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I just got done repotting some philodendron cuttings. Then I notice that the potting soil I used has some ants in it. Now there are ants in my pots! Is there anything I can spray on the soil, or water them with, that will get rid of the ants?
I use Amdro for ants. I just spread it around the pot and if that doesn't do it I put it in the pot. Works great and keeps them out for a long time. I am sure there is a natural cure. You can always sumerge the pot in water and the ants will either die or float off but that can be a hassle with your soil.
Thanks. The pots are 6" ones I was going to hang on the wall, so I can't put anything around them. I will either need to find something I can sprinkle on top of the soil and will kills the ants after being watered, or go buy a small bag of fresh potting soil. I think my mistake was using the big bag of container soil I had on a rocking chair outside. I hadn't noticed ants in it before . . . of course, I don't mind so much if ants are in the outside pots, 'cause they do alot of my pollinating for me!
I have ants crawl up into my pots all the time even if I used a fresh bag of potting soil, so I wouldn't necessarily blame the bag of potting mix that you left sitting out. I have never found ants in an opened bag of potting mix, and I leave them lying around all the time. They all get into the pots after the fact.
Get a large container and fill it half up with water, then sit ALL you pots into it at the same time, them after you think the soil is soaked and the ants drowned, you drain off the excess water from your pots and take them back in doors, the ants have probable strayed indoors by now anyway, so you may have to do this a few times anyway, but there is also ant powders etc for use indoors but it would say to keep away from pets and animals, but if the pots are hung up then dont think animals other than free flying birds would get to the powder, the idea is the ants take the powder back to the nest and feed it to the queen ant and the grubs, it then kills off the whole colony, you will probably find every garden has ants at some stage, but they dont really do a great harm unless they are the large biting ones, but indoors is different as they love to feast on anything sweet like spilled drinks etc, hope this helps you a bit, good luck, WeeNel.
It does, WeeNel . . . but keep in mind . . . I think everything in Texas bites, big or small, inside or out! I've said in a different thread that ants can be in every container I have outside, but inside is MY space, and if they come in, they must pay the price!
