Ants in the lawn

rogerbarb · September 2018

Prior to the recent hot weather spell I had a number of ant nests in my lawn. Now since the end of the hot weather I have not seen any evidence of ants. Is it possible that the hot weather has killed them?

Mr. Vine Eye · September 2018

At this time of year ants are sealing off their nests and preparing to hibernate until spring. I've also not seen any evidence of them in my garden at the moment.

rogerbarb · September 2018

The last time I saw any ants was just before the hot weather started and nothing since

Fairygirl · October 2018

They like dry places for their nests, so it's also possible that they've moved on once the weather changed - especially if you've had a spell of rain.
Or they found a different place for their nest rather than your grass rogerbarb. They like heat, so it's unlikely that would have affected them. They may have simply gone a little bit deeper into the ground - in the same way that worms and other insects do.

Dovefromabove · October 2018

As @Fairygirl says they need dry conditions ... they build mounds in order that their brood chambers/nurseries are kept dry above damp surrounding soil. This year the soil was so dry they probably didn’t need to raise the level of the breeding areas, so you didn’t see them.

ZeroZero1 · October 2018

Ants have had a very good year. They are also ubiquitous, you will find them everywhere, under paving, under rocks, in the lawn, but they won't bother you at all, unless perhaps they are in the house. Fascinating creatures.

rogerbarb · October 2018

Thanks for the comments folks. I forgot to mention that they are red ants not sure if that makes a difference. Is there a way of getting rid of them if they do return?

Dovefromabove · October 2018

There are specific nematodes available which make life for ants uncomfortable so they move on.

rogerbarb · October 2018

Thanks for that

Big Blue Sky · October 2018

ZeroZero1 said:

Ants have had a very good year. They are also ubiquitous, you will find them everywhere, under paving, under rocks, in the lawn, but they won't bother you at all, unless perhaps they are in the house. Fascinating creatures.

You just haven't meet the ones in my garden. They used to grow their little aphids or what ever the name is, on our raspberry plants. And every time I tried to pick the berries one or two of them bit me. It was painful, very unpleasant and sometime the bites would swallow to a very big bump. So they bothered me quite a lot

Ants in the lawn

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