Friday, August 14, 2009

Ant Parties

My yard has had an incredible number of ants this summer-and I've been bitten quite a few times while pulling weeds or taking pictures. They seem to build their homes under the weeds around plants, and pulling those weeds brings up angry ants scrambling to get their eggs back underground. I thought that the prickly pears were being eaten by the birds, until I noticed this little party yesterday...click on the picture and if you look very closely you can see the ants enjoying the feast.

When they are finished they leave an interesting shell behind.

Happy Saturday!

9 comments:

Cathy S. said...

Ants hate orange fragrance, so I always sprinkle some orange oil around to keep them away and they never come around anymore, squirrels also hates orange scent too.
Have a great weekend!

-Cathy

T said...

And I just read Outsides hint about orange scent - ant's aren't my issue.....squirrels are. I may have to try that!

Good luck with your ant issue. I hope they don't demolish to many of your plants.

Claude said...

I'm going to try the orange oil trick too...

I'd bet, most probably, that the birds start the hole in the cactus fruit and the ants finish it off...

Carol said...

I didn't know that about squirrel or ants and orange oil. I don't like to have poison around so will try some orange oil on my window sill and see if it stops the sugar ants.

www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.com

Aiyana said...

I too am inundated with ants, and have tried everything, even extreme measures, to keep them from digging up the sand between all the pavers. Nothing works. Not even orange fragrance, cornmeal, etc. So, I just wash away the mounds on the sidewalks and patios, hoping they will give up. They won't!
Aiyana

kesslerdee said...

Thanks for all your comments! I thought that ants were 'good' for the garden, eating fungus and other things we don't want around. But enough is enough- I must have millions of them!

Pudgeduck said...

I tried everyting on the ants and the squirrel and rabbit in my yard-they just have to go away when they are ready!!

PAK ART said...

icky ants! We don't have many bugs in AK (not like you all in the lower '48). I think I would freak out if there were ants all over like that. Creepy crawlies get me the willies.

Deborah Godin said...

That might be good news to keep squirels off the bird feeders, too!!