Gardeners spend a lot of effort every year to grow a rich harvest, but all plans can be destroyed by insects that damage the fruits and leaves of plants. Significant harm to plantings is caused by colonies of ants that have settled on the site. The constant use of chemicals from pests can lead to soil poisoning. In this case, you can use such a folk remedy as ammonia, from ants in the garden.
What are harmful ants in the country
Despite the prevailing opinion about the benefits of ants, uncontrollably breeding insects can fill the entire territory in a short time, doing more harm than good. They settle under any stones, decorative figurines or boards, where they can not be immediately noticed and sprayed with a solution of ammonia.
The life center of the colony is the uterus, which lays thousands of eggs. Working individuals spend the whole day arranging housing and searching for food. Insects love sweets, so food supplies and berry harvests are at risk. When extracting material for the construction of an anthill, pests gnaw at wooden buildings, resulting in holes.
Insects in a country house
Having made their way into the room, the ants settle under the baseboards and in other secluded corners. Often they can be noticed after the consequences become apparent:
- Pests crawl over trash cans, kitchen countertops, leftover food. In this case, pathogenic bacteria spread throughout the house.
- In a bitten person, even in the absence of infection, an allergic reaction may occur.
- Pets become restless in the presence of insects. Pests bite animals, leaving eggs in their fur.
- The reason for the fight against ants is also the spoilage of food, which, after the invasion of insects, can only be thrown away.
Together with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, aphids can get into the room. The fight against insects must be started as soon as possible, since one individual is capable of producing about a hundred larvae. Voracious pests can lead to the complete destruction of indoor plants and move to the garden, and not everyone will decide to use chemicals indoors. It is safer to use ammonia, which will not harm the flowers and will not poison the air.
A sharp smell with an open window disappears after 10-15 minutes, and the effect persists for a long period.
Harm from insects in the beds
There are practically no obstacles for ants. Digging passages underground and crawling on the surface of the soil, they can cause considerable damage to plantings:
- gnaw the leaves of plants and seedlings;
- damage sugary fruits, making them unsuitable for storage;
- gnaw holes in wood, leaving trees defenseless against other pests;
- destroy lawns and flower beds, digging deep tunnels in the soil and eating the roots of plants;
- when extracting nectar, they damage flower buds, which after that cannot fully open;
- the ants are interested in increasing the aphid population, so they spread it around the garden, which soon becomes a serious problem.
Methods for getting rid of ants
For the safe extermination of pests, time-tested folk remedies are suitable. Ammonia against ants and aphids has a characteristic smell of ammonia, but it effectively repels insects.
100 ml of ammonia mixed with a liter of clean boiled water will help block the ant path in the country house. The solution is wiped with furniture and places of the most active movement of insects. The smell felt by the human sense of smell will disappear in 10-15 minutes, and the pests will feel discomfort for a long time and leave the house.
To get rid of ants in a greenhouse and hotbeds without harming plants, you can use an ammonia solution prepared at the rate of 2 tablespoons of the product per 5 liters of liquid. The mixture is poured over tunnels and anthills.
It is important to remember that the product concentrate can cause burns and suffocation, so the door must be open during processing. A protective mask, goggles and gloves must be used.
Ant processing
Ant piles in the garden increase the acidity of the soil and destroy nearby plants. To save plantings, you need to know how to get rid of pests with ammonia. There are several ways to deal with insects:
- impregnate a piece of matter with a working solution of ammonia, put it on top of the accumulation of passages and cover with a film;
- a vial of ammonia (100 ml) is combined with a liter of boiling water and poured into an anthill, from which you can first remove the top layer.
Bed processing
Ammonia solution in the beds enriches the soil with nitrogen. Knowing how to get pests out of the garden and feed the plants at the same time, you can achieve a good harvest:
- for irrigation under the root, a solution is prepared from 10 ml of ammonia and 10 liters of water;
- spray the affected leaves and treat the trees with the same composition with the addition of 3-4 tablespoons of sugar;
- ammonia in the garden is widely used against aphids, which ants feed on. Aphids and insects can be sprayed with a mixture of 50 ml of ammonia, 10 liters of water and 10-15 ml of liquid soap.
