What is an eco friendly way to rid a veggie garden of ants

use food grade diatomaceous earth

Ants are actually beneficial to your garden. A large amount of them can signal other pest problems that you need to address.

From The Farmers Almanac-

Ants are among the most successful of insects, outnumbering all other individual animals combined. They have been around since the days of the dinosaurs and inhabit just about every corner of Earth.

ANT COLONIES

Ants live in colonies made up almost entirely of non-mating female workers whose job is to gather food, build the nest, and look after the egg-laying queen and her young. At certain times, winged males and females are produced by the queen for the purpose of mating with ants from other colonies. After mating, the male ants die, and the mated queens fly off, shed their wings, and start new colonies.

THE BENEFITS OF ANTS

Although some species, like the carpenter ant and the stinging fire ant, are considered pests, generally ants are beneficial. Most ants nest in the ground, digging a labyrinth of tunnels that allow air and moisture to get to the roots of plants. The leaves and insects brought into the nest decay and fertilize the surrounding plants. Many ants are predators and feed on insects that attack lawns and gardens, and in the process of gathering food, they often pollinate flowers and distribute seeds.

What Ants Indicate

A sudden convergence of ants in the garden, or a line of ants moving up and down a tree, usually indicates the presence of aphids, mealybugs, or other sap-sucking insects that attack plants. These insects produce a substance called honeydew:

The ants stroke the insects with their antennas, causing the insects to excrete the sweet liquid.

The ants swallow it and store it in a special holding stomach called the crop.

The honeydew is brought back to the nest and shared with the queen and other workers.

Some ants even keep aphids in their nest as a farmer would keep a cow, giving them food and shelter in exchange for honeydew.

Hope that helps

: )

Don't just broadcast it everywhere though, because it will also kill many helpful insects.

Everyone I've asked tells me cinnamon drives ants away. I'm trying this out myself today, as a matter of fact! Who knew ants hated the smell of it!

They don't like baby powder if u sprinkle around the perimeter of the garden.

spread a light coating of borax on the ground

packaged cornbread mix that says it is sweetened and put it where they are coming in if you can find it, or even on your counter in a small lid. They will take it to the mound, everyone will eat it and die, they can't digest the cornmeal, but will take it because it is sweetened. Little goes a long way.