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Diseases and pests
Olga Polyakova 15.01.
Ants
Ants are ubiquitous. This is one of the most interesting insects living next to humans in gardens and orchards. There is still no definite answer whether the proximity of ants to the place where the plants are grown is good or bad. There are many positive and negative aspects associated with the existence of these insects in the ecological chains of the garden. Let's take a closer look at the issues related to the appearance of these insects in garden plots and try to figure out what and how to do if small workers become a big problem.
- Information about guests
- The essence of the problem
- Humane methods of struggle
- Moving an anthill to a new place
- Anthill shading
- Scaring off ants
- Techniques to block the path of ants
- Fight against aphids
- War of annihilation
- Using poisonous baits
- Destruction of anthills
- Use of chemicals
- Biological control method
- Conclusion
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General information
Name: Lasius niger or garden ant Complexity of content: Newbie Colony type: Monogamy in rare cases, polygamy Queen size: 7-10 mm Worker size: 3 - 5 mm. There are no soldiers in this form Feeding: Sugar syrup, fruits, protein feed, including insects are good fly food. For families with a small size of up to 100 individuals, the insects must be killed. Humidity: Arena: 30-50% Formicaria: 60-75% Temperature: Arena: 18-28 Formicarius: 24-28% Wintering: It is needed every 2 years. otherwise the colony will develop very slowly Formicaria type: Acrylic, sand, plaster, wood Arena Substrate: Coarse or fine sand, large stones, natural dry material, clay Years:
Structure
It is difficult to answer. After all, before talking about effectiveness, people usually evaluate other important factors of the drug. The composition of the product plays a huge role. Sometimes it is already possible to judge by it how high-quality tablets are in front of us.
"Black Ant" is a drug whose composition will surprise some. There are very few components in it, but all of them are distinguished by the absence of "chemistry". Can be seen in the composition of saffron and ginseng. Almost everyone knows about the medicinal properties of these plants. The capsules also contain extracts of black ants, Chinese white lotus, cordyceps, mashmula and lycium.
This composition pleases many buyers. And for him "Black Ant" earns positive reviews. After all, even if you do not see any serious result, they will not harm the body either.
Food
It feeds on dead and sometimes live small insects, fruits, flower nectar, honeydew (sweet liquid) aphids (Aphidoidea) and scale insects (Sternorrhyncha). For the sake of the pad, it can protect and breed worms and aphids that feed on the sap of herbaceous and woody plants.
Like all ants, Lasius niger needs both carbohydrate and protein foods. As a carbohydrate feed, you can give the ants sugar syrup (1 part sugar to 3-4 parts water) or fresh honey diluted in water (in the same proportion).Honey is better than sugar in that it contains vitamins, but it can ferment faster. The syrup can be given only in small quantities so that the ants drink it for an hour, since after fermenting it becomes poisonous for ants (see the drinker for ants for the link above). The source of carbohydrates for ants are also sweet juicy fruits (apples, pears, peaches, apricots ...), as well as natural marmalade (no preservatives). Marmalade is good because, unlike syrup, it is not subject to fermentation. You can make your own ant marmalade from juice, sugar and a thickener - gelatin. Protein feed is, first of all, killed insects (crickets, marble or earthen cockroaches, etc.), you can also give ants raw and boiled chicken breast, boiled chicken egg, dried gammarus.
All feed must be given in such an amount that there is no excess left - not eaten feed will deteriorate, mold, and ticks can start on it. Formicaria contaminated with food residues can even cause the death of an ant colony, especially at the initial stage of its development. In general, it is better not to feed the ants than to overfeed. The required amount of food is selected starting with the smallest amount ... As a vitamin supplement, you can give ants pollen pollen - a beekeeping product.
Black garden ants
Black ants build several types of nests. In most cases - a cone-shaped form, formed from a mound of earth, covered with twigs, needles, leaves. The anthill has many passages, chambers, warehouses, and is divided into 2 parts. In the upper floors, large black ants spend most of their time. They live before the onset of cold weather. In the bottom, deep underground, they winter.
Mass emergence of young females and males from the nest occurs in June. Fertilization is carried out in the air and lasts about a week. Each female tries to establish her own nest, does not return to her former place of residence. If she fails to do this, she can go back to the old anthill.