Preventive measures
To prevent the appearance of insects in a country house, you need to follow the rules of hygiene:
- store sweets, meat products, cut fruits and drinks in tightly closed containers;
- do not leave crumbs and unwashed dishes after eating;
- take out the trash in a timely manner.
By the time the gardener understands why the plantings began to die, the dwelling of insects can go deep into the ground so that neither frost nor poisons can reach it. Therefore, it is important to carry out preventive measures that facilitate pest control.
Against aphids and ants in the garden, insect repellent odors are used. To do this, twice a month, the plants are watered with water with the addition of a tablespoon of ammonia.
Some summer residents resort to the help of insecticidal preparations, while others use ammonia for such purposes. Ammonia, as one of the folk methods, is acceptable at a price, and is very effective in terms of its effect on ants. In his arsenal, all the necessary characteristics that can destroy ants and other pests.
What harm do ants do to plants?
Interestingly, the biggest danger comes not even from ants, but from aphids, which they use for food. Insects feed on the sweet secret that aphids secrete, so they protect it, promote its reproduction, which allows them to increase the amount of food (after all, the population is constantly increasing).
The symbiosis of aphids and ants even goes so far that in the fall, when the first cold weather sets in, the insects take it to the anthill, place it on the roots of plants, and in the spring they take it back to the foliage.
Symbiosis of two species of insects
Deciding to enter into an active fight with ants, the first thing to do is get rid of aphids, thereby depriving them of a food source for insects. After that, black ants, as a rule, leave the site themselves, and it is easy to deal with the remains, using, among other things, ammonia in the garden and professional insecticides.
Some experts believe that the fight should be reversed - first you need to remove the ants, and the aphids themselves will disappear. In practice, neither one nor the other species will completely disappear on their own, so you need to systematically destroy both species in order to save your site.
You can deal with black and red ants in safe ways
In search of a solution to such a problematic situation, you can resort to the help of folk remedies. Ammonia from ants is also an excellent fertilizer for plants, which can be used almost without restrictions. But what to poison the ants on the site, you will learn a little later.
VIDEO: Hellish mixture against diseases and pests in the garden and vegetable garden
How to get rid of insects with ammonia
Ammonia is an aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide (ammonia) with a very pungent odor. Ammonia is used not only to bring a person to consciousness, but also to provoke vomiting, as a disinfectant for washing hands, to anesthetize the site of an insect bite, etc.
Ammonia is used in everyday life and medicine
But in everyday life, such a tool is very useful, in particular, ammonia is useful in the garden, for the summer cottage, and even in the house where there is a winter garden and where aphids and ants have settled.
You can eliminate the ubiquitous harmful insects using the following recipes:
- The easiest way to use ammonia in the garden. We take 1 liter of water and half a glass of ammonia. Thoroughly mix these two components. Pour the entire anthill with the finished liquid. Before adding the ammonia solution, experts strongly recommend removing the top layer of the anthill (at least 50 mm). Our task is to get to the oviposition and uterus of the ants. Thanks to this, it will be possible to quickly and effectively carry out pest control.
It is necessary to dilute ammonia only in boiled or filtered water. This will avoid the reaction of ammonia to all kinds of impurities, which, in turn, will reduce its effectiveness.
- Preparation of a solution for treating the plant itself in order to eliminate aphids. To do this, combine 8 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l. ammonia. Pour the working fluid into a spray bottle and irrigate a plant or tree damaged by aphids. The solution infusion time is 20-30 minutes. Thanks to this, it will be possible to achieve uniform distribution of the active substance in the total water mass. Do not be afraid that ammonia water will harm your plant. Such an insignificant dosage of ammonia acts for plants even more like a fertilizer.
- Ammonia against ants can also be used for prevention. Once a week, treat trees and vegetation in the garden with a solution at the rate of 10 ml of ammonia per 10 liters of clean water. Plants are watered directly under the rhizome.
