Ants cause enormous damage to greenhouse crops. They eat fruits, breed aphids (which in turn infect all plants), damage roots, and make the soil acidic. The more ants, the more difficult it is to get rid of them, so you need to act as soon as you notice the uninvited guests. The author of the Zen channel “Garden Cribs” shared a working and effective system.
Step #1: Get rid of aphids
Aphids secrete honeydew (sweet liquid) that ants love. If you don’t get rid of aphids, you won’t be able to get rid of ants.
According to the expert, a soap solution works well against aphids. Mix a tablespoon of laundry soap in 1 liter of water and spray the leaves of the plants from below – this is where the pest hides. Carry out the procedure 2 days in a row.
Step #2: Destroy the queen in the nest
The fight against worker ants is ineffective – first of all you need to get rid of the queen. It sits deep in the ground and restores the size of the colony in a few days.
To find the queen, observe where the main flow of ants goes. Try to loosen this place – you may see a lot of tunnels and white larvae. Take 5-6 liters of boiling water and pour it directly into the nest. Repeat the procedure the next day.
Step #3: Seal all cracks in the greenhouse
Destroying the inner colony is only half the battle. Now you need to seal all the cracks and joints so that new colonies do not decide to come and visit.
Dilute birch tar with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 and treat the outer lower profile, thresholds and door frames below. Repeat the procedure weekly – and after each rain. Scatter dry ash about 10 cm wide around the outside perimeter.
This three-step system is guaranteed to clear your greenhouse of ants and protect it from future infestations.
