Ants and blueberries - Ask Extension
A couple weeks back we built a raised bed. 2' x 6' x 6" with new cedar lumber was used. We purchased bulk garden mix soil from a nursery and blended l...
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Ants and blueberries #405441
Asked June 07, 2017, 7:24 PM EDT
A couple weeks back we built a raised bed. 2' x 6' x 6" with new cedar lumber was used. We purchased bulk garden mix soil from a nursery and blended lots of peat moss in the bed. Then we planted 3 blueberry plants.
Now we have a couple areas covered with ants! What could be the cause and what should we do? Is there a solution without using chemicals?
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi there--
Sorry for the slow response.
Let's start with the best resource I could find:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/what-to-do-about-household-ants/
in that article, I read this: Outdoor nests can be very difficult to eliminate without chemicals. Using water to flood nests is usually not effective. Use of gasoline also is ineffective and dangerous and causes environmental pollution. Repeated drenchings of a nest with an insecticidal soap solution is sometimes effective in forcing an ant colony to relocate. There is no scientific evidence that spearmint gum, red pepper, orange peels, or various herbs repel ants effectively. Remember you must kill or relocate the queen to manage an ant colony.
You don't mention if the ants are causing problems for the blueberries or if they're just in a place you don't want them to be. If the latter, then if you can, I'd suggest ignoring them.
If they're causing problems for the blueberries, can you submit a question with additional detail about what sort of ants they seem to be and what kind of damage they're doing to the berry bushes?
Sorry I can't be a ton of help!
Sorry for the slow response.
Let's start with the best resource I could find:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/what-to-do-about-household-ants/
in that article, I read this: Outdoor nests can be very difficult to eliminate without chemicals. Using water to flood nests is usually not effective. Use of gasoline also is ineffective and dangerous and causes environmental pollution. Repeated drenchings of a nest with an insecticidal soap solution is sometimes effective in forcing an ant colony to relocate. There is no scientific evidence that spearmint gum, red pepper, orange peels, or various herbs repel ants effectively. Remember you must kill or relocate the queen to manage an ant colony.
You don't mention if the ants are causing problems for the blueberries or if they're just in a place you don't want them to be. If the latter, then if you can, I'd suggest ignoring them.
If they're causing problems for the blueberries, can you submit a question with additional detail about what sort of ants they seem to be and what kind of damage they're doing to the berry bushes?
Sorry I can't be a ton of help!