After and during the application of this remedy, a distinct ammonia "ambre" will be felt. But it won't last that long. After a few minutes, the “aroma” will disappear, but the effect will persist for a long time.
Where can I buy?
You can buy ammonia both in a pharmacy kiosk and in specialized stores where goods for pest control are sold. Depending on the quality, there are a lot of varieties of this drug. In addition, the country of origin also influences the pricing policy.
On average, the price of ammonia tincture is 20 rubles. There are, of course, samples for 14 rubles, as well as for 30 rubles. When choosing such a product, it is necessary to look at the concentration of the active substance. This will allow you to organize the correct preparation of the working solution for disinfestation.
Another use of ammonia
If after disinsection you still have such an anti-ant remedy, then you can find another use for it:
- To protect yourself from attacks of mosquitoes and midges, you need to treat the space next to you with a light solution of ammonia, using a spray bottle for this. And not a single midge, not a single mosquito "dares" to fly up to a place treated in this way.
Ammonia also copes with mosquitoes "excellently"
- Ammonia is used not only in the garden, but also in the house. After washing the windows, wipe them with ammonia tincture. This will facilitate their subsequent cleaning from contamination. Moreover, thanks to such actions, it will be possible to create a kind of film on the windows, which will prevent dust from settling on the glass.
- A mixture of ammonia and glycerin (in equal proportions) is an excellent remedy for cracked and dry soles of the feet. If you rub the sole every day in the morning and in the evening with a glycerin-ammonia solution, then it will very soon become smooth and soft.
- Use ammonia when washing linen, cotton and woolen items. If before washing, soak things in water with the addition of 5 tbsp. l. ammonia solution, then it will be possible to clean them of old stains. Also, using this drug, you can bleach darkened things.
What is ammonia good for plants
Most often, it is recommended to use for plants, since ammonia contains nitrogen molecules that the soil needs. The lack of nitrogen fertilizer leads to blanching of the deciduous seedling system, its yellowing and wilting.
If you use such a tool in the garden, you can enrich the soil with the necessary nitrogen minerals without using other fertilizer preparations for this.
Ammonium chloride is practiced as a fertilizer not only when the first signs of nitrogen deficiency appear, but also as a preventive measure.
Knowing how to use ammonia, you can not only protect your land from the attacks of harmful insects, but also make up for the lack of nitrogen in the soil, providing plants with good nutrition.
VIDEO: Ammonia from pests. Recipes
All summer residents want to see their plants on the site healthy. But often there are problems in the form of ants and aphids. If the colonies of the second feed on the juice of the upper shoots of crops, sticking around them from top to bottom, then the first - black ants - make holes in the leaves and roots during the period of active reproduction, as a result of which they lose moisture, and the plants die. From this material you will learn why you still need to deal with aphids, what are the features of the destruction of goosebumps, and how to use ammonia against all these insects.
For the same reason, you need to get rid of aphids as soon as possible in the area - a garden or a summer house. There pests prefer to eat shoots and leaves, young flower buds. Moving in whole colonies, they leave behind plants from which the juice has been sucked. Finding her at home is also a risk of harmful microbes and bacteria. You can suspect the appearance of pests by yellow deformed leaves, poorly developed flower buds.
The subtleties of the fight against aphids
To combat aphids at home or in the backyard, preventive, mechanical, technological, biological, and chemical methods are used. The choice of a method that will help get rid of insects occurs with an eye to the specific case. The degree of infection of crops, their characteristics, and the possible reaction of plants to a particular substance are taken into account. The above methods are radical, since most often there is a mass infection of plants.
To prevent its appearance on home cultures, you should periodically inspect them. Provide optimal temperature, humidity, lighting. If the prevention did not have the desired effect, you can first try to get rid of insects using folk methods. A certain effect is given by the use of potassium soap, tincture of celandine leaves, orange or lemon peel. They also use onion tincture, flea shampoo, cigarette smoke, fragrant pelargia (for scaring), kerosene and any detergent (diluted in water), the presence of ladybugs.
