What folk remedies will help get rid of ants on currants?

The appearance of ants on currants often indicates the settlement of a bush by aphids. But sometimes they just creep into the sweet scent of the berries. Having multiplied, insects will begin to eat up the roots of the bush and cause other troubles.

The fight should begin when the harm caused by ants begins to exceed the benefits. In this situation, it is better to choose environmentally friendly folk remedies, since they are completely harmless to soil, plants, beneficial insects and humans.

The harm and benefits of ants on the site

According to the classification, ants are divided into several dozen species. Three of them most often settle at their summer cottage:

• red forest;
• black garden;
• brown meadow.

Insects build their nests underground, often among the roots of trees and shrubs. If this happens to a currant bush, after a while the plant will dry out.

Harm done

The biggest problem is created by the fact that all the listed species of ants in the garden exist in symbiosis with aphids. Almost always, these two types of insects are inseparable. Ants deliberately settle aphids over plants and protect them from natural enemies, since the sweet secretion of small pests is a delicacy for the ant family.

Aphids introduced to currants begin to multiply rapidly, forming entire colonies. As a result of the plant losing juices, it begins to lag behind in growth, weakens, and reduces its frost resistance. Damaged leaves turn yellow, curl and fall off, young shoots dry out. With a strong defeat, the bush may die altogether.

Displaying high activity, ants spread weeds throughout the area. In addition, some species damage the buds and petals of flowers in order to get to the sweet juice. Insects can spoil newly planted seedlings or destroy seeds that have been planted. With a lack of food, insects begin to damage fruits with a high sugar content (pumpkin, carrots, berries).

By the products of their vital activity, ants increase the acidity of the soil, which many plants do not like.

Benefits for the ecosystem of the site

There is a certain benefit from the ant tribe on the site. Insects loosen the fertile layer, facilitating the access of oxygen to the roots, and destroy the larvae of many pests. Little workers rid plants of caterpillars, slugs, ticks, collecting them in huge quantities.

Ants are an integral part of biological balance, therefore, it is undesirable to completely rid the area of ​​them. Due to the presence of insects, the soil is enriched with potassium and phosphorus, and these elements are in a form accessible to plants.

It is believed that the presence of ants in the summer cottage indicates good health of the soil, and if the insects leave on their own, this is an unkind sign.

Preventive action

It is unlikely that it will be possible to get rid of ants in the garden completely, and this is not necessary. But it is desirable to prevent their active reproduction. For this, the following measures are taken:

• the soil near the currant bush must be regularly loosened and dug up - ants do not like it when they are disturbed;
• in early spring, the bush should be doused with hot water - this measure will immediately get rid of many harmful insects;
• before the first leaves bloom, the bushes are treated with professional ant antics ("Antimuravei", "Pyrethrum"), after 2 weeks the treatment is repeated;
• it is advisable to whiten the lower part of the branches;
• at the first signs of aphids, the currants should be sprayed with a solution of baking soda;

Do not feed too often and exceed the dose of fertilizers. In addition to potentially harming shrubs, it can attract ants.

It is recommended to plant garlic near the currants, the smell of which is unpleasant for insects.

How to get rid of ants?

In the arsenal of gardeners there are quite a few ways to get rid of the ant family. Measures can be both radical and quite humane. Insects can simply be scared away or disturbed, after which they themselves will move to a quieter place.

Destruction of the anthill

If a nest of ants has been found, this simplifies the task of getting rid of the insects. When the ant house is destroyed, most of its inhabitants will also disappear. There are several ways to do this:

• You can destroy an anthill by filling it with a bucket of freshly boiled water with the addition of 300 ml of vinegar.
• The found anthill is sprinkled with cornmeal on top and nearby. The eaten bait swells in the ant's body, causing its death.
• The ant house can be taken out of the plot, put in a previously dug deep hole and covered with a mixture of earth and ash.
• The head of a fresh fish placed on top of the anthill, decomposing, will force the ants to leave the dwelling.
• A radical method would be to water the anthill with kerosene or gasoline. You can also kill ants by sprinkling lime on the nest.

An anthill can be identified by the appearance of many small holes in the ground. Sometimes ants build a dwelling in the form of a hill.

It is imperative to allocate time to search for an anthill if aphids attacked the currants.

Folk remedies for repelling insects

You can get rid of ants on the bushes with affordable folk remedies. For example, by placing nearby saucers with a poison made from jam with the addition of 2 teaspoons of boric acid.

Some summer residents fill the paths made by ants to the bush with vegetable oil. Having got dirty in it, insects will not be able to move and breathe normally. It is best to use an unrefined product: the very smell of such oil will scare off ants.

You can protect the currants from insects by sprinkling the area around the bush with baby powder. The loose substance clogs the spiracles of the ants, the insects suffocate and die.

Regular spraying with herbal infusions will help to rid currants from annoying insects:

• You can process the bushes infusion of first-aid kit of pharmacy chamomile, prepared from 100 g of dry raw materials and 3 liters of water. First, the water must be boiled. The product should be infused within 12 hours. Before use, add 1 tbsp to the composition. spoon of soap shavings.
• Infusion of celandine. You will need 1.5 kg of fresh raw materials per 10 liters of water. The remedy should be infused within a day. The bush and found nests of ants are treated with the finished infusion.
• Mustard infusion. First, a concentrate is prepared from 60 g of mustard powder and 1 liter of water. After insisting for 3 days, the volume of the liquid is brought to 3 liters and used for spraying currants.
• Infusion of onion peels. Peelings from onions in the amount of 100 g are poured into 1 liter of hot water for 12 hours. After the composition is infused, it is used for its intended purpose.

Ordinary Coca-Cola will also help out gardeners. The bush is sprayed with a drink and the nests found are poured.

All these funds will help to simultaneously remove both ants and aphids. Spraying is carried out every other day, until the insects disappear completely. For humans, these compounds are harmless, therefore they can be used during the fruiting period.

If you constantly fight with ants, they themselves will prefer to find a quieter habitat. It is important not to forget that these insects also bring certain benefits, so there is no need to harass them with barbaric methods.In most cases, preventive measures and the use of deterrent compounds can be dispensed with.