Ants - Ask Extension
Found ants in the corner of veggie garden. What can be used to get rid of them? Baking soda? Pepper? Vinegar?
Knowledgebase
Ants #872232
Asked June 08, 2024, 8:45 PM EDT
Found ants in the corner of veggie garden. What can be used to get rid of them? Baking soda? Pepper? Vinegar?
Lane County Oregon
Expert Response
Ants can actually be beneficial in the garden. Of course there are many kinds of ants. Ants should be tolerated in gardens wherever possible, they do not cause direct damage to garden plants and are an important part of the biodiversity gardens can support. They eat many other bugs. Ant control with pesticides in gardens is unnecessary, impractical and ineffective. Pesticide use will also potentially harm other non-target animals having a detrimental effect on garden health. That said, many also "farm" aphids on the plants to "milk" the sweet syrup excreted by them. If you wipe out one type of ant, others will quickly recolonize the area.