On the site, you can get rid of aphids with the help of insecticides. The preparations "Decis", "Inta-Vir", "Aktar" and others have proven themselves excellently. In case of damage to rose bushes, you can try the mechanical method. That is, clean the flower manually. A soapy solution is also used, which is sprayed with bushes. It is also permissible to dip buds into it, since it is they who most often suffer from pest attacks. Tincture on arrows of garlic and tomato shoots helps well. To prepare the product, they are soaked overnight, then filtered and used to spray the bushes. It is customary to treat the ground parts of rose bushes with tincture of onion peel.
Video "Aphid: what to do with it"
This video will tell you about the different ways to deal with aphids. It will also tell you about preventive methods for solving the problem.
Features of the fight against ants
Features of the fight against ants are in the competent processing of crops. Otherwise, the uterus will be able to quickly restore the number of insects in the area. New individuals will have a strong immunity to the agent you used, which will complicate the further destruction of pests. A set of measures is recommended, which combines treatment with insecticides and folk methods.
In the garden or garden, we see only working individuals, most of them are underground. Therefore, they are not very vulnerable to chemicals. The queen also lives underground and lays eggs. Therefore, specialists have developed preparations for garden ants that will not help get rid of them instantly, but will certainly be delivered underground by infected insects.
Ants feed on honeydew secreted by aphids. Also, black ants enter into symbiosis with these insects - they protect their colonies from enemies, spread their eggs.
It is possible to reduce the harm that ants cause to plants if they block access to crops where a new generation is grown. To do this, trees are usually tied with foil in a circle. There are also hunting belts that are sold in the store. Make them realistically and independently - from sticky tape from flies or scotch tape, wrapping the tree with it outward.
For berry bushes and vegetable beds, a barrier is created in the form of a water barrier. A groove is made around the beds, a plastic film or other material is laid on the bottom so that it does not let water through.
Boric acid also works well against ants, destroying their chitinous cover. Insecticide preparations "Dachnik", "Trinol", "Muracid", "Thunder", "Anteater" and others help. If possible, dig an ant nest and take it out of the site. Chopped garlic, smoked herring waste, ground cinnamon, tobacco dust, which are unpleasant for insects, are often placed on anthills. Field mint, tansy, tomato tops, parsley cut and laid out in the aisles will help reduce their number. In addition, you can pour a bucket of sugar syrup into the anthill. Trunk circles of trees are advised to sprinkle with wood ash.
Ammonia as one of the best remedies for aphids and ants
Ammonia is a 10% ammonia solution. Ammonia is available in almost every first aid kit and helps to effectively get rid of insects. Based on it, poisoned solutions are made according to various recipes.
- For the first, you need to take 1 liter of boiled water, add 100 ml of ammonia. The resulting solution is watered with an anthill. To enhance the effect, you can initially dig it with a shovel.
- Another recipe is to mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia with 8 liters of clean boiled water. This solution is infused for half an hour. Then it is used for spraying plants.
In order to prevent the appearance of insects, a solution of 10 ml of ammonia added to 10 liters of boiled water is used. It is necessary to water the culture with a ready-made solution strictly under the root. After and during the processing of these recipes based on ammonia, there will be a smell of ammonia. It lasts only some 5 - 7 minutes, but the result, in terms of the destruction of insects, will definitely impress you.
Video "How to deal with an anthill"
The two simplest ways to get rid of the anthill and, accordingly, prevent the appearance of aphids.
If you notice the appearance of ants in your apartment or in the country - it's time to sound the alarm. These, at first glance, harmless creatures are capable of causing significant harm and irreparable destruction. Therefore, the effectiveness and speed of the fight against these insects depends on how quickly you react and begin to take the necessary measures.
Ants infested the apartment. What to do?
The appearance of ants in the apartment is an alarming sign. This indicates that they have already built a nest for themselves and are determined to share a home with you. There are many ways to get rid of ants. Some are more efficient, others less. By type of impact, they can be divided into several types:
- repellent;
- physically destroying;
- destroying in the nest.
