How to fight ants?

Ants are extremely hardworking insects. They form organized communities, act collectively to ensure that the Queen and her offspring have a favorable environment for life and further development. They contribute to the purification of litter from organic waste, positively affect the physical and chemical properties of the soil, also spread seeds, which facilitates the sowing of certain plant species.
Unfortunately, the presence of ants is also associated with many risks. These insects carry and spread aphids to other plants. The mounds they build often completely cover the ground with young plants, making it difficult for them to root. Ants also scare off natural enemies of aphids.

What does an ant look like?

Ants always have a strongly developed head. The mandible, the main organ of the mouth apparatus, is well educated. These insects most often have bent and whip-like antennae. They move on the beaded legs – on the front ones there are often special hooks used for cleaning the antennae and the mouth.
The trunk consists of tightly integrated rings. With the trunk, the delay is movable. Ants do not have a sting, but are equipped with a well-educated venom gland, which contains smaller or larger amounts of formic acid. The coloration of insects is mostly black, brown or yellow.

What is the organization of ants?

Ants organize themselves in a community with a hierarchical structure. Each individual must carefully fulfill the obligation assigned to him. Workers perform service work – build a nest, defend it, collect food and take care of their offspring.
The Queen lays eggs, from which young ants hatch, and also regulates the operation of the whole community with the help of pheromones. But the only role of males is to fertilize the Queen, and once they do, they die. Each ant contributes to the smooth and very well organized functioning of the anthill.

What harm do ants do?

The presence of ants is a problem not only when they occur in the garden, but also the house. They can damage the wooden elements of buildings by building nests in them. They also pollute food, which in residential buildings is their main source of food.
Some species of ants can also bite painfully. This is not particularly dangerous for a person, but rather painful. Ants attack whenever they feel threatened. They are spreading rapidly, so it is necessary to start fighting them as soon as possible so that there is no extreme situation.

The presence of these insects in the garden is even more problematic. Ants during the building of their nests drill underground corridors, contributing to the drying of the soil. They also discover the roots, tubers and rhizomes of plants planted in the garden and make holes in them.
Ants take care of aphids and other pests that secrete honey dew, that is, indirectly lead to the weakening of plants. They also do it directly – they destroy buds and flowers in search of nectar, gnaw young top shoots. Paradoxically – the fight against ants in the house should start with the garden.

So how to fight ants?

There are several homemade ways to get rid of insects. These include m.in: spilling corn flour on the road that ants have laid out, exposing a plate of honey as decoys, and sprinkling plants with cinnamon. However, the above methods work only if there are relatively few ants in the garden.
So what if the population of these insects is already so large that it is difficult to cope with it in traditional ways? The best and most efficient solution is the use of powder for ants. It works both indoors and outdoors. It is enough only to evenly distribute the powder on the surface of the nest or on the paths with which the ants wander. The same product can also be used for spraying plants.

After each use of any insecticide, it is necessary to take care of the safety of children and animals. In the case of powder on ants – do not allow anyone in the area of sprinkled places. It is therefore worth paying attention to whether a given product contains additional ingredients that discourage accidental consumption.