Theres a killer red ant colony in the bottom of my pot..

[southflorida]

OK. So I'm upgrading one of the babies (1ft or so no sex)pots to somthing a little larger. Everything is going smooth pot slides off as i turn em upside down.. then i notice the bottom 1.5" of what would be soil below the roots is a swarm of big red ants. I gently dropped the rootmass including the ants into the larger pot and then ran screaming like a little girl.. didnt get hurt too bad btw. Anywho what now? Should i use normal lawn ant killer or what am i in for anybody?

 

[FreakNature]

Diatomaceous Earth kills ants. Usually found at garden centers. It's non-toxic. It's a white powder. You can set the pot on a pile of it and the ants crawling out the drain holes that contact the powder will die. You could also lift the plant out of the pot and just dust the ants w/ the powder. It's not immediate but it is affective.

 

[Smokin Moose]

Place a small platter with a mixture of borax and honey...no more ants!

 

[southflorida]

Thanks Freak for the nontoxic resolution; would sevendust work because it may be on hand. Smokin where do you place the platter and what kind of ratio if it makes any matter?

 

[FreakNature]

I read that Sevin will work for ants. Far be it from me to suggest using poison, though.

 

[Smokin Moose]

I don't have a set ratio. I get borax from the hardware store and just mix it with honey. You don't need too much borax. Borax is not a poison - it is used in some washing detergents.

 

[southflorida]

I used this powder/chunky ant killer for ant pilesin lawns, put it around my pots and even immediately under the problem plants pot. i put a 2nd pot under it with the 1.5" or so space holding a little ant killer. OK so far im concerned for two reasons now. The plant w/ the ant colony will soon be transplanted again, but the other MAIN reason is there are signs of somthing *i have pics being approved at this moment showing how leaves are showing signs of somthing bad (ant sickness?, maybe you can tell me!). Anyway heres the 2nd plant in the same conditions/ferts/ect but without ants and much a much healthier look!

 

[Smokin Moose]

First plant is nutritional, not ants. Second plant is healthy.

 

[southflorida]

Alrighty moose I'll look into what to do next about the nutrient problem, but the ant issue should be taken care after i hit the hardware store in the morning. thanks for the input!

 

[bugman]

I would suggest using amdros ant killer. The ants take it to the queen and it kills the whole colony. I have had great experience with it. Home depot, Lowes, will carry it. You just sprinkle it around the pots on the floor. The ants will find it. The other thing is if you can handle the fire ants you might let them be. I don't think they consume plant matter but they will ravage any living creature in your room. Just a thought.

 

[Damagoman]

I found the new Fire Strike formula cheaper than the regular Amdros
and it's suppose to be Better.

 

[southflorida]

I think im set, lack of larger pots is what the nutrient problem may have came down to.