How To Get Rid Of Ants In Flower Bed?

After spending a considerable amount of time perfecting the aesthetic and health of your flower beds, it’s only natural that the last thing you’d want to find are colonies of ants crawling all over them.

After all, not only are ants unsightly, they encourage the presence of aphids, and sometimes, you may even catch them feeding away on the leaves of your plants!

Hence, for many gardeners, their disadvantages override their beneficial contributions to the environment, such as that of decomposition and enhanced soil health. 

Thus, if you’re wondering how to get rid of those pesky ants, I’ve covered it all below.  

So, how do you get rid of ants in flower beds? You can get rid of ants in flower beds either by using store-bought insecticides or by more natural, manmade insecticides such as baking soda. Scent and plant deterrents, and even water, can be used too.

You’ll be pleased to know that the removal process is pretty much an exact science. 

By that, I mean that there are several tried and tested methods that can be relied on to generate desired results time and time again. 

Go ahead and delve into each of these approaches below!  

Why Have I Got Ants In My Flower Bed?

You likely have ants in your flower bed(s) due to the presence of flower/plant sap (which they are attracted to). 

It’s certainly worth exploring why the ants turned up in your flower bed in the first place. 

Essentially, if you have plants in your garden, ants are difficult to avoid. 

Reason being, ants are attracted to all things sweet, and the sap that runs through plants is inherently sweet. 

Hence, when common garden pests such as aphids feed on our plants, they bring said juices to the surface, subsequently drawing ants in. 

So if you notice a significant ant infestation, it’s possible that you may have an aphid infestation on your hands too! 

How To Effectively Remove Ants From A Flower Bed

Be Careful

As you endeavor to remove the ants, you’ll want to be careful not to wreak havoc on the flower bed itself.

Your best bet is to opt for the more environmentally friendly methods, or at the very least, to exercise utmost precision throughout the process so as to not contaminate your surrounding plants. 

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a long-proven ant killer, and it works best as part of a team. Powdered sugar is one of the most effective ingredients to couple it with.

Simply combine both ingredients in equal parts and sprinkle the mixture across your flower bed.

The sugar will attract the ants, and the baking soda will subsequently kill them. 

Additionally, baking soda works well with vinegar.

For best results, sprinkle the baking soda across any suspected ant nests and proceed to spray the vinegar on top of it.

This will generate a chemical reaction that will effectively kill the nest. 

Store Bought Insecticides

If you don’t have any baking soda at home or you quite simply would prefer to purchase a ready-made solution, there are plenty of insecticides out there that are perfectly equipped for the job, no matter how big it may be.

This is the one I would recommend from Amazon.

Follow the instructions on the bottle, and they’ll be gone in no time.

Of course, to protect the surrounding plant life in your flower bed, it’s best to purchase an organic product with as few chemicals as possible. 

Scent Deterrents

Another effective way to eliminate ants is through the use of scent deterrents.

Ants won’t remain in areas that they can’t stand the smell of, so placing unwanted scents in the areas that they frequent will cause them to flee.

Cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and even mint tend to be the most effective for the job. 

Water

Finally, water is a simple but no less effective way to remove ants too.

Ants can’t survive boiling water, so pouring it on top of them will kill them.

However, it’s worth noting that this approach may shock and harm your plants too.

If you’d rather avoid this risk altogether, you could create a homemade insecticide out of water and a couple of tablespoons of dish soap instead.

Combine the two ingredients in a spray bottle and proceed to spray it all over any ants you can see alongside any nests that you’re aware of.

The ants will suffocate and die. Easy! 

How Long Does It Take To Remove Ants from a Flower Bed?

The time taken to remove ants from a flower bed is completely dependent on the size of the colony, as well as how thorough of a removal job you manage to carry out. Whilst you may be able to remove small infestations within a couple of days, putting larger ones to bed could realistically take several weeks and a fair bit of effort. 

Things To Consider When Removing Ants From A Flower Bed

Move Quickly

Ants reproduce at a speedy rate, so you’ll want to be even speedier and beat them to it.

Take action to remove them as soon as you spot them.

Try to work out where the nests are and tackle them accordingly. 

Pest Control

As mentioned above, ants are drawn to the cell sap of plants.

Thus their presence could well be explained by a serious aphid or mite problem.

It’s best to investigate your garden and learn exactly what brought the ants about in the first place.

If you spot an aphid infestation, whip out your hose pipe and knock them off your plants until they’re all gone.

As with ants, aphids reproduce at an alarming rate, so again, swift intervention is highly recommended.  

Consider The Benefits Of Ants Instead

Finally, whilst you may initially regard ants as a nuisance, they do admittedly have a good side.

Namely that they make a positive contribution to pollination as well as the decomposition process of all sorts of organic substances.

As a result, the environment winds up better off.

Hence, it’s worth evaluating if the ants in your flower bed are more useful than they are a nuisance.

If the former is true, you might find it best to tolerate their presence rather than remove them! 

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