Subject: ANTS!!
From: [email-masked] (Walt Stumper)
Date: 02 Jun 94 06:52:32 +0000
Newsgroups: bionet.plants

On 31 May 94 08:48am, Carol Suelzle wrote to All:

 CS> From: [email-masked] (Carol Suelzle)
 CS> Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 08:48:07 GMT

 CS>      Does anyone out there have any good (and hopefully organic) 
 CS> methods for getting rid of ants, or at least keeping them at bay?  My 
 CS> enitre yard is overrun with them.  There are all kinds, red ones, black,

Are they getting into your home?  That's when they obviously become a
problem for me.

In my case, they seem to find the same locations year after year to
enter the house.  While I reluctantly have used so-called 'house &
garden' ant & insect sprays (these types of sprays are considered
'safer'), I'm trying a new approach this spring and summer: herbs.
_Carrots Love Tomatoes_ by Louise Riotte (Garden Way, 1975) states that
"If ants are problem in the kitchen they may be repelled with pennyroyal
and spearmint scattered on shelves. Mints or tansy planted near doorways
and around the house also act as repellents."  p. 17.

I've planted peppermint near two common ant entrances into our home.  So
far, it seems to be working. (I'm trying tansy next year since mints
tend to take over if not contained!)  The other three locations present
a problem since they are in heavily shaded areas.

There are probably other methods you can try, but I've discovered that
you can't stop them completely.  Now I'm learning to live with a few
ants in the house now and then!

Walt...
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