Ants!!!?

[Shmokin]

Checked my 10g grow bags that are filled with a rich soil mix the otherd day and there were ants all over them. I mean millions of them.

Will they hurt my plants when I transplant? What can I use to kill them? Raid? Neem oil? I'd like to keep it organic if I need to kill them but I'm not sure they will mess with my plants.

[suzy cremecheese]

They shouldnt hurt the plants unless they start farming aphids.

Put a bead of boric acid all the way around the bag and keep it dry. The ants will eat it and bring it back to the colony. Keep it up and eventually they will be gone. Just make sure they have to cross the bead to come or go.

[Shmokin]

Thanks. Where do I find boric acid?

[Carpet Muncher]

most hardware stores carry it.. Smart&Final.. a lot of grocery stores also.

what color are the ants?

[Shmokin]

black

[Carpet Muncher]

black with pinchers? or those little harmless brown/black ants that get into sweets? also, are they all over the plant, or just the soil?

if they're the harmless stoner-ones with a sweet tooth, it's what suzy said and they're there to farm aphid dung. iow, you have an aphid problem not an ant problem.

the other kind are either looking for a home, or they've found something to eat in your soil. if they're eating something, they're also depleting something. if it's just a home, i still wouldn't want them around.. not a big fan of biting ants, myself. i would think that if you just sit the bag/roots in a bucket of water for about 5-10 min, that should take care of the colony and the queen?

[Stevus]

BORAX 20 mule team laundry booster has a lot of Boric Acid, hence the name Borax. I think it's like $5 for a big box of it. It eventually burns them from the inside out. I'm dealing with an ant problem right now actually. Borax will also freshen your laundry and brighten your whites :)

[Stevus]

Also depending on the ants, spraying can worsen your problems...
Here is a helpful link:
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/980528a.cfm

That syrup and Borax remedy really does work, but you'll have to put up with increased ant activity for a couple weeks until the colony is destroyed. Boric acid is somewhat poisonous, so don't let it come in contact with your plants.