It’s one thing finding ants around your home and coming in the house, but the minute you find them in your lawn, you know that something needs to be done. Ants tend to go unnoticed in our gardens because of how small and unassuming they are. For the most part, ants don’t bother us and benefit the environment. If you’re here, however, then you have an ant problem.
That’s where the ants on your property are building mounds in the lawn causing it to thin out and leave ugly bare areas.
Fortunately, we have a guide on which solutions kill ants and kill them fast. We’ve covered both natural alternatives to ant-killing chemicals, too, so you can get rid of the ants without causing undue harm to the environment.
Types Of Ants
Before you reach for your chosen weapon against the ant infestation, you should first consider what type of ants you’re dealing with.
If you’re in a temperate climate where you only have one or two ant species, this won’t be so important, but often different ants have different feeding and behaviour patterns that may change where you find them and how you deal with them.
For example, many ant species feed on seeds and leaves while others are predaceous, so they attack other insects and small reptiles. Many ants are omnivorous, so they’re somewhere in between.
Did you know there are over 50 ant species in the UK? Below are some of the most common:
- Common Black ants (Lasius niger) – the ones we see most often that try to get in your house
- Red ants (Myrmica) – there rae 7 different species of Red ants – these ar ethe ones that can give you a mild sting
- Yellow ants (Lasius flavus) – these are the ones that are often seen at the edges of lawns, or build mounds
Chemical Solutions
Many people reach for chemical solutions when trying to remove pests from their homes. While you may have seen a lot of focus on natural remedies recently, chemicals can still be used safely if you’re doing it right. The problem with the chemical approach is that pesticides are getting banned more and more each year, especially in a professional capacity. For now, you can still access a good range of ant powders, ant sprays, ant gels, ant bait stations and so on.
Sprays (such as “Raid” – available on Amazon(affiliate link)) tend to instantly kill the ants since they have more pressure and encourage direct exposure to the chemicals. Other sprays also coat areas so they can kill through contact when the ants inevitably walk across the sprayed areas.
Powders, on the other hand, are best sprinkled into crevices where the ants call home. Powders tend to take a while to kill the ants, however, so they aren’t the instant solution you’re probably looking for. We’d suggest getting some to use to keep ants at bay after your initial removal efforts.
Dealing with them in your lawn requires a bit more work. The first thing you’ll need to do is grab a spade, and push it deep into the ant mound. Wiggle it back and forth so you create a small opening. Pour the ant powder down. Try to avoid getting powder on the grass surface. Then close the opening up.
The main thing to remember when using any chemical solution is that you should target the ants and only the ants. Store-bought insecticides have active ingredients (which you should read on their label) that may harm pets and plants in your home.
Ant-specific insecticides like fipronil, avermectin B1, and cypermethrin tend to be safer but you should still exercise caution.
To target just the ants, apply directly to infested areas or, even better, their nests and mounds themselves.
Natural Remedies
Where there may be plants, pets, or even kids caught in the crossfire, many prefer to use natural alternatives to insecticides and pesticides. There are many alternatives available on the market and you may even have substances at home right now that are useful in killing and repelling ants.
Let’s go through some of these all-natural solutions to ant infestations.
Turfsolv
Turfsolv is fairly new to the Uk. It is 100% organic, non-toxic and completely safe. It also degrades fully in the soil after 3 weeks. It’s easy to apply and really does reduce the number of ants in the lawns. This is my “go-to” product right now. A 500ml bottle is enough to treat 250 square metres of lawn and sprayed anywhere else around the house as needed. You can order Turfsolv here.
Baking Soda & Powdered Sugar
Baking soda is handy for many different jobs, including repelling ants. Mixing baking soda with equal parts powdered sugar disrupts the digestive system of ants who consume any of it, which then kills them. It’s not instant but it gets the job done. You can pour some of this down the ant mound like before, or you can put some on a small dish near the mound (move its position every day to avoid stressing the grass under the dish)
Baking Soda & Vinegar
Along with a powdered sugar mix, you can also mix baking soda with white vinegar. Apply the soda first over the ant colony and then spray the vinegar on top. If you’ve ever mixed baking soda and vinegar before, you know that it creates a thick foam. The logic here is that the foam kills off the ants by ingestion and depriving them of air.
Borax
Sodium borate is a handy compound that can be used to fight ants. Commercially it’s known as Borax and is used for household cleaning, so why not use it to clean up an ant infestation? Mix two tablespoons of Borax powder with some water and two cups of sugar, to attract the critters. This particularly works with ants attracted to sweetness.
Boiled Water
This one is as simple and instant as it gets when you’re looking at natural remedies. Start a kettle of boiling water and, when it’s done, pour it onto the ant infestation and in their colony if possible. It’s a quick and effective way you can eradicate ant mounds, though if the water pours onto plants, then it can damage them too. NOTE: This should NOT be done on your lawn as it will kill the grass it falls on. Use this for areas around the home instead.
Diatomaceous Earth
Also called diatomite, diatomaceous earth is a fine white powder that can be bought. It is naturally occurring silica rock sediment that has crumbled into fine particles.
While it’s soft powder to us, the individual grains are sharp crystals with jagged edges to the ants and other small insects. The cuts dehydrate the ants and kill them, though it will also cut bees and other beneficial creatures that may stumble across the powder trap.
Vinegar
Vinegar mixed with water is also a great way to eliminate ants. Mix it with a cup of water and five to ten drops of tea tree oil and then spray it onto them. It’s also a good idea to clean with vinegar so that surfaces in your house are naturally repellent to ants and other insectoid pests.
How To Keep Ants Away
Once you’ve gotten rid of the ants, you should take steps to stop them from coming back. Take the following actions to prevent that from happening:
- Take a visual inspection of your lawn every day to look for new mounds
- Purchase and apply Turfsolv once per month right through the year. This works very well at controlling the numbers
- Check for and prevent water damage on your roof, pipes, and bathroom vents. Seal cracks along windows and doorframes immediately.
- Keep your home thoroughly cleaned and don’t leave food lying around.
- Keep your lawn well-maintained, too. Trim shrubs and other plants, especially if they come into contact with your home as that’s how they get onto and into the house.
- Clean pet bowls if there are any food leftovers in them.
