Ants

[Great Plum]

Our front garden is mostly a small patio area. Recently we have some ants nests between the cracks - I poured boiling water down there and swept their nest away but within a week the nest is visible again! Any thoughts guys?

[MAF]

Our front garden is mostly a small patio area. Recently we have some ants nests between the cracks - I poured boiling water down there and swept their nest away but within a week the nest is visible again! Any thoughts guys?

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More boiling water

remember as kids, putting lighter fuel down nests and setting them alight.

[frogesque]

Short of digging up the patio and rooting out the queen you are stuck with them. Note: red ants in particular can get quite defensive if their nest is invaded! The nest will be well under the slabs (as much as 2 feet down) so surface scalding will only eliminate a few workers. All you are seeing above the slabs is the their mining 'bing' or spoil heap which they build up for ventillation chimneys.

There are however chemical treatments that will coat the workers who then take the poison into the nest but if it's a bad infestation you will need to be persistent. A reputable garden centre should be able to advise although some have stopped stocking the really powerful ones.

[soggy wales]

I have always found NIPPON to be the best treatment

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

You could just tell them to hop it. I mean. Its not like theyre paying any rent.

[MAF]

You could just tell them to hop it. I mean. Its not like theyre paying any rent.

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[optrex]

fly spray works well too

[Great Plum]

Short of digging up the patio and rooting out the queen you are stuck with them. Note: red ants in particular can get quite defensive if their nest is invaded! The nest will be well under the slabs (as much as 2 feet down) so surface scalding will only eliminate a few workers. All you are seeing above the slabs is the their mining 'bing' or spoil heap which they build up for ventillation chimneys.

There are however chemical treatments that will coat the workers who then take the poison into the nest but if it's a bad infestation you will need to be persistent. A reputable garden centre should be able to advise although some have stopped stocking the really powerful ones.

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Sounds like it could be quite severe - we have 3 areas (bings?) above the patio - could this all be one nest then?

[Andy Bown]

Probably one large nest Matt!

That's not guaranteed though.

We have a nest on the back lawn which has extended to cover about 1/3 of the lawn . The 1st flying day of this season will show how big it is .

(I think all ants nests are joined together underground and they're gradually planning a take over bid on the earth )

[Summer Storm]

i like boiling them to

[Guest Phil_Uk]

Size 9 shoes generally work, but not the ultimate solution. (Neighbours think I've lost it when doing the Queens "We will rock you" type stamp. )

Ant powder, Nippon goo type stuff that you can buy in a tube that contains borax which ants take back to the nest then hasta la vista..... Ants nest!

Have found the little baskets underneath my patio door recently so I went total chemical warfare on them, weapon being Ant powder from Wilko and seen none since.

Cheap too, but effective.

Phil.

[Summer Storm]

i find ant spray works to

[Snow_Fan_Man]

There is a huge nest in our back garden, of which produces thousands of ants. We get the same nest and same ants every year, as a kid i used to be there all day tipping hot cups of water down the cracks to wash them away and/or burn them to death - grr. I hate it when there are loads of flying ants, ooh, they're sods!

[Andy Bown]

I've found a new way to get rid of ants!

Get yourself a Green Woodpecker .

There were 2 around earlier this morning :lol: . 1 on the front garden of the house opposite doing a fine impression of an ant eater and then marvellously the 2nd landed in our back garden and ate ants from our large nest .

I tried to get a pic of it but disturbed it .

I have only ever seen 1 before so to have 2 at the same time was stunning!!

[Adi F]

Whilst on exercise in Germany many years ago we discovered we had been left 4 ounces of C4 plastic explosive, that’s half of a block so enough to make a sizable explosion and more than enough to construct a car bomb or devastating bin bomb in a shopping mall in the wrong hands, But not enough to hand back into stores so we had a choice burn it off (great for cooking your rations on) or to detonate it. So we trudged deep into the woods and kneaded the C4 to a workable consistency and added a det cord knot as the initiator and decided to place it deep inside a wood ants nest. Then BANG, ants and ants nest blown in every direction for hundreds of meters covering us in the debris and ants, every one of them alive. I had ants in my hair, ants down my top, ants in my pockets ants everywhere.

[MAF]

I've found a new way to get rid of ants!

Get yourself a Green Woodpecker .

There were 2 around earlier this morning :lol: . 1 on the front garden of the house opposite doing a fine impression of an ant eater and then marvellously the 2nd landed in our back garden and ate ants from our large nest .

I tried to get a pic of it but disturbed it .

I have only ever seen 1 before so to have 2 at the same time was stunning!!

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well that 2 more than me, you lucky so and so

[Guest Mrs murphymoo]

....So we trudged deep into the woods and kneaded the C4 to a workable consistency and added a det cord knot as the initiator and decided to place it deep inside a wood ants nest. Then BANG, ants and ants nest blown in every direction for hundreds of meters covering us in the debris and ants, every one of them alive. I had ants in my hair, ants down my top, ants in my pockets ants everywhere.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not recommended as a failsafe way to get rid of ants then, Adi? :lol:

[Adi F]

Not recommended as a failsafe way to get rid of ants then, Adi?  :lol:

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Umm No ^_^

[frogesque]

Hmm... flying ants and the fourth dimension?

[M'Lady]

So we trudged deep into the woods and kneaded the C4 to a workable consistency and added a det cord knot as the initiator and decided to place it deep inside a wood ants nest. Then BANG, ants and ants nest blown in every direction for hundreds of meters covering us in the debris and ants, every one of them alive. I had ants in my hair, ants down my top, ants in my pockets ants everywhere.

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At least it wasn't an anti-climax!!

(sorry, couldn't resist!)

[Great Plum]

Ouch!

Well the ants are seemingly multipling but I have chemical warfare ready to be unleashed! :lol:

[flagpole]

I unleashed the poison spray on the flying ants in my bathroom last night. :lol:

this morning the bathroom is full of little corpses. poor ickle wickle ants.

[Great Plum]

But how much happier do you feel? :lol:

[flagpole]

not much - slightly less itchy but not much happier.

I did try having a stern word with them, I tried shooing them out AND I issued them with a final warning though.

[Great Plum]

Well, I squirted mine with some kind of mixture and I can't see any this morning...