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seeds Ants in seedling flats...

synclinorium

synclinorium

I knew I couldn't get through the whole overwintering process scot-free...

It seems a bunch of the tiny little buggers decided to move into my seedling trays. Got up this morning and their was a nice rim of dirt around the seed flats, I picked up one of the pots and there were quite a few ants scurrying about underneath. And before you ask, they are definitely not too dry, if anything I have been overwatering them. I haven't noticed any in my overwinter pots yet.

Any advice? I don't mind ants outdoors, even with their aphid farming habits, but indoors is another story. I'm wary of introducing anything that might harm the young plants, and to make things more complicated we have cats in the house so that rules out a bit...
 
i don't think there's anything that will work on them that is good to inhale... at least DE won't poison kids or cats...
 
My "pests & disease" teacher would say this, "ants are beneficial as they will help to aerate the soil. It is only when they farm Aphids that you should take action".

That said, you may not want ants in your house.

Either DE (you won't inhale it if you just sprinkle a little around the flats) or a good old fashioned ant bait trap. Or you can do manual intervention - repot the seedlings (assuming healthy enough root to avoid shock) an wipe up all surfaces with soapy water, erasing the chemical trail the little guys follow. While more work, this last bit is the most ant-friendly.
:cheers:
 
I had the same thing happen to my seed starts and seed mat. This is the first time I have seen ants in my starts. I did let my soil dry out a little too much (busy weekend) I cant figure out where they came from. The ants are very small and black, I live in north idaho and this time of year itis still hard frezzing at night. I am have never seen ants in any other of my house plants any time of the year or my house for that matter. Has anyone heard of ants/larva coming in seed plugs.... maybe they just moved inside at the right time and like hot peppers like Me...... I am trying tp keep them under control by kiling all ants I can find and all eggs and larva as well with good old dust buster and hand smashing. Ant VS Peppers continues
 
DE is awesome for indoor growing. I used some around my overwintered plants, and for good measure, treated some window sills to keep out aphids and gnats. Success! Bug free grow this winter.

If you can figure out where the ants are coming from, lay down a line of it and they can't cross. It is quite dusty when applying, but settles down and is still effective if kept dry.
 
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