Subject: Re: Red Ant Pests From: "Bill Robinson" <roseguy@gte.net> Organization: Date: Mon, 09 Jul 01 13:30:20 Message-ID: <MOD$010709.5957@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
Dave writes that he and his wife are having chronic problems with
red ants in their Wyoming garden. They ask for a way to control
the red ants without the use of pesticides.
One way might be to focus on their life cycle. Ants, including red
ants, feed primarily on dead woody material and/or other materials
derived from plants that are high in carbohydrates. If, for example,
you are using wood based materials as a mulch you might have fewer
problems by switching to a different mulch like grass, etc. If you
have fruit trees or dead trees (or simply dead branches laying about)
in or near your garden, you might have fewer problems by keeping a
cleaner garden.
I don't think that you'll ever get rid of all of the ants (and
that's probably a good thing) but if you've got a huge population
going, I think it is likely that your garden is feeding these guys
too well. Cut down on the food source and you'll probably cut down
on the population.