Home»Pests - Diseases»Ants
When you see ant colonies out in the cubic yard or garden , you in the main do n’t give them a 2d thought .
These small critters help take away organic waste , attend to in keep the filth aerated , and even obliterate some pests .
Of course , they ’re not always the torpedo , and spotting little red ones can pose a big trouble over clock time .
What Are Red Ants?
There is a common misconception that red ants mean you have fire emmet in your garden bed .
Thankfully , the red gal in the US are usually a little less dangerous .
Red reaper ants ( Pogonomyrmex barbatus ) live throughout the Southwestern States and collect source .
They ’re a largely good mintage but have earn pestilence status among many gardeners .
Leafcutter ant , meanwhile , are far more prominent , usually red , and have some front throughout the Southern US ( more than 11 species have it off to inhabit Texas alone ) .
They harvest farewell and fungus , which it apply to bolster up the settlement .
Many black ant coinage ( admit some reaper ) have domesticated aphids and other honeydew melon - develop worm such as oxen , leafcutter pismire , and domesticated fungus kingdom in the Lepitioceae family and even a bacteria that helps them fend off food toxic to the fungus .
While a for the most part beneficial specie , leafcutters can be a nightmare when they decide to make your garden into a supermarket .
It should be note that the term “ red pismire ” is sometimes deceptive . The colors on red ant specie can range from shining orange tree - red to brown and have more than one color present on their bodies .
What Damage Do Red Ants Cause?
Leafcutter ants use their scissor - similar mandibles to cut away foliage portions to stock home neatly .
They have a reputation for strength and can carry several clock time their weight ( imagine carry your car around ) .
alas , they lean to build massive colonies vagabond from 260′ substructure to an harebrained 6,400′ square invertebrate foot , which means more solid food is needed for the fungous farms and more trouble getting rid of a colony .
This earn it even worse if you ’re growing plants the kingdom Fungi thrive on .
The genusAttais most notorious , as they can damage roads and tillage due to the colony ’s sizing .
Even worse , they can defoliate crops at a rapid pace , completely bare a citrus Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in as picayune as 24 hour .
Meanwhile , blood-red reaper ant are incredibly utilitarian in the garden .
They help air out the dirt and remove dead or dilapidate matter .
However , all harvester ants also have a cut full of virile malice , which can make them a pesterer when you ’re weed .
The ant will bite down and quickly push up the stinger into its assailant if peril .
Harvester ant venom can be passing painful , resulting in between 4 and 8 hours of tart pain and sudate around the combat injury .
Despite being a pop stratum of ant for pets , this risk of get stung outside and the big mounds they make are two grounds they ’re lean here as a potential pestis .
How To Control Red Ants in the Garden?
Before you get free of the ant , it can be authoritative to identify the species you ’re dealing with .
This can be a painful ( sometimes literally ) undertaking , but a necessary one , as some specie are have a go at it to be important intellectual nourishment seed of endangered species , such as the threatened Texas tusk lizard ( Phrynosoma cornutum ) , which swear on red reaper emmet for 70 % percent of its diet .
Once you ’ve identified the species , you may be able-bodied to deter the colonies of some metal money by frequent tilling or mowing .
Before reaching for pesticides that can harm beneficial specie , consider some try - and - true method , namely diatomaceous earth , neem cakes , and neem soil soak .
solid food - GradeDiatomaceous ground , or DE for shortsighted , is a pulverization made of crushed , microscopical diatom fossils .
When an insect or other bantam critter crawls over them , the astute open cut through the pestilence ’s protective wax coat and into the exoskeleton , cause them to lose soundbox moisture and give-up the ghost of dehydration .
DE is extremely gentle to apply , as well .
Dust the undercoat around your plants with nutrient - class DE every few days and after it rains ( the rain will render the DE useless ) .
Neem cakes are another groovy option and double as plant food .
These bar are the solids left over from distill neem oil and contain trace amounts of neem , kill the ants without harming earthworms .
Finally , neem ground soak made of 1 tablespoonful of 100 % insensate - press raw neem oil colour per Imperial gallon of emulsified ( 2 teaspoons of Dawn or Castilla soap mixed in ) water influence wonder .
Pour 2 to 4 cup around the roots for most plants , more for magnanimous .
The Azardchtin in the neem will become a systemic insecticide , killing any bug that bites into or pierce the plant while remaining non - toxic to humans .
