that have taken over part of my tomato garden? *I* was there first. But apparently my sowing the dirt and adding such great stuff (peat moss, mulch, etc) is an attraction for them. I dug up the whole spot and put them in the opposite corner in another part of the yard that is suitable for them (not too much sun or shade, not wet all the time but not cracked earth dry, lots of vegetation to munch on, etc). AND I put peppermint EO out there and sprayed Dr B's peppermint soap and water all over (ants hate mint, perhaps not THESE ants?)

They already took out one of my 8 tomato plants by eating right through the *trunk* of it.

Ugh!

HELP!

Don't know if it'll work with the big black ants, but here's what we've tried out at Faire... Mix sugar & borax about 50/50, and spread it around them, they'll take it back to the queen, and apparently, if she dies, they don't know what to do with themselves and they'll just go away or something. Alternately, feed them grits, same basic theory except then you don't have to watch your kids around the borax!

Of course, I don't know if the ants went away because of what I fed them or because we did so much building out there... :D Oh, and they don't seem to care for cinnamon either!

Originally posted by DEandF
feed them grits, same basic theory except then you don't have to watch your kids around the borax!

!

This is what I did. I had a huge mound in the middle of my perrenial garden. My dh laughed at me :hahaha: but the ants are gone...

When they are gone... put cheyanne pepper powder (My brain is not working... how do you spell that?) around the area where they were... they will not come back. :)

Love Val