Harm from ants
The most common harm that garden ants cause is the breeding of aphids. As a result, garden crops suffer, the juice of which feeds on the "herd". Therefore, having noticed a colony of black insects, boldly go to fight them, then you will save your garden from death.
How to get rid of black ants in the garden and greenhouse
In order to rid your garden of the infestation of black ants, try some simple and effective methods.
- To protect your garden trees from insects, whitewash the bases of the trunks with a strong lime solution. It is also recommended to whitewash the soil around the trunk.
- Effectively helps to scare away birch tar from plantings - it is also applied to the base of the tree.
- It is believed that ants cannot stand the smell of vegetable oil. Try to smear it on a tree trunk and see the result.
- Having found a settlement of ants, be sure to destroy it by flooding the place with boiling water and covering it with ash, tobacco or lime.
While digging a bed on the site, I discovered a real colony of black ants. Without thinking twice, I went home, boiled water and poured boiling water over the place where I found them. After a few minutes, I dug up this place and repeated the procedure with hot water. After that, she sprinkled the earth with fresh ash and dug it up. After that, I no longer found ants in this place.
Ants can often be found in the greenhouse as well. In this case, before planting the culture, treat the soil with a solution of edible soil and flaxseed oil - one liter of water will require 5 grams of soda and 30 ml of oil. After processing, insects disappear from the greenhouse.
Boric acid bait also helps to catch ants. They do it like this: a teaspoon of powder is diluted in a glass of water with four teaspoons of sugar and the same amount of fermented jam.Place the bait in areas where you spot pests. In the evening, change the bait to a fresh one, and throw out the drowned ants. The only drawback is that you will have to change glasses regularly.
Ants are also scared off by the smells of some plants:
- lavender,
- Melissa,
- nasturtium,
- rosemary,
- mint,
- parsley,
- fennel.
By planting them in the aisles, you can scare off harmful insects.
Prevention of the appearance
To avoid the appearance of ants in your greenhouse in the future, it is very important to adhere to preventive measures. Timely remove the remnants of boards and roofing material, annually make a deep digging of the soil and apply fertilizers into it, which also have a detrimental effect on ants.
Reproduction
The black garden ant flies from late June to late August. Males die shortly after mating, and females break off their wings and look for a suitable wet place to lay eggs. A suitable place for the foundation of a new colony may be a stone or other object lying on the ground, an old stump, a depression in the ground. The female can also dig her own hole in the soft ground. This species is characterized by monogyny. The female lays eggs for several days after mating. The larvae emerge from the eggs in about a week (at a temperature of 25-28 ° C), after two weeks they pupate and after another two weeks the first working ants emerge from the cocoons. The first workers are smaller than the subsequent ones, due to a lack of nutrition (due to the lack of workers) at the larval stage. The uterus feeds the first larvae with the reserves of its body - salivary secretion. The number of black garden ant colonies can reach 50,000 individuals.
Description
"Black Ant" is a drug that increases potency. This is nothing more than a substitute for Viagra. Another remedy that helps to cure impotence. It is itself small capsule tablets for oral administration.
Many people pay attention to this remedy only because this "medicine" is made according to oriental technologies. It's no secret that the East is a place with advanced medicine. Most oriental drugs are distinguished by their effectiveness. But is this the case with the Black Ant pills?
Keeping in captivity
Due to its prevalence and unpretentiousness, Lasius niger has become one of the most popular ants in captivity. For its maintenance, formicaria of almost any design are suitable (more about formicaria and other equipment for keeping ants here). Years in ants of this species are very widespread and during the summer it is not difficult to catch a fertilized wingless uterus. At the first stage, the uterus is placed in an incubator tube (for more information on the incubator tube, see the link above). The colony is moved to the formicarium only after there are already several dozen workers in it. For relocation, the test tube is simply connected to the formicarium using a transparent plastic tube.
Gypsum formicarium with ants
When the number exceeds a couple of hundred, it will be necessary to spend the winter at a low temperature every year in order to give the uterus, swollen from eggs, the opportunity to sleep and rest. If you fulfill these simple requirements, then a huge colony of nimble, active and friendly ants will delight you for 25 years! This is how much the lazius uterus should live.
