How to Get Rid of Ant Hills in Your Backyard
Knowing how to get rid of ant hills is indeed valuable to any homeowner. It becomes more useful for those who have been fighting with these pests for so long.
Trying to prevent ants from coming to your home is not enough. Hence, the ultimate solution is to remove the ant hills.
Fortunately, there is a lot of effective ways to get rid of the anthills. Don’t worry! The following information will help you to discover the most suitable method for your special condition.
A Brief about Ant Hills
Ants may not be a kind of dangerous insect. However, they can cause significant health and aesthetical damage to your property.
Anthills are a sign of where the ants dwell. They come in the form of dirt mounds and typically have dissimilar sizes from one to another.
The anthills can be soft or hard. Rock, sand, pebbles, soil, and branches are among the substances that made the dirt. You can easily find them anywhere.
However, you will not find the ants easily on the top of the hill. These pests typically live below the surface stage. Meanwhile, the queen tends to reside on the deepest level.
How Deep an Anthill Can Be
Before discovering how to get rid of ant hills, you better know how deep these things can be. Typically, they can be anywhere between 2.3 inches and 13 ft (6 cm to 4 m).
While the said estimation is the average depth of backyard anthills and their corresponding tunnel, some others can be deeper.
You can even find an anthill that is so deep that it looks like a city. The depth of this ant house itself is comparative to how long it has existed in a particular location.
The type of ants will affect the depth of the anthills as well.
Kind of Ants That Make Anthills
Numerous types of ants create anthills. They include Argentine, Allegheny mound, Harvester, Texas leafcutter, Pyramid, and fire ants.
If you see fire ants in your home or garden, there will be a mound made of soft earth nearby.
The mound does not feature an opening at the top and appears like a random heap of dirt. Therefore, removing ant hills is relatively difficult at first.
Likewise, you need to be careful while removing ant hills for fire ants because they tend to sting when provoked.
The suggestion is to prevent preemptively disturbing the anthill as you perform any treatment later.
How Ants Build Their Anthills
Ants acquire a highly intricate system of tunnels when creating their anthills.
As they build the tunnels, these insects will dig up and draw the dirt to the surface. The accumulation eventually creates a hill-like mound. Although it is a bit random, these hills have tactical means and several functions.
The anthills’ roles include being an entry point, controlling the internal temperature, and protecting the ants from predators.
Principally, when the ants dig the tunnel deeper, the hill will get bigger. It is because of the accumulation of dirt taken back to the top.
Some tricks on how to get rid of ant hills will give you precaution. Thus, the bigger hill may refer to the more complicated tunnel systems as well.
Good Reasons to Know How to Get Rid of Ant Hills
In general, anthills are not harmful. However, you should pay attention to the big ones that are capable enough to destroy the plants around the colonies.
The building technique of ant hills typically includes strengthening the mound. So, it can defend itself even if heavy rain occurs.
Considering this matter, you can conclude that the anthills as well as the colonies are pretty structurally sound One of the good reasons is when the mound-building results in root damage to the grass.
Anthills in grass may also cause a danger to mower blades and foot travelers. Meanwhile, the hills and mounds are not the main problems. Many ant species also have an interest in ranching and start to bring mealybugs or aphids around your lawn.
This can cause a big problem for your ornamental plants and vegetables. They are the food for aphids and mealybugs.
Therefore, performing how to get rid of ant hills should be a significant effort. It can minimize the population of these pests around your place.
The Secrets on How to Get Rid of Ant Hills in Backyard Effectively
Controlling ants and their anthills in the backyard is indeed tricky since your children and pets love to play there. If the ant infestations are not that troublesome, the best way is by living with them.
Most of them will feed on the larvae of pests that they discover amongst the grassroots. Thus, you may consider it as a win-win solution.
To remove the anthills, using a pesticide makes a perfect option since it has a long-lasting effect. Most pesticides assure the result will last for three to six months before you have to treat the backyard again. The primary goal is to reach the ant queen and destroy it so that the whole colony will die eventually.
You can start with spraying an insecticide directly into the ant mound. Spray it through the opening as it is the most effective method. However, make sure that you perform the treatment when the pests are most active.
Liquid insecticides are dreadful for the environment. Therefore, a professional ant exterminator is the most suitable person to perform the treatment.
Besides, store-bought liquid insecticides are rarely capable to reach the ant queen if applied over the anthill. So, using a powdered or granulated pesticide is a highly effective and enduring solution.
Most of these products can kill ants upon contact. Therefore, you have to be extra generous while applying them on the anthills. This way, the solution can reach all the ants including the queen.
