On 23/04/2012 23:10, Christina Websell wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 22/04/2012 21:05, Christina Websell wrote:
"john wrote in message
...
Recently bought a mint plant from a supermarket and have been growing it
a
pot on the kitchen window sill. The other week we put it in a bigger
pot,
but now have a lot of ants coming out of it.

Have just submerged the pot in a large jug of water. Will this do the
trick? If so how long will it have to soak? Or is there a better way?
thanks.

Yep, drowning the ants will do the trick. How long will they take to
drown? Who knows?
As you repotted it the ants are likely to have been in the compost you
added.
Is there a better way? Probably by making sure there are no ants in
your
compost so you don't have to drown them.




It seems a shame to kill the ants when, if added to your compost heap,
they will break it down to lovely fine crumbly stuff.

However, as the others say, drowning will do the trick, but it would be
kinder to add a drop of washing-up liquid to the water, as this will break
the water's surface tension and, mercifully, do the job quicker.

I agree. I love ants. they are so fantastic with their lifestyle.





Indeed, and very useful insects. Were it not for them (and a number of
other unloved critters (slugs, snails, flies, woodlice, dung beetles, et
al), we would be up to our ears in all manner of waste and grot.
--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

In article , says...

Indeed, and very useful insects. Were it not for them (and a number of
other unloved critters (slugs, snails, flies, woodlice, dung beetles, et
al), we would be up to our ears in all manner of waste and grot.

I have some of those dalek composters (supplied by council) which I use
exclusively for destruction of pernicious or seedy weeds like docks and
couch grass... by ants. TBH I think the daleks are useless at normal plant
decomposition but they are perfect warm dry accommodation for ant
colonies, which turn those suspect weeds into the finest possible friable
compost. ( My big compost heaps never get dry enough for ants)

Janet.

On 24/04/2012 13:35, Janet wrote:
In , says...

Indeed, and very useful insects. Were it not for them (and a number of
other unloved critters (slugs, snails, flies, woodlice, dung beetles, et
al), we would be up to our ears in all manner of waste and grot.

I have some of those dalek composters (supplied by council) which I use
exclusively for destruction of pernicious or seedy weeds like docks and
couch grass... by ants. TBH I think the daleks are useless at normal plant
decomposition but they are perfect warm dry accommodation for ant
colonies, which turn those suspect weeds into the finest possible friable
compost. ( My big compost heaps never get dry enough for ants)

Janet.



Oooh, that's intersting. I'd noticed my council dalek bin tends to be
dry. I water it occasionally, but it doesn't help much. I might very
well try adding ants. I do so with my other compost bins; don't know
why I never have with the dalek. Thanks for waking me up!

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

In article , says...

On 24/04/2012 13:35, Janet wrote:
In , says...

Indeed, and very useful insects. Were it not for them (and a number of
other unloved critters (slugs, snails, flies, woodlice, dung beetles, et
al), we would be up to our ears in all manner of waste and grot.

I have some of those dalek composters (supplied by council) which I use
exclusively for destruction of pernicious or seedy weeds like docks and
couch grass... by ants. TBH I think the daleks are useless at normal plant
decomposition but they are perfect warm dry accommodation for ant
colonies, which turn those suspect weeds into the finest possible friable
compost. ( My big compost heaps never get dry enough for ants)

Janet.



Oooh, that's intersting. I'd noticed my council dalek bin tends to be
dry. I water it occasionally, but it doesn't help much. I might very
well try adding ants. I do so with my other compost bins; don't know
why I never have with the dalek. Thanks for waking me up!

Mine stand on bare earth and the ants move in by themselves. I
occasionally steal some of their pupae for the goldfish.

Janet

Dave Hill wrote in
:


And you cant drown their eggs either.
Try Nipon or some other ant killer that they take back into their
nest, it will kill the eggs as well.


Nippon(sorry dave, my bottle says this) has always worked for me and my
family for years.
A drop here and there will stop them in a couple of days.

Keep your young children, cats and dogs away from it I think.
Baz

On 24/04/2012 13:57, Janet wrote:
In , says...

On 24/04/2012 13:35, Janet wrote:
In , says...

Indeed, and very useful insects. Were it not for them (and a number of
other unloved critters (slugs, snails, flies, woodlice, dung beetles, et
al), we would be up to our ears in all manner of waste and grot.

I have some of those dalek composters (supplied by council) which I use
exclusively for destruction of pernicious or seedy weeds like docks and
couch grass... by ants. TBH I think the daleks are useless at normal plant
decomposition but they are perfect warm dry accommodation for ant
colonies, which turn those suspect weeds into the finest possible friable
compost. ( My big compost heaps never get dry enough for ants)

Janet.



Oooh, that's intersting. I'd noticed my council dalek bin tends to be
dry. I water it occasionally, but it doesn't help much. I might very
well try adding ants. I do so with my other compost bins; don't know
why I never have with the dalek. Thanks for waking me up!

Mine stand on bare earth and the ants move in by themselves. I
occasionally steal some of their pupae for the goldfish.

Janet



Think I'd still have to introduce my ants, as the dalek is in partial
shade. I'm sure they'd prefer a sunny site, but I haven't located a
sunny site that I don't want for flowering plants.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:37:55 PM UTC+1, Spider wrote:

Think I'd still have to introduce my ants, as the dalek is in partial
shade. I'm sure they'd prefer a sunny site, but I haven't located a
sunny site that I don't want for flowering plants.

"Ants meet Dalek, Dalek, meet Ants. I'm sure that you are going to get along."

Sorry ;-)

No ants in my bins, but I have had bumble bees. We came to an "accommodation". I let them stay until late Summer, by which time they seemed to have dispersed.

--
Andy McC