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- Lasius Niger (black garden ant): Queen with workers
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- Ant Grooming Tool Set
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- Cane sugar for ants
RUB 21 In garbage
- Carbohydrate jelly for ants
RUB 40 In garbage
Humane methods of struggle
Ants in the garden
Any garden or vegetable garden is a small ecological system in balance. All living beings of this system, both plants and animals, represent, as it were, a single organism, each member of which participates in many interrelated processes. And if some component is completely removed from this chain, then the ecological balance will be violated.
The complete extermination of ants will lead to the filling of the site with various pests and the result will be much worse than it was before this event.
There are several methods that can not kill ants, but only scare them away from useful crops or "repurpose" orderlies to other food sources.
These methods do not harm ants, but only force them to rebuild their own food webs. Given the adaptability of ants to different conditions, they will perfectly be able to survive such changes in their lifestyle.
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See also: [Instructions] How to effectively deal with moles at their summer cottage: modern and folk remedies |
Moving an anthill to a new place
Anthill in the garden
One of the simplest methods. It consists in digging up the ants' habitat with a shovel. The depth of occurrence of small anthills is from 20 to 30 cm. Having dug up the ground within a radius of 30 cm from the entrance to the anthill to a depth of 20-30 cm and putting it in a bucket, it is simply carried to the border of the site, or outside of it.
The ants will do well in their new place, even if their queen dies. A new queen will appear quickly enough in the anthill, and its life will continue as usual.
PROS:
- simplicity and speed of solution
- does not require the use of any complex tools
- the family of ants is recovering quickly
MINUSES:
- the method is not applicable to large anthills; removing about half a cubic meter of soil from the site is not always rational, in addition, if the uterus remains in its old place, the problem will not go anywhere
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Anthill shading
Like all insects, ants love warmth. Consequently, garden ants arrange their house in such a way that during the day they are heated as much as possible by the warmth of the sun's rays. The main exit from the nest is always located in a sunny area.
Exit from the anthill
If you shade an area about a meter in diameter from this exit, sooner or later, the ants will leave this place in search of a new, warmer one.
PROS:
- simplicity of solution
MINUSES:
- lack of reliability; the result is not always guaranteed
- the process can be quite long
- similar to the previous method, not applicable for large anthills
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Scaring off ants
Ant repellents
Both the life of an individual ant and the entire colony are controlled by smells. It is with the help of the smell that ants communicate with each other, learn about new food sources, find their way home, differentiate between “their” and “alien” ants, and so on.
All ants are very sensitive to odors, which can be used to drive them out of their homes.
Use of plant repellents
Plants from ants
These can be:
- parsley
- valerian
- mint
- onion
- garlic
- carnation
- and other similar plants
Whole or crushed stems and leaves of these plants are laid out around the entrance to the anthill or on ant routes. These plants tie the stalks of crops attacked by aphids. In the case of preventive measures, similar plants with the most pronounced odor are planted around the protected crops in spring.
Marigolds, mint or valerian are planted between the beds or next to trees.This will not only scare off the ants, but also provide the owner with a set of medicinal herbs.
Plants from ants
Sometimes it is recommended to rub the trunks of the protected plants with garlic. In some cases, plant trunks, or even the earth, are sprayed with decoctions of the listed repellents.
PROS:
- environmental friendliness of the method
- high efficiency of products with a pungent odor
MINUSES:
- over time, ants can get used to repellents
- in the case of planting plants, the application of the method can be significantly extended in time
Using special deterrents
There are several dozen products, the smell of which makes ants uncomfortable. They come from a variety of origins, however, they are relatively easy to obtain or prepare. These funds include:
- charcoal ash
- rock salt
- tobacco dust or ash
- soot
- Red pepper
- cinnamon
- bone flour
- lime
- other products with similar properties
The application methods are very simple - funds, as in the previous method, are laid out in places where ants accumulate and their paths.
Even culinary waste is often used. For example, ants do not tolerate the smell of smoked fish. It is enough to put the head of smoked herring near the entrance to the anthill, and they can leave their "home" place.
You can put a bunch of potato peels or tomato tops on top of the anthill. The smell of nightshade crops is also poorly tolerated by ants.
Universal ash
In some cases, it is advisable to water the anthill and the ant routes with cattle or even human urine. This is not a very popular method, as urine inhibits the growth of the root system of many plants, in addition, the smell of this liquid is also unpleasant for people.
