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How long does it take to drown an ant?

NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
in The potting shed
Do they drown or are they good swimmers?

I have two potted roses, one young and one mature, both with ants nests in. Mystifying since they are always kept well hydrated and ants aren’t supposed to like damp soil.

I have deluged them with water daily (so much so I fear I’m depriving the roots of oxygen) to try and flush them out. No dice. I tried citrus smelling sprays and sprinkling cinnamon on the soil. Yum, they said, licking their feet. I have dusted the soil heavily with diatomaceous earth, which is supposed to cut them up - two days later, they are still very much intact.

Do you think if I submersed the pots into a large trug of water for several hours they would drown? That’s feasible for the young one in a smaller pot, but not sure I could lift the pot of the other without a crane.

Help, I’m at my wits end!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I have potted plants in saucers on my terrace to reduce the likelihood of ant invasions @Nollie as some are houselants outside for their summer hols and I don't want to bring ants in when autumn brings the cooler nights and houseplants have to come in again.

    Try watering your pots with a 5 litre can of water into which you have mixed a small bottle of essential oil of cloves.   They hate the smell and will move on.  Repeat as necessary.
     
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Hi Obelixx, well mine are well watered and in saucers but they’ve still got in somehow! They are meant to dislike the smell of citrus and cinnamon too, but nothing to lose by trying your suggestion of I can get hold of some clove oil.

    I was just wondering if anyone had successfully evicted them by drowning..
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I think they swim @Nollie but have had success with the oil of cloves whne they made a huge nest under one of my rhubarb plants in Belgium and it started wilting, despite all the usual rain and when they invaded a potted rose.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • rowlandscastle444rowlandscastle444 Posts: 2,612
    I know they hate boiling water @Nollie but the plants wouldn't like that either. 
    We had the ants flying yesterday evening. Closed all the windows rapidly.

    I've never tried drowning them, but if you are successful, do let us know.
  • TackTack Posts: 1,367
    I'd try putting the pots into deep water @Nollie. When I want to relocate ants I disturb the nest enough so the ants start moving the eggs and larvae out. They don't tend to return ime. I haven't had them in pots but attacking the young not the adults should do the trick.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Ok, thanks folks, I will do the water test. Depends which bit of google gobbledygook you believe of course, but I’ve since read that they technically don’t swim but float, so a couple of drops of WUL in the big bucket to break the surface tension will help. Will report back. I’m surprised the diatomaceous earth didn’t cut them up rough, perhaps several reapplications are required..
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • ObsessedPlantswomanObsessedPlantswoman Posts: 69
    I just found ants nest in my lemon tree. Never seen that before, but the tree was in my greenhouse so relatively dry. I shook all the soil and eggs and ants into my compost and then dunked the tree(which seems to have lost lots of the fine roots) into a big container of water for a while. Then put fresh soil around the roots. This was a day ago. Not sure if there are any ants or eggs left….there is certainly plenty of Scale, which is proving harder to remove…any ideas?
  • MeomyeMeomye Posts: 949
    Hi @Nollie, thank you for raising this matter as I too am having a problem with ants in my roses! not just in pots, I have noticed it in the ground too, big mounds of earth piled up at the bottom of the plant. Please let us know how you get on. I do not have oil of cloves but have lemon essential oil do you think that would work? if so what ratio to water do you think? tia 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Lemon oil is very different but may be worth a try at the same dilution rate asgiven above for essential oil of cloves.

    If that fails and you haven't got oil of cloves either go and get some or try making a solution of cloves steeped in boiled water and pouring that over your ant infested pots and plants.  Regular watering will also deter them as they need dry nests for their eggs and young.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Singing GardenerSinging Gardener Posts: 1,237
    In my experience nematodes work well for plants in the ground. I think I've also used them for plants in pots but I might be misremembering!
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