Insects

[Dirtmechanic]

I feel bad for the first lightning bugs...I see them flashing but no answer. Still it is a favorite thing for me as a Southerner since we avoid the heat of the day and operate predawn and post sunset just for some heat relief.

 

[YumYum]

Just noticed today the Japanese Beetle has spawn and trying to figure out which plants to eat on.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Just noticed today the Japanese Beetle has spawn and trying to figure out which plants to eat on.

I like the pheremone traps for.them. I have to pay attention to the prevailing wind and.place the traps in the path as they come upwind to the garden

 

[YumYum]

I've never tried them nor know what they look like. Sounds like a good ideal.

 

[olly-buckle]

The missus hates ants and wanted to spread ant powder everywhere. I get two bits of slate, mix ant powder and syrup, smear it on the slate and then put them down as a sandwich with a few matchsticks between them to make a gap big enough for ants and nothing much else. They collect it and take it back to the nest to feed to their young, no ants and not much poison spread about.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

The missus hates ants and wanted to spread ant powder everywhere. I get two bits of slate, mix ant powder and syrup, smear it on the slate and then put them down as a sandwich with a few matchsticks between them to make a gap big enough for ants and nothing much else. They collect it and take it back to the nest to feed to their young, no ants and not much poison spread about.

I like boric acid nectar for ants and others. Just in case a pet gets into it if for no other reason. I add yeast and more sugar water to it for luring male mosquitoes.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Yeah, I think I need to break out some boron and sugar for the ants. I'm getting ant hills all over between my new patio pavers. I've read about several home brew methods where sugar and Borax is mixed as ant bait.

 

[DrCase]

I sprinkled taro ant killer on my sand before I laid my paver’s
It seamed too help

 

[Dirtmechanic]

I sprinkled taro ant killer on my sand before I laid my paver’s
It seamed too help

Taro? Like yucca root or elephants ear?Do spill?

Seamed? lol caught that dad joke btw

 

[DrCase]

Taro? Like yucca root or elephants ear?Do spill?

Seamed? lol caught that dad joke btw

Lol …..TERRO ant killer

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Lol …..TERRO ant killer

Thank God you said that because I was already getting out the blender and some excuses for my wife about her taro.You know Doctors are famous for bad spelling so you get a pass! Just be careful because in the future someone might burn down their house. Too bad you cannot share my poor reputation, since few would listen to me!

I saw those last pictures of your garden in another site. They were sublime. What have you done since?

 

[Mr_Yan]

I sprinkled taro ant killer on my sand before I laid my paver’s
It seamed too help

Well it's a mite bit late now.

From some quick searches Borax is an herbicide so not sure I want that running off my patio. Maybe I do an annual blast out of the paver cracks with air and top them off with a mix of sand and terro or taro or both.

My wife sometimes say I don't listen to either Doctors or Mechanics.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Well it's a mite bit late now.

From some quick searches Borax is an herbicide so not sure I want that running off my patio. Maybe I do an annual blast out of the paver cracks with air and top them off with a mix of sand and terro or taro or both.

My wife sometimes say I don't listen to either Doctors or Mechanics.

Wisdom comes from personal experience. Herbicide? Yes I can see it but what does a 1% concoction mean in that area? By weight of course.

 

[olly-buckle]

@Mr Yan. Borax for ants, mix it up with enough sugar to make a paste, smear it on a piece of slate and put a few matchsticks on it, then another piece of slate on top. That leaves a gap just big enough for ants, so you don't kill all the bigger things like beetles, and the ants will collect it and feed it to their larvae, end of nest. The top slate should stop the rain washing it off and into your beds as well.

 

[DrCase]

Well it's a mite bit late now.

From some quick searches Borax is an herbicide so not sure I want that running off my patio. Maybe I do an annual blast out of the paver cracks with air and top them off with a mix of sand and terro or taro or both.

My wife sometimes say I don't listen to either Doctors or Mechanics.

You still have time . My pavers are on a hill and settle down once in awhile, when I lift them up to add sand , I sprinkle more TERRO before I set them back down

 

[olly-buckle]

Borax is soluble, surely you could simply let a solution soak between the pavers without it running off if you were careful. A tablespoon-full to a cup-full is the proportion, and if you add a bit of sugar they will lap it up. I still favour the slates and matchsticks though, ants are about the only thing small enough to access it.