The use of the following method has proven itself well: the entrance to the anthill is covered with a sheet of thick cardboard measuring 30x30 cm, on top of which a solution of soot in water is applied. The smell of soot is also extremely unpleasant for ants.
To protect plants, you can use strips of sheepskin about 1 cm thick. The shoots of plants are tied with these strips at a height of about 10-15 cm from the ground with wool outward. The wool is moistened with carbolic acid. The acid smell will keep the ants out of your plants.
PROS:
- relative simplicity and efficiency
- large selection of funds
MINUSES:
- funds have a negative effect on flora and people; for example, the use of salt leads to a decrease in soil fertility, and soot is a strong carcinogen
- methods may be ineffective in wet summers
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Techniques to block the path of ants
These can be various barriers and barriers made with the use of water, oil, various stickies, gels and similar devices.
For example, the use of foil skirts on the trunks of plants that need to be protected. The skirt is directed downward and the ants will not be able to climb over the sharp edge. You can also use skirts made of plastic or agrofiber.
Skirt on a tree trunk
You can wrap the trunks from the bottom with scotch tape with a sticky layer outward, i.e. make a so-called trapping belt.
The use of car tires cut in half has proven itself in an effective way, into which water is poured. The tires are put on the trunks of young trees and dug into the ground. The ants are unable to cross the water barrier.
Treating the underside of trees with hemp oil or lupine sap is also effective in stopping the ants. The combination of a relatively viscous liquid and odor unpleasant for ants will stop any attempts by insects to climb the trunk.
PROS:
- wide range of products
- relatively high efficiency
MINUSES:
- complexity in the technical implementation of some methods
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See also: Garlic - an acute neighbor with a permanent residence permit: description, planting and care in the open field, recommendations, possible diseases (25 Photos & Videos) + Reviews
Fight against aphids
From the point of view of logic, this is the easiest way. After all, in the end the goal is not to kill ants, but to kill aphids... To ensure maximum safety of the environment, it is best to use folk methods, which consist in spraying the affected plants with special solutions.
Spraying plants
Solution recipes can be as follows:
- Dilute 200 g of solid (or 100 g of liquid) soap in 10 liters of water
- Dilute 300 g of ash and 50 g of soap in 10 liters of water
- Insist 200 g of chopped garlic in 5 liters of water for 4 days
- Insist 100 g of dry chamomile flowers in 1 liter of water for 12 hours; add 3 l of water and 20 g of liquid soap
The resulting compositions should be sprayed on the affected areas of plants once a day for a week. For prevention purposes, spraying of healthy plants can be carried out during budding, flowering and 1-2 weeks before harvest.
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Indications for use
In what cases is it recommended to take our today's drug? Most of these pills are usually used in order to increase an erection for 1 intercourse. What about Black Ant?
The manufacturer indicates that this remedy is not intended to "hide" impotence, but to treat it. You can use the drug with single intercourse to increase its duration and to correct problems with potency. Here is such a universal preparation "Black Ant"! The indications for use are as follows:
- desire to enlarge the penis;
- impotence;
- prostatitis;
- premature ejaculation;
- oligospermia;
- enuresis;
- chronic fatigue.
As you can see, there are many cases in which the "Ant" is indicated for use. Just try not to assign it yourself. This is permissible only when the pills serve as "Viagra". But with enuresis and other diseases, it is better to consult a urologist before starting a course of taking this medication.
Contraindications
It is easy to guess that the drug also has contraindications. Fortunately, there are very few of them. The manufacturer assures that the product has passed testing, which has shown the safety of the tablets. But there is no evidence of this, except for the inscription on the packaging.
O (drug for potency) is not recommended for people with individual intolerance to the components that make up the capsules. There are no more serious prohibitions. Unless minors are not recommended to use "Ant".
Allergy sufferers, as well as people with hypersensitivity, cardiovascular diseases and increased nervous irritability, need to be wary of pills. This is where all the contraindications end. This phenomenon pleases buyers - it makes them think about the complete safety of the product.
Efficiency
But for its effectiveness, our today's drug receives controversial opinions. It is difficult to judge the next pills to improve potency, which in reality do not have any certification. All this leads to speculation that "Black Ant" is the most common money scam. But is it really so?
Everyone decides for himself. The effect after taking the "Black Ant" definitely takes place. Only, as buyers point out, not everyone has it to the same extent. For some, the capsules really helped, for some they did not. Everything is individual, each customer's body reacts differently to pills.
