Ants in soil, do i reuse soil elsewhere!?

[Doing it for the kids]

Doing a bit of landscaping, over the last 10 years the ants in the lawn have got really bad to the point were we couldn't use it with the kids.

ive now dug it all out down 3-400 mm. If i reuse the soil elsewhere will the ants come with it, are there going to be eggs etc?

its a huge faff to move it all off site but no point laying a new lawn if they will certainly come back!

 

[Exfarmer]

Ants will swiftly recolonise any site if the conditions stay the same, ie light, southern facing, well drained, under turf.
Whatis the big issue just run a rake over after winter and roll.
I believe it is actually illegal to disturb red ants.
My garden is riddled with the things, but apart from killing the odd plant they do no harm.
Black ants are pain as they farm the aphids and make control difficult
I find sprinkling product such as Home Defence Ant Stop fairly effective at reducing numbers
The soil you remove will not cause issues elsewhere unless it goes to a similar situation

 

[JockCroft]

You certainly want to move the soil well away from lawn area..

Having just read the threads on Foot Paths. Just a malicious thought on my part.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Ants will swiftly recolonise any site if the conditions stay the same, ie light, southern facing, well drained, under turf.
Whatis the big issue just run a rake over after winter and roll.
I believe it is actually illegal to disturb red ants.
My garden is riddled with the things, but apart from killing the odd plant they do no harm.
Black ants are pain as they farm the aphids and make control difficult
I find sprinkling product such as Home Defence Ant Stop fairly effective at reducing numbers
The soil you remove will not cause issues elsewhere unless it goes to a similar situation

I have no issues with ants till my 5 yr old comes running in having been seriously interrupted during her tea party on the lawn!

Sounds more like it’s conditioned based over eggs in soil?

 

[Exfarmer]

I have no issues with ants till my 5 yr old comes running in having been seriously interrupted during her tea party on the lawn!

Sounds more like it’s conditioned based over eggs in soil?

But did your 5 year old have any serious issue?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

yeah, she now hates ants and doesn't want to out there again...

i also spilt my pimms running to her aid

 

[Exfarmer]

Buy her the film “ A bugs life”
Get your butler to hold your glass for you

 

[milkloss]

Diametacious earth is going to get chucked on the lawn this year. The ants have got plenty farmland to mess about on rather than my lawn.

 

[Exfarmer]

Diametacious earth is going to get chucked on the lawn this year. The ants have got plenty farmland to mess about on rather than my lawn.

Never heard of that as an answer.

 

[Paddington]

Got rid of a couple of anthills, or at least their red occupants years ago using diatomaceous earth. The anthills were in our vegetable garden and kneeling near them was painful. Use the stuff in our henhouse for red mite.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Buy her the film “ A bugs life”
Get your butler to hold your glass for you

he was but i was swift to eject from my deck chair and caught him out!

Got rid of a couple of anthills, or at least their red occupants years ago using diatomaceous earth. The anthills were in our vegetable garden and kneeling near them was painful. Use the stuff in our henhouse for red mite.

ah ha, i have loads of this, ill use this then.

so have we reached a conclusion, will ants that were present in soil come back regardless? i think its only the queens who survive the winter but not sure how those guys roll

 

[Exfarmer]

he was but i was swift to eject from my deck chair and caught him out!

ah ha, i have loads of this, ill use this then.

so have we reached a conclusion, will ants that were present in soil come back regardless? i think its only the queens who survive the winter but not sure how those guys roll

I think the ants will go on for years , but the workers have limited lives roughly 2 months. The queens lay through out the year but the colony will contract in winter. Queens have been known to live up to 30 years. They only mate once