Fellow Gardeners:
As many of you know, ants are a problem in our garden, and since 2012, we have had a program to reduce and control ants. Please read below to learn more about what we do to control these pests.
Why do we need to control ants?
The Argentine ants that we have in our garden are both annoying to us when we garden, but more importantly, they protect crop-damaging insects such as scale, mealybugs, aphids and other plant piercing sucking insects to harvest their sweet secretion called honeydew. These insects carry bacteria and viruses from plant to plant and can be very destructive to our plants.
What are we doing at the AVCG garden to help control ants?
We have 19 ant bait station filled with ant bait placed throughout the garden using
the KM AntPro® insect activated bait dispensing system, (NOP) certified organic. The KM AntPro System works to destroy the ants and their colonies.
What is the Plan for 2016/2017 for ants at the AVCG? (based on our experience and satellite image of our garden input from Ken Kupfer the founder of KM AntPro)
- There are 13 permanent stations, placed strategically in Plots.
- There are 4 stations placed in the corners of the garden.
- There are 2 stations (Floaters) that can be moved to Plots that are having ant problems for short term assistance.
- Ant Control Crew members will monitor the stations and fill with bait when required.
The Goal at AVCG is to continue to reduce our Ant population thereby protecting our garden plants from disease and allowing beneficial insects to help with overall productivity.
If you are experiencing an Ant Invasion: or have questions about our ant control program, please feel free to e-mail us avcg@uci.edu
More info on Bait Stations:
“Refillable Bait Stations for Argentine Ant Management
Currently the most effective baits available to consumers for Argentine ants are the borate-based baits. Prepackaged bait stations usually contain 5.4% borate. They can be effective at killing foragers in the home but are less effective at managing major infestations, because foragers are killed before they can bring the bait back to the colony.
Liquid borate products with a lower percentage of active ingredient (0.5 to 1.0% concentration in a sugar-water solution) will have more impact on the colony, although it may take several days to a week to see results and they need to be used in larger, refillable bait stations. Products with the lower concentration of borates (e.g., Gourmet Liquid Ant Bait) are registered for home use but are difficult to find in stores and may have to be ordered online.
Several refillable bait stations are available including the Ant Café, Antopia, Ant-No-More, and KM AntPro. University of California research with the KM AntPro dispenser has shown that it can be effective when properly installed and maintained outside the home. Usually at least one dispenser is installed around each side of a house and placed in shady areas where ants trail. Stations must be checked regularly and refilled as necessary. For more information about installation and maintenance, see the video on refillable bait stations.” (Rust and Choe 2012).
Reference: Rust, M.K., and Choe, D.-H. 2012. “Ants.” PEST NOTES, Number 7411. Retrieved from: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7411.html