Jump to content

How to get rid of weaver ants


Recommended Posts

I am not sure if it is the correct name but they certainly weave leaves together to build a nest. They are light brown to yellow and very agressive and I am sute that they can jump to attack you. I have been awayy a long time from my house and now I see plenty see several of there nests in a small garden plot we have. When I feel brave I have cut the nest down and thrown it over the wall (not to the neighbor) but there are plenty left and I am to afraid to venture inte the bushes to search for more nests.

 

Does anyone have any bright ideas of how to get rid of them or make them move, they  are not wellcome here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, lassebasse said:

I am not sure if it is the correct name but they certainly weave leaves together to build a nest. They are light brown to yellow and very agressive and I am sute that they can jump to attack you. I have been awayy a long time from my house and now I see plenty see several of there nests in a small garden plot we have. When I feel brave I have cut the nest down and thrown it over the wall (not to the neighbor) but there are plenty left and I am to afraid to venture inte the bushes to search for more nests.

 

Does anyone have any bright ideas of how to get rid of them or make them move, they  are not wellcome here.

 

In some provinces, people eat their eggs. Just let it be known you wish to get rid of them and someone will show up.

 

Cutting and picking the nests can be dangerous. Two ways to go about it are (a) place a bucket (the bigger the better) filled with water directly under it before hand, or (2) smoke them out. Either a green leaf/branch pile under nest, or a small flame/charcoal on a long bamboo stick. We had some success driving away bees using a bamboo stick with a vinegar soaked sponge on top, don't know if same works on ants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a ton of horrible advice above. I have been using powdered boric acid for years (see photo) . Cheap, sold everywhere, easy to use, totally effective. A generous puff directly into the nest and they're dropping like flies. Harmless to humans and pets. 

IMG_20210307_142000.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/6/2021 at 9:50 AM, lassebasse said:

I am not sure if it is the correct name but they certainly weave leaves together to build a nest. They are light brown to yellow and very agressive and I am sute that they can jump to attack you. I have been awayy a long time from my house and now I see plenty see several of there nests in a small garden plot we have. When I feel brave I have cut the nest down and thrown it over the wall (not to the neighbor) but there are plenty left and I am to afraid to venture inte the bushes to search for more nests.

 

Does anyone have any bright ideas of how to get rid of them or make them move, they  are not wellcome here.

 

Don't.

 

They are highly efficient at destroying insect pests and will take on birds and bats as well.

 

They are especially valued as protectors of Mango trees/fruit.

 

Google "Benefits of Weaver Ants".

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

Don't.

 

They are highly efficient at destroying insect pests and will take on birds and bats as well.

 

They are especially valued as protectors of Mango trees/fruit.

 

Google "Benefits of Weaver Ants".

 

 

 

 

I'm convinced they're good pollinators of fruit trees too, as they scramble over blossom keeping other insects away.. 

 

If you find some actually building their nest, watch them doing it - absolutely fascinating, even if it takes a bit of your time. Cooperation at its best. 

Weaver Ants 1.JPG

Weaver Ants 2.JPG

Weaver Ants 3.JPG

Edited by MartinL
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, LawrenceN said:

There is a ton of horrible advice above. I have been using powdered boric acid for years (see photo)

So anything you do not like you poison out of existence. What is wrong and hard about encouraging them to move on, instead of killing anything you do not like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really good for the garden I would leave well alone unless you are allergic. They're not really aggressive unless you mess with their nest. I don't have any in my garden now since the wife took out the mango tree and we are now plagued by other bugs which destroy our veggies and fruit. Never a problem when we had the weaver ants, they killed them all. I want them to come back, so be careful what you wish for.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

Really good for the garden I would leave well alone unless you are allergic. They're not really aggressive unless you mess with their nest. I don't have any in my garden now since the wife took out the mango tree and we are now plagued by other bugs which destroy our veggies and fruit. Never a problem when we had the weaver ants, they killed them all. I want them to come back, so be careful what you wish for.

 

A few years ago, one large nest dropped on its own (wind?) from one of the high up branches in MiL's place. Came down on SiL's car, with the result being a host of angry ants crawling in and over. The lower hanging ones, are about a not-too-tall person's head. Can easily knock them if not paying attention, if it's a new nest or if you happen to carry garden tools.

 

It's not so much intentionally messing with them, but what they see as messing with them. For me, whatever good they may do, isn't worth the hassle and the bites.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
On 3/7/2021 at 2:25 PM, LawrenceN said:

There is a ton of horrible advice above. I have been using powdered boric acid for years (see photo) . Cheap, sold everywhere, easy to use, totally effective. A generous puff directly into the nest and they're dropping like flies. Harmless to humans and pets. 

IMG_20210307_142000.jpg

Speaking of horrible advice...

"Boric acid is not safe for humans. Boric acid poisoning may be acute or chronic. Acute poisoning occurs when individuals swallow powdered cockroach-killing products that contain boric acid. Chronic poisoning occurs when individuals are repeatedly exposed to boric acid."

https://www.medicinenet.com/is_boric_acid_safe_for_humans/article.htm

Edited by placeholder
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, placeholder said:

Speaking of horrible advice...

"Boric acid is not safe for humans. Boric acid poisoning may be acute or chronic. Acute poisoning occurs when individuals swallow powdered cockroach-killing products that contain boric acid. Chronic poisoning occurs when individuals are repeatedly exposed to boric acid."

https://www.medicinenet.com/is_boric_acid_safe_for_humans/article.htm

ants.thumb.JPG.aa87c81f05e6bd59aab0718b3c18d945.JPG

Two years ago I was unable to find Borax anywhere, places that sold it before had none. This was shortly after a murder case using Borax. This product, Chaindrite,  is much, much less toxic to humans.

The above stuff is very easy to use, cheap and I have seen it in BigC and Makro, A second application may be necessary after a month or two.

As for the "You want to poison everything" comments, I would like to see how you work in the garden or prune a hedge infested with these things. You'll get hundreds on you before they start biting in sync.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, cooked said:

ants.thumb.JPG.aa87c81f05e6bd59aab0718b3c18d945.JPG

Two years ago I was unable to find Borax anywhere, places that sold it before had none. This was shortly after a murder case using Borax. This product, Chaindrite,  is much, much less toxic to humans.

The above stuff is very easy to use, cheap and I have seen it in BigC and Makro, A second application may be necessary after a month or two.

As for the "You want to poison everything" comments, I would like to see how you work in the garden or prune a hedge infested with these things. You'll get hundreds on you before they start biting in sync.

 

Just for the record, borax is not the same thing as boric acid.

As for Chaindrite, don't use it near a pond or anything containing aquatic life.

Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide. It is widely used against ant infestations, including the invasive red fire ant, by influencing its nervous system. It has a high toxicity to aquatic organisms. It is not a restricted chemical in the United States, and is sold for household use in low concentration.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifenthrin

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...