Ants again...

Good heavens, Tetters! I can see why you don't like ants! I'm guessing you were in Australia at the time?

My ants are never out of their tanks and I don't intend on letting them have a chance of biting or stinging me. If there was a chance then I wouldn't have them. Strictly a spectator sport.

 

Yes, Australia, and at different times, hospitalised by both of the above....... and dangerously close to these.....


within a few inches of a brown snake near Toowoomba, and chased by a funnel web after disturbing it`s nest when looking for flower pots behind my daughter`s shed - I stood on it when my daughter screamed ''it`s chasing you mum''
I quite like England, but even here, even house flies bite me......tasty I s'pose.

 

Don`t know why the redback is hiding down there......it was supposed to be up on the top line

 

Annnnnnd that's why I'm never going to Australia!

At least you've got some stories out of meeting these critters!

 

Oooh yes, I have more stories than would fit into a book

 

Yesterday I went to check out the garden of my previous house which I rent out in preparation for the tenant moving out after 4 years of being in the house (with his permission). Sadly he isn't a gardener and I have (putting it politely) a lot of work to do to get the garden back to a decent condition. But that comes with the territory I suppose.

The main problem I have is that when we lifted a black plastic bag off the patio there is a huge ants nest underneath and then I noticed sand over most of the patio cracks - MAJOR ant infestation and the first place I thought to seek advice was GC. The patio is about 24sq metres and a crescent moon shape - is there anything I can buy to deal with this as in this situation I have no choice but to use chemicals and at the moment I won't get access o the garden until the middle of August when he moves out.

 

I find most ant sprays very effective Stanley. And asap too.
Had a large ant swarm in conservatory a couple of days ago......a huge black army of them seemingly from nowhere. The ant spray did the job and within 30 minutes they were destroyed and removed.

 

Unfortunately, Verdun, I am unable to gain access to the house/garden until the tenant moves out in two weeks time so goodness knows what sort of state the ants will be in by then. I think I will use the ant powder I have ( I think I have the worlds' stock in my garage) and possibly look at getting Nippon Liquid - I don't want to stain the patio if I can help it. Wish me luck I am gping to need it I think.

 

By now the ants may have gone Stanley ......there is an ant flying day apparently when ants fly off seeking pastures new so.....
Of course, I wish you luck

 

There's a certain class of ant within all colonies which have the sole purpose of fly away during the yearly "nuptial flight", mate and then land somewhere else and they become new queens (or die if they're male flying ants). Ants will sometimes pack up all their stuff and move to a different location but don't be fooled by the nuptial flight thinking the colony has relocated. The colony they came from will drop in numbers (by thousands probably) and it might seem like they've gone but the majority will still be there, underground.

 

Just to update you all - I am still doing battle with my "visitors" but I do appear to be winning but only just - I am sure as Radiation 91 says they will still be there waiting.

The battle of the garden was much worse, as previously mentioned my tenant wasn't a gardener having only mowed the small lawn and left the rest to go to "hell in a handcart". It took my daughter and I 2 hours to clear Russian Vine from inside the garden shed (yes the inside). But with a lot of hard graft everything is looking much better and with all the disturbance of digging and weeding it seems to have got rid of some of the nests - let's hope it continues.

 

Sounds good Stanley