Current science has developed special means to fight ants, but they are not always effective. The fact is that insects can get used to and develop immunity to toxic substances. But from time immemorial, people have used various folk methods of getting rid of small pests. The fight against ants is quite complicated, therefore it is recommended to apply several methods, combine them until the insects disappear.
You are unlikely to be able to physically destroy the nest. It is securely hidden from prying eyes somewhere under the floor, in the wall, and so on. In addition, if you notice a chain of ants crawling into a gap on the floor, you should not start active actions. It may be just an entrance, and the nest itself is located in a completely different place.
Chemicals
If insects have overwhelmed you, and you have tried all known methods, but to no avail, then you should use chemical agents. They protect more effectively from ants and are suitable for fighting a large colony. They can be in the form of aerosols, gels or granules. Aerosols are not very effective. They destroy only a small part of the insects that appear in the area of effect. Others, including larvae, remain alive. Lures have a higher degree of destruction. They contain special substances that attract ants. Then he carries this poison to his nest, which poisons the rest of the insects. But it is better to use environmentally friendly methods, because it is important to know how to get rid of ants with folk remedies.
Water with sugar
One of the simplest and most primitive methods of dealing with ants is to trap them with honey or sugar placed in water. Insects will react and crawl to feast on sweets. But in this case, they will simply drown. This method is ineffective, since it can be used to lure and destroy a certain number of worker ants. The nest, queen and other insects will not go anywhere and will continue to disturb you.
Chamomile
A folk remedy for ants is chamomile, for some reason ants do not tolerate it. Maybe it's the smell - these insects do not like pungent odors. Therefore, ordinary chamomile, which is sold in abundance in a pharmacy, can serve as an insect control agent. The advantage of this method is that the chamomile can be placed in the closet, among clothes, in the kitchen near dishes and food. Unlike various poisons, it is not harmful and toxic, therefore it can be used without restrictions. The disadvantage of this method is the low efficiency. In some cases, ants develop immunity, chamomile may not work on them.
Garlic
An folk remedy for ants is garlic. It can also be used to repel ants. He, like chamomile, they do not like. Therefore, try to anoint the places of occurrence and routes of insects with garlic. Garlic is good at repelling ants. But it is effective at the beginning of their appearance. In addition, the disadvantage of this method is a sharp persistent smell that will stand in your apartment. If that doesn't bother you, then you can try.
Boric acid
If the ants have already settled into your apartment and feel like full-fledged owners, then the above methods will not be effective. You will not be able to impose repellents on every corner of your home. In this case, it's time to move on to drastic measures. People have always used boric acid to fight various insects. Ants are no exception. This acid must be mixed with something edible: dough, potatoes, egg yolks and others. Next, you need to mold balls from the resulting mass and place them in places where ants accumulate. In this case, hard-working insects take the “treat” prepared for them to the anthill, where they eat it with the whole colony and, accordingly, die. This method is quite efficient. Its great advantage is that not only random insects that have found poisonous bait are destroyed, but the entire colony from the inside (including the uterus).
Soap
A folk remedy for ants is soap, it contains substances that negatively affect the insect. They destroy the wax layer on the shell, which leads to dehydration and death. It is enough to grind the soap and scatter it in places where ants accumulate. If you find their nest, you can treat it with soapy water.
How to deal with ants in the country
In addition to our apartment, ants can cause a lot of trouble if they appear in your country house. Here they will show themselves as real pests. The fact is that they enter into symbiosis with aphids, contributing to its reproduction. They feed on her secretions containing sugar, therefore they actively “graze” her. Also, ants like to arrange their nests under the roots of trees, their burrows disrupt the normal circulation of moisture in the soil. Therefore, if you want to have a good harvest, you will have to start a war against ants. To get rid of them, you need to know how to treat the site from ants.
