Ants in the garden are beneficial like many other insects and have a purpose in the ecosystem, but when there are already too many ants in your garden, they will put your strawberries at risk. Learn how to get rid of ants on strawberry plants in a natural and environmentally friendly way.
Ants can make a mess of the garden and can also get inside the house to invade any food. With this in mind, many people are looking for some solution to get rid of ants or at least chase them away.
There are many kinds of insecticides on the market that can help eliminate ants; however, these types of products are loaded with toxic chemicals that can be harmful. Therefore, we propose some natural alternatives to get rid of ants on strawberry plants.
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Do Ants Eat Strawberries?
Yes, they do. Ants are known to eat strawberries. They are attracted to the sweetness of ripe strawberries and can be commonly found around fruit-bearing plants, including strawberry patches. Ants are opportunistic feeders and will consume a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, nectar, and other sugary substances. If you have strawberries or other sweet foods outdoors, it is not uncommon to see ants gathering around them.
That is why it is important to protect your strawberry crop from ants and employ different strategies to eliminate or remove ants.
Recommended reading: Best Companion Plants for Strawberries (and Plants to Avoid)
How to Get Rid of Ants on Strawberry Plants
Normally, when you find ants on strawberries or any type of plant, you will also find aphids along with the ants. Aphids produce honeydew and ants use honeydew as a food source. Most of the following methods for getting rid of ants on strawberry plants are also effective in eliminating aphids.
All the options that we will name in this article to get rid of ants on strawberry plants are ecological. We prefer to avoid using chemicals in the garden, and even less if it is for plants that produce food that will later be consumed.
Garlic Water to Get Rid of Ants on Strawberry Plants
The sulfur compounds and odor of garlic are very irritating to ants. This natural ingredient helps repel ants and keeps the strawberry plant protected. According to this study conducted by Washington State University, it could be due to its strong antiparasitic action.
It is very easy to prepare garlic water, place several cloves of garlic in a pot with water for 24 hours. After that time, heat over low heat for 15 minutes. Place the garlic water in a spray bottle and spray it on the strawberry plant.
Rice For Eliminating Ants from Strawberry Plants
Rice can eliminate ants when fermented inside their nest. Ants carry the rice grains to their nest, and then these rice grains ferment by the action of a fungus. The fungus releases spores that will kill the ants in the nest.
Simply sprinkle rice near the ants’ nest or on the trail where you see ants. Then the heat will cause the rice to ferment in the ants’ nest, and this will help get rid of the ants on strawberry plants.
Orange Peels as a Natural Insecticide
Orange peels are also excellent for getting rid of ants on strawberry plants. Also, orange peels are effective against other insects such as mosquitoes and cockroaches. A scientific study at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria proved the efficacy of orange peels as an insecticide on insects.
Chop the orange peel into very small pieces and spread them near the ants’ nest. You can also put some orange peel around the strawberry plant.
Moreover, you can use a strawberry plant support to keep the berries away from ants and wet soil, thus preventing fungal diseases.
- Every Pack including 2 rails, 4 stakes and connecting rod that make up a complete strawberry stand.
- Easy to assemble, fit the support around your existing plants, snap together two ends, lock buttons and gently insert legs of the support into the ground.
White Pepper to Repel and Scare Away Ants
White pepper has compounds that repel and repel ants, according to this research conducted by the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa), to prevent them from invading the strawberry plant or garden. If you want to get rid of ants on strawberry plants, be sure to try it.
The preparation of this compound is very simple, mix equal parts white pepper powder and water. Then spray this mixture on and around the strawberry plant. You can also sprinkle this mixture on the ants’ nest or on the trail they walk along.
Ant Repellent Plants
Another excellent way to get rid of ants on strawberry plants is to put in plants that repel ants. You should plant some of these ant repelling plants as close to your strawberry plants as possible. The plants that repel ants are the following:
These herbs will keep ants away because they do not like the smell of these plants. The great advantage of these herbs is that they are easy to care for and very fast-growing.
Diatomaceous Earth to Get Rid of Ants on Strawberry Plants
Diatomaceous earth is a mineral extracted from diatomite, which is a siliceous sedimentary rock formed by the accumulation of fossil diatoms in lakes and seas of the past.
Although diatomaceous earth does not have an insecticidal action by poisoning, its activity is through dehydration. The outer layer of the insects is lost by abrasion or absorption of the sharp edges of the small silica crystals that form the diatoms, when the insect loses protection against water loss, desiccation occurs, and it dies.
Simply spread some diatomaceous earth around your strawberry plants. You can also spread diatomaceous earth in the ants’ nests. Learn more about how to use diatomaceous earth.
- Say Goodbye to Bugs – Kills a variety crawling insects including roaches, ants, fleas, silverfish, earwigs, bedbugs, and more
Cedar Chip Mulch to Get Rid of Ants on Strawberry Plants
Cedar chip mulch helps repel ants, especially the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). Normally mulch is used to conserve soil moisture and protect the roots of the plants but in this case, it will be used to repel ants from the strawberry plants.
The mulch must be cedar mulch because what repels ants is a substance released by cedar called thujone.
Final Tips to Avoid Ants on Strawberry Plants
The solutions listed above are excellent for getting rid of ants on the strawberry plant. But there are also certain things to do in the garden to avoid ants.
The main thing is not to use too much nitrogen fertilizer or fertilizers with too much nitrogen. Plants that are fertilized with too much nitrogen attract aphids, remember that ants go where there are aphids because of the honeydew that aphids secrete.
We hope this article on how to get rid of ants on strawberry plants will be of great help. Learn more about how to grow strawberry from stolon.
