[volga]

Hi there, all you irish gardeners.
I have a problem which I'm not sure is very common in Ireland.
My garden is being over run with ants, they are crawling everywhere.
Can they damage my plants and how do I go about preventing them.
Actually I hate killing anything but if I have to I will.
I hope someone out there has the same nuisance and found a solution.

[cooler]

Sorry for your troubles Volga.
We had the same problem in our house.
Ants started climbing up the walls, through cracks and crevices and streamed into our kitchen
I belive they came looking for crumbs behind bins in the kitchen which are often filled to overflowing.
The little devils inflict a painful sting, which I heard contains a type of formaldehyde.
They eat nearly anything that is organic.
But I think they will choose tastier stuff than plant leaves, crumbs and spilt dog mixer perhaps.
We got rid of our ants by washing them and their nests out with a water hose.
I believe if you encourage birds into your garden then they will eat the ants.
Someone reccommended planting the perennial Tansy near the nest and they will not return as they hate its smell.
The latin for this plant is Tanacetum vulgare, it grows up to 2 mtrs tall and has yellow flowers.

But maybe someone else will have a more viscious way of dealing with these pests....

[Sb]

all this talk about ants is giving ME ants in my pants.
I feel all itchy and scratchy.
Hope my garden never gets over run with these insects.

[Bugs]

Try this organic recipe , Crush up garlic or chilli or cloves ( old stuff you are going to throw out , put in some water and spray around the nest , its a good deterant . Otherwise go to your local hardware and get Nippon dust , a small container will last for years . Follow their trail home to find the nest , lightly dust and they will carry it into the nest.
Bugs