How to Kill Lawn Ants Organically

There are many reasons to use organic methods for lawn care.

A healthy, green lawn is the pride (or daydream) of most homeowners. Many things affect lawn health and appearance that require care and attention. Lawn maintenance is required to prevent or eliminate insect pests, provide adequate water and fertilization and keep grass growing well. Maintenance doesn't have to involve harsh chemicals to be effective. You can use organic methods to kill lawn pests such as ants without using chemical pesticides.

Things You'll Need

• Spade or trowel
• 1 gallon boiling water
• 1-gallon container

Instructions

1. Dig straight into the center of any visible ant hills that are observed. Using the spade, slice into the ant hill to open it up. You will see ants with small white bundles, which are eggs, and you may see a very large ant, which is the queen.

2. Leave the ant hill open for one day to allow insect predators the opportunity to access the ants and provide exposure to the elements.

3. Dig into the ant hill again the next day to expose more of the infestation and observe ant activity. Expose the most active part of the hill, cutting into the section with the most ant movement.

4. Pour boiling water into the center of the hill and leave it exposed for another day.

5. Observe the opened ant hill on the third day. If there is still a lot of ant activity or if it appears that there has been a lot of repair to the nest, spade into the center of the nest again, a little deeper, and again pour boiling water into the center.

6. Rake the dirt back over the ant hill location and tamp it down firmly when ant activity has greatly decreased or stopped. Reseed with grass seed, water, cover with some light material such as chopped hay and tend the area until grass is well established. Watch for any new ant activity.

Tips & Warnings

• This method works for small and large ant hills. Smaller hills may be dug into with a hand spade or trowel.

• Eliminate ant infestations on nearby plants such as peonies with a strong water spray on foliage and buds or by spraying affected plants with soapy water.

• An alternative to pouring boiling water into an ant hill involves cutting into the center and digging up the queen for removal. Dig into the center of the hill and scoop out the area with white eggs, putting them into a utility bucket or large zippered plastic bag. Try to locate the queen as well. Take the ants to the woods or a field and dump them or destroy them by drowning them.

• If you have any fruit trees, vines or bushes growing in your landscape, rake up and remove fallen fruit that may be attracting ants.

• Take care if you live in an area where fire ants or aggressive carpenter ants are a problem. Consult with your university extension service about precautions if necessary.

References

• "The Organic Gardner's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way"; Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Deborah L. Martin; 1996
• "The Gardener's Bug Book: Earth-Safe Insect Control"; Barbara Pleasant; 1994
• "Proper Care of the Centipede Lawn: Grow a Healthy, Plush, Weed and Insect Free Lawn Naturally"; Stephen W. Stout; 2009
• "The Organic Lawn Care Manual: A Natural, Low-Maintenance System for a Beautiful, Safe Lawn"; Paul Boardway Tukey; 2007