Natural Ant Repellent?
by Brooke N
+3
Can I get some advice? First time gardener here, with my first crop ever. I planted squash and cowpeas in a raised trough, and ants are going crazy on them. They're eating the peas and stealing the pollen from my squash flowers. I'm looking for a safe and natural repellent, no chemicals. I looked online and tried black pepper and cinnamon, but it hasn't seemed to help much. Though it has been an unusually wet week so perhaps it just washed away too quickly. Can anybody help me save my peas?!
6 answers
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wish I could help but I am having problems with ants eating my sunflowers! so I hope you get answers that I can use too! :)
![Bonnie Bassett]()
Bonnie Bassett
on Jul 17, 2013
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Are you sure it isn't aphids that are doing the damage and that the ants aren't just attracted to the aphids' honeydew? Spray with a commercial insecticidal soap (there are plenty of organic versions available), making sure you get the undersides of the leaves.
![Douglas Hunt]()
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 18, 2013
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Thank you Douglas! It's definitely the ants, not aphids. I inspect the plants several times a day (what can I say, I'm obsessive about this garden producing!) and I watch them climb up the vines, enter into the pods and take things out of them. The leaves remain mostly undamaged. And since I pollinate my squash by hand, I see the ants getting in and out of the male flowers and running off with all the pollen! I didn't know they did things like that.
![Brooke N]()
Brooke N
on Jul 18, 2013
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My aunt swears by sprinkling old coffee grinds around plants to scare away ants.
![Mary Richard]()
Mary Richard
on Jul 19, 2013
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I have lots of coffee grinds I am going to try that ! ty Mary
![Bonnie Bassett]()
Bonnie Bassett
on Jul 20, 2013
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I sprinkle dry grits around for them to carry back to the nest to share . Unable to digest!
![Kathy]()
Kathy
on Apr 11, 2015
Douglas Hunt
on Jul 18, 2013
Brooke N
on Jul 18, 2013
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