Ants give gardeners a lot of trouble. Appearing in greenhouses and greenhouses, they undermine the roots of plants, and eat seedlings. Affected plants lag behind in development and reduce yield. To get rid of ants in cucumbers, many drugs and folk recipes are used.
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Causes of Ants
Before starting the fight against insects, you need to figure out why they chose this place. There are several points:
- the main reason may be the occurrence of an anthill near a cucumber bed. The increased temperature of air and soil in the cucumber greenhouse contributes to comfortable conditions for the reproduction of aphids. Ants settle aphids on plants, and then come to the greenhouse to eat the waste of its life;
- it often happens that insects make a nest on the bed itself. The loose soil and the presence of lush greenery create a comfortable environment for their habitation. Garden pests do not build large "huts", so finding their home is not easy. As a rule, small minks are visible on the surface, and the main dwelling is located underground.
Help and harm from ants in the garden
Insects settled on a cucumber bed bring not only harm, but also benefit for plants.
Help ants on the site:
- the remains of insect life enrich the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Substances are introduced into the soil in a form easily assimilated by plants;
- during the construction of the anthill, insects loosen the soil, improving its structure;
- in places of residence, ants destroy beetles and caterpillars that harm plants.
You may be interested in:Harm from ants in the garden:
- many species of ants are bred in the aphid area, sucking sap from plants. Especially dangerous is the invasion of sucking insects in greenhouses or greenhouses;
- insects eat plants planted on the bed, destroying the seeds of cucumbers. Ants can also eat seedlings;
- insects spread weed seeds across the plot;
- in the habitat of ants, the soil becomes acidic. It inhibits plants;
- during the construction of nests, ants eat plant roots;
- insect bites are dangerous to health. They are very painful and can cause an allergic reaction.
What to do with the appeared ants in the greenhouse with cucumbers? The benefits brought by insects are repeatedly blocked by harm from them, so gardeners try to get rid of pests.
Insect Control Methods
Over the years of the fight against insects, many options have been developed for their destruction. All of them can be divided into several groups. Each of the methods of struggle is effective in its own way; gardeners choose the most suitable to save the crop.
Mechanical methods
Based on the destruction of an ant nest. To do this, do the following:
- insects attract the smells of rotten wood, the remains of slate and roofing material. By removing objects that are attractive to them from the soil, you can get rid of insects;
- Having discovered the nest, they dig it out and destroy the uterus, radically solving the problem.
Chemical methods of control
When using chemical methods of fighting ants in a greenhouse with cucumbers, the soil is treated with toxic substances that destroy insects in a short time. A high concentration of pesticides can damage plants in the garden. Some preparations are toxic to humans and animals and are not applicable during the ripening of cucumbers.
The most common drugs:
- Dr. Kiaus Insect Super. The product is sold ready to use, packaged in bottles. On the threaded part of the neck attach the spray head or spray hose. The drug successfully destroys ants and their larvae in a greenhouse with cucumbers.
- Powder against Delicia ants. The tool is intended for tillage and extermination of insects in dachas and apartments. Powders are filled with nests and paths along which insects move, or used to guide solutions to destroy ants in a greenhouse with cucumbers. After use, insects die in 10-15 days.
- Karbofos. The classic pesticide has a sharp unpleasant odor and reliably destroys all insects within three hours. To remove ants from the greenhouse with cucumbers, the powder is dissolved in water according to the instructions and the soil is sprayed on the bed where the cucumbers grow. The effect of spraying persists for 5-15 days.
- Ant To get rid of ants in a greenhouse with cucumbers, granules of Muravyin are scattered along the path of insects. Insects feed on the bait and bring it to the uterus nest. After 20 days, the colony dies of poisoning. The ant does not have a pungent odor, is harmless to plants and other insects.
- Muratox. To remove pests, Muratox powder is poured by measure and mixed in water. The solution is poured on low lids from the cans and left on the path of insects. The sweet taste of the bait attracts ants. Mass death of pests begins in three days. The finished solution retains its properties for a month.
