Ants in the Yard

Ants are mostly harmless creatures who, like you, seek as many nutrients and sources of energy as possible to keep themselves going. While their motivations are healthy, the way they go about hunting such things can leave your backyard looking sad. Ant infestations outside your home can legitimately cause damage to your grass and will become more prominent fixtures should your yard be unkempt. It’s your duty to know why this can happen and how it can be prevented.

How Does This Happen?

Lawn ants tend to cause the most trouble in warmer conditions. They tend to build hills, which can cause root damage to your grass. Those hills expose grass roots, killing your grass plants and even causing your lawn to be more uneven than usual. Furthermore, ant hills prevent your grass from receiving proper exposure to sunlight, denying grass the nutrients it needs to grow. This damage can transfer to paving and surrounding areas of your home.

They Prefer Bad Lawns

If you’re not sustaining your lawn well enough, you might as well write invitations to these ants asking them to come to your backyard, because they’ll show up in numbers. Ants prey on lawns that have their share of patches or areas where little growth takes place.

They love the sandy or depleted soil and will establish their colonies around roots systems, as mentioned before. Plus, they are known for being particularly attracted to a backyard full of sweetness, including various flowers and vegetables. Ants also form mutual relationships with aphids, an insect which secretes honeydew, which allows them to retrieve it by feeding on plant saps. The more your backyard is exposed, the harder it is for you to repel these ants as they literally suck the life out of your lawn.

Alberta has close to 100 species of ants, making the importance of protecting your backyard from potential infestations even higher.

Natural Remedies

Ridding your yard of these ants is a tricky proposition, especially if you have children and pets roaming around in your backyard on a regular basis. However, you can use an array of natural products to help disperse these ants.

You can use a spray consisting of a small solution of dish soap with water to attack infested areas. Ants don’t react well to excessive water, because it reduces their chances of building new tunnels or hills.

There is also diatomaceous earth, consisting of sharp silica crystals which create a barrier against the ants. Make sure to wear a mask while applying this though.

Then, of course, there’s the simple method of maintaining your lawn, keeping it as green, and refreshed as possible so it’s not lacking nutrients or overexposed to the elements. Mow it, treat it, do whatever you can to keep grass growing naturally and protected from potential danger.

Chemical Remedies

Employing chemical sprays or granular material is another option to help you rid the yard of ants. Granular material, including bait and insecticides, needs water for activation. So, it helps to irrigate after application.

Sprays will help but can be just as detrimental to you if instructions aren’t followed to a tee. Many over-the-counter sprays, however, don’t have long-lasting effects. Chemical options should be considered as last resorts. Hence, why natural remedies tend to be the smarter route to go.

Harlow Pest Control has the best remedies to keep ants from taking control of your backyard on a whim. Find out how you can keep your yard safe from infestation thanks to the best pest control experts in Edmonton.