Ammonia
Very often use ammonia from ants. It is a very effective tool. To eliminate them, it is necessary to prepare a solution that consists of ammonia and water. An anthill is treated with this solution. You should not be shy, the more abundantly you pour it, the stronger the effect will be. If insects harm plants, then you can make a solution of a small concentration and treat the plant itself with it - leaves, stem. This method of processing will not harm the plant, but the ants will be harmful. As a preventive measure, you can water the plants with a weak solution of ammonia. This will help you prevent these insects from appearing. At the slightest appearance of them, use ammonia from ants. This is a simple and affordable way, because ammonia can be found in every home in the first aid kit.
Lime
Until now, it is a popular and effective method of treating the lower part of a tree trunk with a solution of lime. This method is simple and effective. Lime is mixed with water and applied to the underside of the trunk and the ground around the tree. This scares away the ants, they do not bother such a tree. Sometimes tar is used instead of lime.
Boiling water
If the ants have already settled densely in your area, it's time to turn on the heavy artillery. In order to get rid of annoying insects, it is not enough to scare them away or selectively destroy them. It is necessary to destroy the uterus and larvae. Then you will get your way. To do this, you can use ordinary boiling water. The anthill must be stirred up throughout the depth, and then poured with plenty of boiling water. It is desirable to repeat the procedure after some time. This will kill the insects.
Ash
A simple and ecological folk remedy for ants is ash. It is necessary to take more hot ash (for example, from burnt leaves) and sprinkle an anthill on it. The anthill is initially recommended to stir up. Hot ash will penetrate all entrances and destroy insects. In addition, it will block the access of air inside, thereby ensuring greater effectiveness of the defeat.
Smells
To scare away ants on the site, use all kinds of means that have a strong smell. It can be tobacco dust, tomato tops, garlic, wormwood, parsley, black pepper and others. To do this, the anthill is sprinkled with these means. This will scare away insects, under their action the ants will soon leave your site. Many summer residents specially plant plants around trees that repel ants, such as parsley. This has a preventive effect.
Bait
Ants in the country can be destroyed with the help of certain substances, by analogy with apartment ants. For bait, boric acid is often used in combination with something edible. Ants take away the poisoned bait and take it to their anthill. An important aspect is that the poison gets inside the anthill, thereby destroying those who are hiding in the ground.
forest ants
An interesting way to breed ants is to use forest ants. To do this, you can go to the forest, dig out an anthill with forest insects, bring it to your site and place it on top of the nest of country ants. Forest insects will drive out the summer ones, and soon they will leave.
If everything is clear with the ants in the apartment - it is unlikely that you can get used to it, then before destroying the ants in the country, you must first determine whether they are pests. Not all ants show interest in aphids and harm your household in other ways. If you decide to fight these insects, then it is better to start doing it early, until they have filled the entire area. In addition, it is better to give preference to folk methods that use less chemicals, and use ant chemicals in extreme cases. This will bring less harm to you and the environment. Try to use several methods, combine. Repeat the procedure. After a while you will forget about the little annoying neighbors.
Many of us are familiar with ammonia from a medical point of view. But not everyone realizes that this drug can also be used in the garden. Recently, such an application has become very popular, since its effectiveness is confirmed in practice. Many summer residents are beginning to wonder how to properly use this drug so as not to harm the plants, but, on the contrary, to have a beneficial effect on them.
Benefits of using
In order to process cabbage, you need to take ten liters of water and 80-100 milliliters of ammonia. The resulting solution should be sprayed with plants every few days. But if the slugs are already wound up, then the solution can be poured directly from the watering can onto the head of cabbage. The pests should leave your garden soon.
Advantages and disadvantages of using ammonia
Ammonia has already become a truly universal garden fertilizer, and the benefits of its use are beyond doubt. Unlike other nitrogen-containing fertilizers, it is completely harmless to both humans and pets. At the same time, ammonia is overnight both a fertilizer and a means of pest control.
However, this drug also has negative sides. For example, when oversaturated with it, problems with plant growth may arise. In this regard, it is not recommended to feed more than once a week. If ammonia is used for treatment, then solutions of low concentration should be prepared, and gradually increase it over time. Otherwise, instead of the expected miracle, you can get the opposite effect, and your garden culture will not give you the joy that you expected from it.