Nevertheless, mostly positive reviews are left about the "Black Ant". It is indicated that sexual activity is manifested within 15-20 minutes after taking the capsules. It persists for a long time, even with several consecutive sexual acts. "Ant" also really eliminates impotence, but in this case, you will have to take pills for several months. Show patience!
Yes, there are opinions indicating that there was no result from the Black Ant drug. Indeed, this also happens. It all depends on your body. Fortunately, often the effect does take place, and not bad at that. You can trust the "Black Ant".
Prevention of the appearance of black ants
In order not to waste time and money fighting uninvited guests, be vigilant and do not give them the opportunity to get into the house or land, including after successful liquidation.
- it is important to clean the apartment regularly, wipe the floors in rooms and premises with a damp cloth;
- leave clean work surfaces, stove, kitchen floor: plates, cups, pots, standing with food leftovers for a long time, attract ants, as do towels, greasy window sills or blinds smelling of food;
- to seal the joints of pipes and their entrances to walls, ceilings and floors in the kitchen and in the bathroom;
- putty the walls on the balconies;
- protect window and door openings with nets, and hang sections from insects with the smell of citrus near windows, doors and ventilation ducts;
- to eliminate branches of a fruit tree or an old bush near windows, remove fallen leaves and branches;
- leave garbage away from the site in a specially organized place, and cover the household waste bin with a lid;
- periodically check the operability of the sewage system;
- eliminate cracks in floors and baseboards in time.
How to keep your garden safe from black ants
Prevention is also possible on the personal plot:
- eliminate weeds, dry plants in time;
- monitor the formation of aphids and destroy in time;
- do not allow food pieces to enter the site;
- every spring, spray the soil with special insect repellents, treat with boiling water, dig up, loosen;
- possible places for shelter of insects - stumps, driftwood, old boards - to destroy;
- whitewash the trunks of garden trees with lime, fix adhesive tape or foil on them: the ants will not get to the sweet fruits.
Harm and scale
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To win a battle, you need to know the enemy by sight. Therefore, it is worth remembering a few basic points about these pests:
- This is the most common type of insect in Europe and was named so because of their external color;
- They usually live in colonies led by a queen. It is the largest in the family - its dimensions reach one centimeter;
- Males and females are designed to reproduce and are half the size of the uterus. After fertilization, females establish a new anthill, where they become queens;
- Worker ants. Their occupation is collecting food, raising aphids, laying eggs and the rest.
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It is worth considering that the life of the offspring largely depends on the queen.
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If ants have settled in a garden or city, then losses are obtained due to the fact that they spread aphids, which sucks the nectar from the plants and leads to their mass drying.
If in a house or apartment, then these insects can gnaw wood, furniture, spoil food, and also disrupt the exterior (when an anthill is placed near the lawn or garden paths).
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Their scale is increasing in everything: they multiply, the population increases, and hence their needs. Such is the chain that can be broken by using means from black ants in the house.
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Search
We have chosen the species of ants we are interested in (for example, let it be Serviformica cunicularia).According to the flight table, it turns out that this species most likely flies in the middle of summer - the entire July in the table is painted over with a crimson color. But this is too long a period, isn't it? Quite right, since each year the flight time depends on many factors - for example, how soon the cocoons of the queens will ripen, how soon the conditions for emergence will be suitable, and so on. How can we be?
First, if you know where the anthill of the species you want is located, you can observe it. A couple of days before the flight, solitary males and females will appear at the entrance, as if going out for exploration. But if the nearest anthill is very far away, then you have no choice but to monitor the weather. Over the years of studying ants, some features have been clarified, for example, in our middle lane ants almost always fly after a heavy rain, or when the air humidity is high. From personal experience, queens can be found at the most unfortunate time, and precisely when you do not expect her. For example, standing at a bus stop, waiting for your bus. In such a case, it is worth carrying with you a small container in which you can carry the uterus home without damaging it.
The uterus is ready to fly
If you are sure that the flight has begun, then you should purposefully look for queens, which should run in search of a suitable shelter for the base of the anthill. It is best to walk on wide, light-surfaced roads close to the area from which the queens could fly - for example, the running queen is very visible on sandy country roads. The principle is clear - you need to cross as far as possible while looking at the ground, in places where the uterus could run after dropping its wings.