Opening the compost bin and seeing it swarming with tiny black ants can be disheartening. While ants may seem harmless, an infestation can hamper the composting process. The good news is there are several effective, non-toxic methods to get ants out of your compost bin or pile. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll share smart techniques to deter ants and maintain a healthy compost system.
Why Ants Are Drawn to Compost
Ants are opportunistic insects constantly searching for an easy meal. A compost bin mimics their natural environment and provides food in the form of fruit and veggie scraps. Ants dig into compost piles looking for sweet foods like melon rinds, corn cobs, apple cores, and more. Protein sources like eggshells and tea bags also attract ants. Once they discover the bin, ants build nests and trails in the compost, recruiting more of their colony. While not harmful, large numbers of ants can cool compost and prevent proper heating.
Preventing Ants in Your Compost Bin
Stopping an ant invasion before it starts is the ideal approach Here are some key prevention tips
- Turn and mix the compost frequently to disrupt ant nests before they expand.
- Keep the compost evenly moist, but not soaked. Ants dislike damp conditions.
- Avoid adding high-sugar foods like fruit, sweets, juices or soda that contain sugars ants crave.
- Chop compostables into small pieces so they break down faster, leaving less food for ants.
- Bury new materials under 8-12 inches of existing compost to conceal them from ants.
- Cover food remains with dry materials like leaves, straw, or sawdust.
With proper composting practices, you can prevent ants from becoming an issue in the first place
How to Eliminate Ants in Your Compost Bin
If ants have already infiltrated the compost pile take action to eradicate them
Maintain proper moisture – Ants detest wet conditions. Water the compost regularly to keep 40-60% moisture. Use a stick to create channels for water absorption.
Turn and mix the compost – Aggressively turning and mixing the compost disrupts ant nests and runways. Repeat every few days until ants disappear.
Apply dry amendments – Covering the compost with 3-6 inches of straw, dry leaves, sawdust or wood chips makes the environment inhospitable to ants.
Introduce predators – Natural ant predators like spiders or ladybugs may enter compost on their own. You can purchase them to accelerate pest control.
Use ant repellents – Sprinkling cinnamon, cloves, citrus peels, peppermint or dried herbs like tansy around the bin repels ants with strong scents.
Set out ant traps – Liquid ant baits or trays of borax and sugar lure worker ants, which carry the poison back to the colony. Use cautiously around pets.
Invite birds – Birds devour ants and larvae. Attract them by adding birdbath drippings, crushed eggshells or birdseed to the compost.
Apply diatomaceous earth – Sprinkle this powdered fossilized algae on and around the bin. It kills ants by absorbing the wax from their exoskeletons and dehydrating them.
With determination and persistence, you can break the cycle of ants invading your compost. An ant-free bin means faster, more efficient composting.
Prevent Ants from Returning
Once you’ve succeeded in removing ants from the compost, take these steps to prevent re-infestations:
- Set up ant barriers like petroleum jelly or chalk around the bin. Ants avoid these substances.
- Move compost bins away from areas of high ant activity, like fruit trees or thick mulch.
- Eliminate food debris around the bin that might attract ants.
- Mix in cornmeal, which puffs up in ants’ digestive systems, deterring them.
- Add crushed mint, tansy, thyme or pennyroyal to repel ants with strong aromas.
- Apply used coffee grounds, which raise acidity levels to discourage ants.
- In extreme cases, sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the bin to desiccate ants.
With attentiveness and the right techniques, you can break the cycle of ants invading your compost. A bin free of ants enables faster, more productive composting.
When Ants in Compost Are Harmless
Occasionally, small numbers of ants may appear sporadically without dominating the compost pile. A few dozen transient ants are not necessarily problematic. The compost’s innate heat will likely eradicate them rapidly. As long as they don’t build permanent colonies, their presence can be tolerated.
Using Ants to Benefit Compost
In some instances, limited ant activity can improve compost. As insects, ants accelerate the decomposition of organic materials. Their movement aerates and mixes the compost, while their tunnels allow airflow.
As with any composting organism, moderation is crucial. A small, temporary ant population won’t cause issues. Remain observant for large influxes requiring action before ants get out of control.
Professional Help for Severe Compost Ants
If do-it-yourself methods continually fail to eliminate ants after 2-3 weeks, professional pest control may be warranted. Exterminators have commercial-grade insecticides, baits and treatment protocols. However, always choose non-toxic solutions for compost used in food gardens.
While ants are a prevalent compost pest, many effective solutions deter them without toxic chemicals. With mindful bin management and targeted ant control tactics, you can reclaim your compost and cultivate robust, nourishing gardens. A little determination goes a long way toward outsmarting ants.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ants in Compost
Why is my compost bin full of ants?
Ants in your compost likely signal that the pile is too dry and needs more moisture. Ants can easily tunnel through extremely dry compost. The ideal moisture level is 40-60%. Added moisture deters ants while providing water for compost microbes.
How do I get rid of ants in my compost bin?
Effective natural methods include maintaining proper moisture, frequently turning and mixing the compost, applying dry amendments like leaves or sawdust, using ant repellents, introducing ant predators, inviting insect-eating birds, and sprinkling diatomaceous earth.
Will ants kill the worms in my compost?
Most ant species won’t directly harm worms other than competing for food. However, some aggressive ants may kill worm eggs or young worms. Large worms are generally safe, as they’re too big for ants to attack. But ants can hamper reproduction and growth by depriving worms of needed nutrition.
How do I get rid of bugs in my compost?
Adding more dry matter like shredded leaves, paper, soil or sawdust makes conditions less hospitable for bugs. Maintaining the right moisture level also helps deter pests. Introducing beneficial predatory insects can provide natural pest control.
How do you keep ants out of a compost bin?
Preventive tactics like frequently turning the compost, burying food scraps, avoiding excess moisture, and sealing cracks keep ants from entering in the first place. Once ants are present, moisture, repellents, ant baits, diatomaceous earth and introducing ant predators help eliminate them.
What do ants eat?
Ants eat small insects and other invertebrates and their eggs, as well as plant sap, fruit, and aphid honeydew. Some ants are attracted by sugar and may come into your home if there’s an easily available food source.
Red ants (Myrmica) can sting, but for most people this is just a minor irritation. And red ants are less common in gardens. Other ants can bite, but rarely puncture the skin. You might feel an ant bite as a sharp pinch, which will stop when you brush the ant off your body.
Ant damage[image id=”157934″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” align=”none”] Ant carrying an egg into its underground nest. Getty Images
Ants cause very little damage in the garden, although if they build a nest in a plant pot then the rootball of the plant may be compromised and cause wilting of the plant. Ant hills in long grass can be annoying but not harmful to either the lawn or the garden. Ants are known to ‘farm’ aphids for their sweet-tasting honeydew and have been observed trying to disturb aphid predators in order to maintain large numbers of aphids on plants. This can result in plant damage.