Some other pesticides require water for activation. In general, you just need to sprinkle the granules or powder where the insects go by. Then, follow the procedure with water to trigger the solution.
Tricks on How to Get Rid of Ant Hills without Killing Grass
Such large anthills can be very troublesome since some methods may end up killing your grass. Luckily, you can deal with the problem with the right equipment and methods.
- First, you need to mow down the grass in your backyard, especially in the location around the problematic ant hill. To avoid damaging it while mowing, do not cut the lawn too short. The cutting may remove too much photosynthesizing grass blades.
- Second, just like the above secret on how to get rid of ant hills, prepare an insecticide product. Then, apply it to the area where you cut the grass previously.
- Third, make a barrier around the affected location. After that, apply the solution as much as you can on the anthill.
- Then, you can leave the bait for several days. Bigger anthills may require you to wait for a few weeks. This will give the solution adequate time to get to the ant queen.
- The next step is flattening them. Ensure that there is no much time to wait for the bait to show its effect. Then, you can start to do it mechanically.
Hence, mix the insecticide product with the soil. It is to make the above steps on how to get rid of ant hills even more effective. Also, consider sprinkling the mixture around your backyard as well to avoid these insects from dispersing.
This technique will put off the ants from starting over a colony in the backyard. If you notice their queen by any chance, just wipe it out immediately. Keep in mind that this method is probably not as effective as you expected. So, wait for the set ant baits to destroy the queen.
How to Get Rid of Ant Hills Naturally with Easy Home Remedies
Indeed, removing anthills naturally is not as effective as using the previous techniques and products. However, it still makes a good alternative when needed.
Using hot water is among the most popular ways to get rid of anthills naturally. This technique works surprisingly well and makes a quick solution in terms of emergencies.
By pouring hot water on anthills, you can expect it to travel through the tunnels. Then, the liquid continues to destroy any ant that touches it. In addition to hot water, you can also take advantage of vinegar, homemade ant baits, and diatomaceous earth.
1. Vinegar
To get rid of the anthill, you can mix enough vinegar with water and use the mixture to flood the tunnels. Some ants will drown as a result of it. However, the method does not work as great as you may expect.
Vinegar has a strong scent that tends to make ants flee away upon before any contact. Consequently, it becomes ineffective even you have added some water.
2. Homemade ant baits
Boric acid is almost on every list of tricks on how to get rid of ant hills. It is due to its well-known effectiveness. Simply sprinkle this substance on an anthill or over it. Then, the ants will come into contact with it in the end and start dying.
Create DIY ant bait by mixing boric acid with other home remedies. For instance, peanut butter, honey, and sugar make a good choice for the mixture. The ants will carry the bait back to their queen. Thus, the whole colony will end up dying after consuming it.
For the best result, just make sure to place adequate baits around the materials.
3. Diatomaceous earth
Using diatomaceous earth is another natural method to control ants. It can dry up their exoskeleton and make them die of dehydration. Sprinkle the dust above the anthill and it should kill some ants. If you are lucky, it may end up killing the queen as well.
Pouring Aluminum to Get Rid of Ant Hills
If you want to take this to the next level, aluminum casting will be an exciting technique to try. However, it is pretty expensive and fairly dangerous.
Therefore, be careful while applying this method. Hence, you can perform the steps-by-steps on how to get rid of ant hills safely. Then, there will be a step to melt metal, so being careful is a must. This method is indeed fun and allows you to get an astounding work of art once the aluminum solidifies again.
1. What to Prepare
For the source of aluminum, you can take advantage of soda cans since these items are very easy to find. Besides, they can melt pretty quickly and free.
The alternative is to search in the junkyard for any aluminum object that you can use for the project. Besides, you will need to prepare a melting pot, a fireplace, or forge for heating the metal, tongs, and sand. For your security, do not forget to arrange a fire extinguisher, face shield, apron, and welding gloves.
2. Procedures
Once all the items are ready, melt the aluminum at a temperature of 1220.54 degrees Fahrenheit. While waiting, shape the sand around the entry point of the anthill.
Pour the molten aluminum and keep it from flowing freely through the tunnels. Continue doing so until it stops streaming. Let the aluminum cool down for several hours and dig around to remove the solid casting.
The Bottom Line
Ants can be a curse and a blessing for any gardener. If the severity of the issue is pretty high, consider getting rid of the anthills to avoid further issues.
To prevent its resurgence, make sure to keep your house or garden clean. Then, spray insecticide on the ant entry points. You should eliminate any haven for these insects as well, such as bushes, stacked firewood, and bare spots.
Finally, if you do not feel like trying any of the above tricks on how to get rid of large ant hills, simply call a professional ant exterminator to solve the problems. Good luck!