Ants can be very destructive. They are a danger to the locations where they live. Due to their growing population, crops, plants, and structures are all at risk of being harmed. Ants are also dangerous to humans as they bite and sting furiously. When they start to build their abode in your lawn, they leave ugly mounds called anthills.
When ants are scouting sites to build a nest, they search for food and water, as well as the potential to breed. If your backyard offers everything they need, anthills will quickly appear in your yard to let you know, which can be a great nuisance. To get rid of anthills, you must first remove the things that draw them into your yard, like food, water, and shelter.
In this article, we will tackle how to eradicate anthills in your backyard. We will also explore the reason why they are sprouting in your grass and provide helpful tips to prevent and eliminate unsightly anthills.
What Are Ant Hills and Why Do You Have Them in Your Yard?
Unsightly elements, like anthills, may be a huge source of stress when trying to preserve your lawn’s lush, green appearance. Ants, like many other organisms, are looking for three things: food, water, and a safe place to live. If those three elements are easily available on your lawn, they will most likely choose to nest there, resulting in ugly anthills all over your yard.
If ants decide to take over your lawn, no matter how meticulous you are about it, you’ll need to get rid of them properly. Anthills are a hazard to the beauty of your lawn and the general curb appeal of your property.
The carpenter ant is a species that is fond of wood. It serves as a home and food source for them. Even if an anthill does not indicate a carpenter ant infestation, there are other indicators. Other ant species, by burrowing beneath foundations and nesting in and eating home components, can cause structural damage to dwellings and should be handled seriously.
Granular dirt mounds are commonly found in sidewalk cracks, around the foundation of your home or patio, and along fence rows, where the ants are sheltered from mowers, weed eaters, and foot activity. Fortunately, there are several options to get rid of the unsightly anthills in your yard.
These anthills come in a wide range of sizes and are a solid sign that you have an ant infestation. The mounds are just granulated earth that has been brought to the surface after the nest has excavated the ground. These anthills may grow to be quite huge if left unmanaged. Anthills require a steady, ideal climate to grow to their full size.
Why There Are a Lot of Ant Hills in Your Yard
Ants will scout the location for a nest and begin excavating as long as they have everything they need to survive. Ants will notice leaking pipes, poorly drained locations, such as puddles or birdbaths, or any other consistent, reliable water source and leave a smell to attract more ants to it. As a consequence, a large number of ants will visit your property to examine what it has to offer.
Trash bags, spilled food, debris in the yard, or anything as basic as abandoned food on the ground or a table outside may all be food sources.
Anthills are formed when ants excavate tunnels under the earth and carry the extra dirt to the nest’s entrance. The anthill is not inhabited by ants. Ants may be drawn to your backyard for several reasons:
- They like to nest on sandy and dry soil, damp or decaying wood, and patchy, struggling lawns, depending on their species.
- There are many aphids and/or mealybugs, which create honeydew, which ants like.
- They’re already nesting there but are excavating new entrances and tunnels.
Ant nests are complicated and buried deep below the ground surface. They frequently have many entrances and exits, with tunnels connecting them. All anthills in your yard may theoretically be related and the result of the same ant colony.
The easiest technique to avoid ants’ physical indications is to rake the anthill as soon as it appears. If you don’t mind the ants, this method is very good in preventing the hills from growing too big and hardening over time.
If you mow regularly, there’s a high chance your mower blades are breaking up the slopes without you even realizing it. However, a small, loosely compacted anthill would not harm your mower. The dirt will dull the blades significantly faster than normal grass mowing. Fully formed, hardened anthills, on the other hand, can represent a greater risk to mowers and should be handled before being mowed over.
Although there are hundreds of ant species, only 25 of them are known to infest residences. The fire ant is the most commonly feared species in the backyard due to its tendency to sting and bite. When dealing with anthills, especially red ants’, it’s best to wear protective footwear and gear.
Aside from ants, snails are also common backyard pests that you may need to get rid of. They wreak havoc on your property by eating and damaging your plants. To save your garden from these slimy creatures, you need to learn how to get rid of snails in your backyard.
How to Get Rid of Anthills in Your Yard?
It’s not difficult to get rid of an anthill from a physical standpoint. If the mound was recently built, it may be as simple as raking it down or sweeping it away with a broom. However, if the structure has solidified and matured, removing it may require a shovel and some extra elbow grease.
The issue is that once you remove the physical proof, it will almost certainly reappear, owing to the ants digging deeper into the soil and depositing additional dirt at the surface. The only method to get rid of anthills in your yard is to get rid of the ants altogether.
