Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site zaphod.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!alberta!sask!zaphod!homer
From: homer@zaphod.UUCP (Homer Robson)
Newsgroups: net.garden
Subject: Re: Trouble with Red Ants, HELP
Message-ID: <289@zaphod.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 5-Jul-85 01:18:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: zaphod.289
Posted: Fri Jul  5 01:18:05 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 6-Jul-85 10:28:02 EDT
References: <34@NCSUVM>
Organization: Develcon Electronics, Saskatoon, SK
Lines: 31

> Red ants are killing my Pecan seedling.  Last year they ate
> the leaves of my Sunflowers.  Does anyone know of a home-
> remedy for getting rid of Red Ants?  A farmer friend once
> told me of a common household substance that would keep
> them away but I forgot what it was.  HELP!
> 
	My father was a beekeeper in Northern Canada. Red
	ants often plagued our bee yards (they are passionate 
	enemies of honeybees for some reason). The solution that
	we found most effective was a mixture of household powdered
	borax and icing sugar. This mixture was placed in ant traps 
	fasioned out of old tin cans with holes punched in them.
	It seemed to take a week or so to kill them, but it worked
	well.

	Borax is available in grocery stores as a laundry 
	aid. (MULE TEAM is a common brand in Canada.)

	The theory behind this mixture is that the borax is a 
	steralizing agent, (both of the ants & soil, hence the
	tin cans) the ants take the tasty mixture home, and the queen
	ant is fed and steralized. The rest of thte ants dissappear
	quickly also. In cases where we didn't care about the soil
	we would pour the stuff right into the ant hill for a quickrer
	kill.

	Note: I have tried this on the tiny brown ants in my garden
	with no success. (they aren't attracted by it)

	Homer Robson, Develcon Electronics Ltd.
	856-51st ST.E., Saskatoon, Sask., Canada.