Ants in Garden: How to Get Rid of Ants in a Garden

Most ants provide nutrients to the soil and help pollinate garden plants. However, ant colonies can also be a sign of a larger underlying problem in your garden. For example, ants gravitate toward a secretion called honeydew that aphids—a common garden pest—produce as they feed on plant sap.

If you spot ants crawling around your flowers, identify the species to which they belong before trying to remove the colony because they may be a harmless sign of an aphid infestation.

Different species of ants can either harm or help your garden. Before removing an ant colony, identify the type of ants in your garden to ensure that you aren’t removing a beneficial species. Here is a breakdown of some common ant species:

1. 1. Black ants: Black ants are helpful to garden beds, as they promote soil aeration and pollination. These ants feed on the plant’s nectar, protecting them from other harmful herbivores, such as fly larvae and aphids.
2. 2. Carpenter ants: Carpenter ants are a type of ant found in forested regions, making them native to many parts of the world. Carpenter ants hollow out wood and leave gaping holes, maiming trees and causing damage to wooden structures in homes and buildings. These ants threaten vegetable gardens as they rot wooden structures that support certain plants.
3. 3. Leafcutter ants: Leafcutter ants are reddish-brown and have spines on their backs. These ants remove plant leaves to harvest the fungus they eat. If left uncontrolled, they can wipe out entire gardens, so remove leafcutter ant colonies as soon as you identify them.
4. 4. Stinging fire ants: Also known as red ants, fire ants thrive in open sunny areas and spread quickly, and build large mounds up to seven inches tall. When external forces disturb their mounds, these ants react aggressively, swarming intruders and repeatedly stinging them with venom. They are also a threat to vegetable gardens, feeding on corn and watermelon seedlings.
5. 5. Yellow meadow ants: Like black ants, yellow meadow ants are also harmless garden inhabitants. These ants live below the soil and only surface due to a nest disturbance. While they provide nutrients to the soil, they build mounds that can be unattractive in flower beds.

An integral part of the ecosystem, garden ants distribute needed nutrients throughout the soil and help carry out natural processes. Here are some other advantages of having ants in your garden:

1. 1. They increase decomposition: Ants help with decomposition as they feed on dead leaves and other insects. By breaking down organic matter in the soil, ants help deliver nutrients throughout your garden.
2. 2. Ants control garden pests: Ants feed on insect eggs, serving as natural pest control and stopping harmful insects from reproducing and damaging plants. Ants also eat caterpillars, preventing them from consuming plant leaves.
3. 3. They aerate the soil: Ants aerate the soil by digging tunnels in the ground and delivering oxygen to the plant roots. These tunnels also improve water drainage by transferring water and nutrients to plants.
4. 4. Ants aid pollination: Ants act as pollinators by dispersing fallen seeds throughout the soil. Ant colonies feed on the outer shell of seeds; however, they discard the inner portion of the seed in the soil, which sprouts to form a new plant.

Although ants maintain soil health, they can also be a nuisance to gardeners, damaging structures and plant leaves. Here are some other disadvantages of having ants in your garden:

1. 1. They encourage aphid growth: Tiny green bugs, aphids are hard for the naked eye to see because they blend into plant leaves. However, aphids damage garden plants by sucking out their nutrients. As the aphids feed on the plant’s nutrients, they coat the stems in honeydew, attracting ant colonies. The worker ants encourage aphid growth in gardens by moving the aphids to different plants and protecting them from predators to preserve their food source.
   
2. 2. Ants eat plant leaves: Certain ants, such as leafcutters, eat away at plant leaves, destroying garden foliage and reducing crop yields. Leaves are essential for photosynthesis—the process in which plants convert sunlight, water, and air into chemical energy—so a loss of leaves can hinder the plant’s growth.
3. 3. They destroy wooded areas: Some types of ants, such as carpenter ants, destroy wooded areas. While these ants are not directly harmful to garden plants, they can rot wooden structures that hold and support your plants. Carpenter ants can also move from your garden area to your home, nesting inside your house and rotting foundational structures.
   

The first step to getting rid of ants in your garden is locating their main colony and nearby anthills. You can then use pesticides or DIY natural remedies to remove them from your garden. Here are some of the popular methods for ant removal:

• Spray vinegar on the soil. The strong smell of vinegar deters ant colonies. Fill a spray bottle with water and any type of vinegar, like white vinegar and apple cider vinegar, and spray the mixture on the plants to repel ants.
• Sprinkle brewed coffee grounds in the soil. Like vinegar, coffee grounds also serve as a natural ant repellent. Sprinkle brewed coffee grounds on your soil, and the strong smell will keep ants from staying in your garden.
• Use Diatomaceous Earth. With 0.5–2 percent crystalline silica, food-grade Diatomaceous Earth, a powder substance made from fossilized algae, is safe for humans to handle. You can use this powder as an insecticide to dehydrate garden ant infestations, but it must remain dry to remove ants effectively.
• Place borax-dipped cotton balls near the nests. Boric acid-based solutions are natural compounds that work as ant killers. Mix a half-cup each of water and sugar with a teaspoon and a half of borax to make ant bait. Dip a few cotton balls into the mixture and place them on top of the ant nests. Borax can be harmful to humans and pets, so wear gloves when using this mixture and wash your hands immediately afterward.

Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community—and the world—a better place.