbaryl’s effects.

Dove

You said it, Dovey. Not to meniton, nothing's deadlier to earthworms *specifically* than Sevin. I'd take six baths and four showers between messing with Sevin and touching my wormbin.--Melis

I agree, yet some people think it's a fairly harmless pesticide

Jeez, I used to use it on and around my cats--I don't have babies, I have cats. makes me sick to think how close I came to killing them listening to a certain DH who--I should know by now!!!--even yet tends to think Science has the better answers.

Don't worry, I've about got him trained: this year he tossed out his chemical ferts and went with me for two loads of horse manure for the garden. Only took 35 yrs!-M

Where did you get horse manure?
We had a heck of a time finding any near Columbus. We ended up driving 40 minutes, out towards Buckeye Lake somewhere to get some for our vegetable garden.
It was too chunky to use on the roses, so I'm still looking for more.

You only have to roll out of bed in Chillicothe and sit up and you're in the country. We have friends outside of town (Frankfort? Kingston?) who have horses and some down in Bainbridge too, should we need some more. Just took our wimpy S 10 out to the friend's farm and he used his frontloader to bury us in horsepucky. We had to give one load back as our springs were sitting on the tires.--HA! Going back in a few days for another load for a friend's garden. Embarrassment of riches, eh?

There used to be a miniature horse farm on the LH side of 23 as you were leaving Columbus and heading down our way... not too sure how far, but definitely closer to you than us. You get outside the 270 ring you should find some horses in fields somewhere! What about up in Albany? Look up in there?--Melis

We've been looking at offers on craigslist, so far the local guys are advertising.

In my journeys thru the web what seems to come up most often, is if your bin is up off the ground, and on legs is to put the bottom of the legs in a can and fill it with water, the ants won't make it. if your bin is unable to get up off the ground onto some kinda legs I suppose a mote of some sort might work ? maybe tether a anteater to your bin ???