- Joined
- Apr 25, 2022
- Messages
- 40
- Climate
- Arid, Desert, or Dry
Alright so recently I noticed that ants are taking over my raised bed. They're everywhere, ON the plants, crawling around the bed frame, etc etc and I feel like I'm seeing my plants suffer for this as well as starting to see what I think are aphid eggs/ Spores(?) on my plant leaves.
For the uninitiated, I've read ants will carry them up plants where they latch on to the plant, and literally start sucking the nutrients out of it and then squirting out a sweet waste product the ants will feed on. So to control the ants is to control aphids.
The total cost of this experiment was around $11.50 USD and with the supplies I have, I probably have enough to make ant traps for a couple years. When you compare this to store bought pesticides:
1. It's cheaper, meaning you spent less to produce your food and your garden is more economical
2. It lasts longer, as I said above I have enough to make traps for years. You can mix the solution in a cup and pour it into your bottles, reusing them. and then there is so much of the borax and sugar and I can keep refilling for quite some time.
3. It's organic. I don't have to worry about spraying pesticides that will get absorbed by my plants, kill helpful insects, and throw off the balance of my soil. This approach allows me to place some self-contained bottles out that will attract the ants and the ants will die inside the bottle and I can just pick them up, rinse them, and re-use them.
so this first video is basically talking about it, getting the stuff, making the bottles and placing them and then next week I'll post a results video. Early indications are really good. Checking the garden around noon my time I can already see dead ants in the bottles and I don't see them crawling around my plants anymore. But obviously 1 day isn't enough to speak confidently so the experiment goes on!
IT WORKED!
For the uninitiated, I've read ants will carry them up plants where they latch on to the plant, and literally start sucking the nutrients out of it and then squirting out a sweet waste product the ants will feed on. So to control the ants is to control aphids.
The total cost of this experiment was around $11.50 USD and with the supplies I have, I probably have enough to make ant traps for a couple years. When you compare this to store bought pesticides:
1. It's cheaper, meaning you spent less to produce your food and your garden is more economical
2. It lasts longer, as I said above I have enough to make traps for years. You can mix the solution in a cup and pour it into your bottles, reusing them. and then there is so much of the borax and sugar and I can keep refilling for quite some time.
3. It's organic. I don't have to worry about spraying pesticides that will get absorbed by my plants, kill helpful insects, and throw off the balance of my soil. This approach allows me to place some self-contained bottles out that will attract the ants and the ants will die inside the bottle and I can just pick them up, rinse them, and re-use them.
so this first video is basically talking about it, getting the stuff, making the bottles and placing them and then next week I'll post a results video. Early indications are really good. Checking the garden around noon my time I can already see dead ants in the bottles and I don't see them crawling around my plants anymore. But obviously 1 day isn't enough to speak confidently so the experiment goes on!
IT WORKED!
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