When using chemicals, safety rules must be observed:
- during the guidance of solutions and tillage of soil and plants, the skin should be protected by a dense cloth, gloves are put on hands, a mask is placed on the face;
- pesticides are used before flowering and ripening of cucumbers;
- After working with toxic substances, wash your hands and take a shower.
Combined control methods
Combine mechanical and chemical variants and are aimed at destroying the nest. To do this, do the following:
- put a sponge soaked in a sweet solution in a bucket. The container is closed with a black cloth and installed next to the nest of ants on the bed with cucumbers. Soon, the uterus with a nest will move into a bucket. Next, the pests are destroyed by boiling water;
- 2 cups of vinegar, vegetable oil and shampoo are poured into a bucket of water. The composition is mixed and poured into an ant nest. Top soil is covered with black cloth. After a week, the insects will leave the ridge.
Folk ways
Methods are used to repel insects from plantings. They do not contain pesticides, do not harm beneficial insects. Folk remedies for ants can be used during ripening. The following methods are used:
- ant passages are poured with boiling water, destroying insects;
- insects avoid appearing in places where aromatic plants grow.To scare them away from the greenhouse and protect the cucumbers between the plants, wormwood, parsley, and garlic are planted;
- To remove ants from the bed with cucumbers, fragrant objects are regularly laid out next to their dwelling. To do this, use anise leaves mixed with crushed garlic sawdust, smoked fish heads or rags soaked in kerosene;
- in order to destroy a large number of ants at once, a sheet of iron or bricks, previously doused with infusion of manure, are placed near the entrance to the anthill. After a few days, the iron is lifted and the insects accumulated under it are poured with boiling water;
- a small amount of yeast is diluted to a mushy consistency with sweet sugar-honey tincture. The mixture is poured into shallow jars, covered from the sun and put in places where the ants appeared. After a while, insects will leave this place;
- in a small saucer induce a mixture of 50 ml of water, 50 g of sugar and 6 g of borax. The mixture is poured into shallow jars, covered from the sun and put in places where the ants wound up. Having tasted the sweet syrup, the ants massively die in two days;
- 20 g of baker's yeast and 5 g of boric acid are added to ½ liter of jam. The mixture is laid out in places where insects start. Pest death occurs in two days;
- from one and a half liter bottles cut the bottom. The walls are coated with honey or jam. To get rid of pests, a trap is placed next to the anthill in the garden. Attracted by a sweet smell, the ants climb inside and stick to the walls. After a few days, pour the bottle with boiling water, destroying the pests;
- millet is scattered next to the nest. Insects actively eat it and die from indigestion;
- 14 days before planting in the soil, the soil is watered with a mixture of 1 liter of water, 5 g of baking soda and 30 g of linseed oil. After processing the soil, insects leave the greenhouse;
Insect Prevention
Ants choose to populate places where aphids will comfortably reproduce. Therefore, the prevention of the appearance of an anthill in the garden or in the greenhouse comes down to a regular fight against it. To do this, do:
- during planting maintenance, regularly clean plant residues. Affected plants are burned, weed weeds are stored in compost heaps;
- regularly get rid of weeds serving as aphid feed base;
- Cucumber beds should be located away from your favorite plant aphids: poppy, viburnum, mallow, linden;
- regularly inspect cucumber lashes for sucking insects. If necessary, plants are treated with an aphid;
- aphids start and breed better in a hot, humid room, so the greenhouse is periodically ventilated;
- to destroy aphid larvae before using the greenhouse, treat all wooden parts with caustic soda or bleach. After harvesting, the greenhouse should be treated with a mixture of insectoacaricide and 40% formalin solution.
The invasion of ants is a serious problem in the cucumber bed. Insects can destroy the seeds and damage the seedlings of cucumbers, so it is necessary pest control. To destroy insects, you can choose any method, the main thing is not to damage the plants and the crop.
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