Some ants are quite useful for the garden and the cold frame. However, if more and more ants become noticeable in the cold frame, this indicates problems. With these tips you can fight the ants effectively.
How do I effectively combat ants in the cold frame?
To effectively combat ants in the cold frame, you can relocate ant nests, plant herbs with essential oils or put out scents. Lime can disrupt ant trails and natural predators such as ladybirds also help with ant protection.
When do ants become a problem in the cold frame?
Ifant nestsform in the cold frame or the ants cultivateaphids on the plants, you should react. An ant nest undermines the base of the plants in your cold frame. Then the plants lose their stability at the roots and can no longer draw as much nutrients from the soil. Sticky residue on leaves indicates an aphid infestation. In this case, you should clean the lice from the plants with a soft soap solution.
How can I move an ant nest from the cold frame?
With the help of aflower pot you can relocate an ant nest without endangering the animals. Here's how to do it:
- Fill clay pot with wood wool.
- Put over an ant nest.
- Let stand for a week.
- Push spade under flower pot.
- Move the pot with ants to another place.
In this case, choose a location that is far enough away from the cold frame. Otherwise the ants could soon be back in the cold frame.
How do I keep ants away from the cold frame?
PlantHerbswith essential oils or keep the ants away from the cold frame with certainfragrances. If you plant the following herbs in the bed, ants will avoid the bed in the future:
- Thyme
- Lavender
- Marjoram
You can also sprinkle one of the following home remedies around the bed. The smell of these substances also deters ants:
- Cinnamon
- Lemon peel
- Clove
- Vinegar
- Tea tree oil
Does baking soda work against ants in cold frames?
Baking soda isdeadly for ants. However, this control method has two disadvantages. On the one hand, you destroy the beneficial insects. On the other hand, they won't catch all the animals. The natural ant poison evaporates quickly and is washed away by rain.
How do I interrupt ant trails to the cold frame?
If you spread lime, you can interrupt the ants' paths. Formic acid is neutralized with alkaline agents. For this reason, the animals do not cross lines made of spread lime. You can use the following materials to interrupt the ant trail:
- Algae limestone
- Chalk powder
- Garden lime
- Primitive rock flour
However, before using this method, you should check whether adding lime is a problem for the plants in the cold frame or raised bed.
Tip
Natural predators help against ants in cold frames
Instead of ant traps and artificial control agents, you should rely on gentle home remedies or natural predators such as ladybirds or lacewings, especially with a cold frame. Otherwise, pollutants could also spread through the cold frame along with the pesticides.
