Ants are gonna do what they are gonna do. Im by no means an expert, but I personally wouldn’t care
Flake_bender
It’s not really a problem, unless you’re allergic to ants or something like that.
JoyfulJoy94
I put DE around my compost because I got sick of them biting me every time I went to check on my bin. They were gone in less than a day
taliauli
They don’t do anything bad to the compost. I had a humongous fire ant colony in mine and it actually stopped rats and possums from digging in there. They also stopped me digging in there though lol so I eventually spot treated with some boiling water
Thirsty-Barbarian
When you were a kid, didn’t you always want an Ant Farm? Now you have one!
Different-Tourist129
Too dry, add water and then turn (hopefully the ants will have dispersed by this point due to the watering)
Compost should be as damp as a wrung out cloth
Rude_Ad_3915
I keep an old rain barrel with holes drilled in it next to my plot in the community garden and toss weeds in there. It’s full of ants at the top. I found out when I reached in with my hand to turn it and got “attacked”. Annoying but not problematic. I obviously need to pee in there and turn it but they aren’t hurting it.
buttmunch3
similarly to earthworms, ants are really good for aerating soil!!
Bigram03
Unless the ants in question are fire and I do not care.
Fire ants though will die.
copperspike
Healthy compost harbours insect life. Insects, arachnids, bacteria and fungi and other microorganisms all worm in tandem to break down compost into the most fertile soil you can get
al3mbic
What is this? A center for ants!?
Neither_Conclusion_4
The ants invade my compost every year, during a dry period. I just add more moisture and a few weeks later its usually very few ants left.
studeboob
I would mix it
Apprehensive-Ease-40
I’ve heard that adding nematodes to your compost helps both the composting process and with getting rid of ants. They’re often sold as an ant remedy over here, maybe someone has experience with it?
I personally try to keep ants out of certain parts of my yard, especially the fruit trees and near the house, for which I use diatomaceous earth, which I only used to use to keep blood lice away from my chickens. It works really well on ants. Might be worth a shot too. I don’t think it should hurt the beneficial creatures in your pile.
CompostConfessional
Don’t worry, just join in. Compost knows best. You should team up with ants too.
17 Comments
Ants are gonna do what they are gonna do. Im by no means an expert, but I personally wouldn’t care
It’s not really a problem, unless you’re allergic to ants or something like that.
I put DE around my compost because I got sick of them biting me every time I went to check on my bin. They were gone in less than a day
They don’t do anything bad to the compost. I had a humongous fire ant colony in mine and it actually stopped rats and possums from digging in there. They also stopped me digging in there though lol so I eventually spot treated with some boiling water
When you were a kid, didn’t you always want an Ant Farm? Now you have one!
Too dry, add water and then turn (hopefully the ants will have dispersed by this point due to the watering)
Compost should be as damp as a wrung out cloth
I keep an old rain barrel with holes drilled in it next to my plot in the community garden and toss weeds in there. It’s full of ants at the top. I found out when I reached in with my hand to turn it and got “attacked”. Annoying but not problematic. I obviously need to pee in there and turn it but they aren’t hurting it.
similarly to earthworms, ants are really good for aerating soil!!
Unless the ants in question are fire and I do not care.
Fire ants though will die.
Healthy compost harbours insect life. Insects, arachnids, bacteria and fungi and other microorganisms all worm in tandem to break down compost into the most fertile soil you can get
What is this? A center for ants!?
The ants invade my compost every year, during a dry period. I just add more moisture and a few weeks later its usually very few ants left.
I would mix it
I’ve heard that adding nematodes to your compost helps both the composting process and with getting rid of ants. They’re often sold as an ant remedy over here, maybe someone has experience with it?
I personally try to keep ants out of certain parts of my yard, especially the fruit trees and near the house, for which I use diatomaceous earth, which I only used to use to keep blood lice away from my chickens. It works really well on ants. Might be worth a shot too. I don’t think it should hurt the beneficial creatures in your pile.
Don’t worry, just join in. Compost knows best. You should team up with ants too.
Beneficial nematodes can help
What is this? A center for ants??