To get rid of ants, you must first remove the things that drew them into your yard in the first place.
- Emptying the extra water from potted plants, repairing leaking spigots, and dumping out water-collecting devices are all excellent ways to eliminate the water source.
- Ants are drawn to almost any food that humans consume. Therefore, any food waste is ideal for them. Moving trash cans away from your house and tidying up any litter in the area can help keep ants away from the house, but it won’t prevent them from breeding in the yard.
The most difficult aspect of ant control is that ants require the same things as people. They will be there to get what they can as long as you produce food waste and use water. The idea is to be as responsible as possible with food waste disposal and water management surrounding your home to make your property as unappealing as possible to an ant colony.
When eliminating food and water sources is insufficient, you may have to attempt to introduce components that will inhibit bugs from establishing a home. If used appropriately, various natural and chemical ant-repellents are both efficient and safe.
Determine whether you need to do something before you do it.
- By drying the roots of the plants they nest under, are the ants accidentally harming the roots?
- Are the ants biting and/or stinging you, and do they nest in some area of your yard that you or your family frequent?
- Do you have a nest in your house’s foundations or walls?
Knowing the answers to these questions can assist you in reclaiming your turf and restoring the lush, green grass you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Eliminate Ant Hills Naturally
Ants dislike many of the products people like and utilize daily. Mint, vinegar, pepper, and lemon juice, for example, are all good ant-repellents when applied appropriately. Natural approaches require a disciplined effort because the means are focused on discouraging the ants rather than removing the nest. The ants will frequently return to the nest after the deterrent materials are no longer there.
Rake the anthills to a ¼” over grass weekly: If you retain the dirt in a 14-inch-deep mound, the grass beneath the mound will stay alive and you won’t see a mound. Remember that ants don’t live in anthills. They’re only the result of their underground structures. Even if the tunnels are covered, the ants will find alternative tunnel openings, perhaps in more subtle areas.
Use diatomaceous earth: Diatomaceous earth, which is formed from the skeletal remains of marine organisms, is one organic pest control method. When an insect comes into contact with it, the waxy substance that keeps the insect hydrated is absorbed by the diatomaceous earth. The bug withers and dies as a result of the lack of moisture.
Diatomaceous earth must be dry to operate (though it may become wet and still work after it dries), and insects must come into contact with it. It is applied by dusting it inside the nest holes. As new ants join the colony, the diatomaceous earth will spread farther, infecting more ants. Diatomaceous earth will aid in the movement of ant colonies but won’t wipe out an entire colony.
Use citrus oil on the anthills: D-limonene is a natural component of citrus peel oil that is harmful to fire ants. Citrus oil application has been reported to eliminate up to 80% of a fire ant colony. Mix 1.5 fl. oz. of citrus orange oil with 3 fl. oz. of soap. Fully soak the mound, ensuring that all visible tunnel entrances are covered.
Use Chemicals
To exterminate an ant nest, you may need to take a more severe approach. Boric acid can wipe out an entire ant colony. When combined with an attractive food source, ants will consume the food and transport it back to the nest, poisoning the colony as a whole. When using dangerous items, it is critical to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for safe usage.
Another option to exterminate ants and anthills is Borax. Borax is toxic to ants, but if used in excess, can also damage your plants. Although it is usually harmless for humans, you, your children, or your pets should not ingest it. When not in use, store it near the nest, out of youngsters’ and dogs’ reach.
To use it, combine Borax and sugar in a container and set it near the nest. The ants will take the mixture back to their colonies, believing they have found a free food supply.
Call a Professional
Calling a pest control professional is the most effective and safest approach to get rid of ants on the inside and outside of your house. A pest control specialist’s expertise and knowledge, along with the right supplies and instruments, make a lethal combination that will get the job done. Consider how pest management is affected by rain before contacting pest control services.
Conclusion
Ants are interesting creatures that help your yard in various ways. One of the ways that they help improve the overall health of your yard and your plants is by keeping your soil aeriated. But, get used to having a few mounds on your lawn. If they bite or sting, though, it’s time to move forward and view these creatures in a different light.
Ants are indeed very helpful in keeping your backyard healthy, but once their numbers get out of control, they can definitely be considered as pests. It is important to apply a preventive approach before ants can infest your home and lawn. As anthills are ugly elements that could pose a greater danger to your lawn, it is best to eliminate them using our article as your guide.
