Ants in compost piles can be helpful if you know how to deal with them properly. Just make sure that only healthy ants live in your compost pile. Also, you’ll need to get rid of ants like fire ants that might attack your compost worms or make your compost heap not work right.
Many good bugs, like worms, will come to your compost pile and help break down your food scraps and make healthy compost. But when you get ants in a compost heap, you may understandably worry. Are these insects good or bad for your compost pile, and what can you do to control them?.
Lets look at how ants affect your compost bins and whether they hurt your compost worms.
Turning food scraps and yard waste into rich compost is deeply satisfying. But those composting efforts can hit a roadblock when ants invade your bin. Tiny black ants swarming over piles of organic matter may seem harmless. However, an ant infestation can hinder the composting process. The good news is there are effective, non-toxic ways to get ants out of your compost bin or heap. In this article, we’ll cover smart strategies to deter ants and maintain a thriving compost system.
Why Are Ants Attracted to Compost?
Ants are opportunistic insects always on the hunt for an easy meal. A backyard compost bin mimics their natural habitat and provides food in the form of fruit and vegetable scraps. Ants burrow into compost looking for sweet foods like melon rinds, corn cobs, apple cores, and more.
Protein sources like egg shells and tea bags also draw ants. Once they find the bin ants establish nests and trails in and around the compost recruiting more of their colony. While not harmful, high numbers of ants can cool compost and prevent it from heating up properly.
Preventing Ants in Compost Bins
Stopping ants before they get established is the best line of defense. Here are some key prevention tips:
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Turn and mix compost frequently to disrupt ant nests before they grow large.
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Keep compost consistently moist, but not soggy. Ants dislike damp conditions
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Avoid adding sugary foods like fruit, sweets, juices or soda, which contain sugars ants crave.
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Chop food scraps into small pieces so they break down faster, leaving less food for ants.
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Bury new compostables under 8-12 inches of existing compost to hide them from ants.
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Sprinkle dry materials like leaves, straw, or sawdust over the compost to cover food remains.
With good composting practices, you can stop ants before they become a nuisance.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Compost Bins
If ants have already infiltrated your compost pile take action to get rid of them
Maintain Proper Moisture
Ants detest wet conditions. Water your compost regularly to maintain 40-60% moisture. Use a stick to make channels for water penetration.
Turn and Mix the Compost
Aggressively turning and mixing compost disrupts ant nests and runways. Repeat every few days until ants disappear.
Apply Dry Amendments
Covering 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 buy them to speed up pest control.
Use Ant Repellents
Sprinkling cinnamon, cloves, citrus peels, peppermint or dried herbs like tansy around the bin repel ants with strong scents.
Set Out Ant Traps
Liquid ant baits or trays of borax and sugar lure worker ants, which take the poison back to the colony. Use with caution around pets.
Invite Birds
Birds devour ants and larvae. Entice them by adding birdbath drippings, crushed eggshells or birdseed to the compost.
Prevent Ants from Returning
Once you’ve succeeded in removing ants from your compost, take these steps to stop re-infestations:
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Set up ant barriers like petroleum jelly or chalk around the compost bin. Ants avoid these substances.
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Move compost bins away from areas of high ant activity, like sweet trees or heavy mulch.
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Eliminate food debris around the bin that can attract ants.
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Mix in cornmeal, which puffs up in ants’ digestive systems, deterring them.
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Add crushed mint, tansy, thyme or pennyroyal to repel ants with strong scents.
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Apply used coffee grounds, which raise acidity levels to repel ants.
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In extreme cases, sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the bin. The powder desiccates ants’ exoskeletons.
With persistence and the right tactics, you can break the cycle of ants invading your compost. A bin free of ants means faster, more efficient composting.
When Ants in Compost Are Harmless
Occasionally, small numbers of ants may show up sporadically without taking over a compost pile. A few dozen transient ants are not necessarily a problem. The compost’s natural heat will likely kill them off quickly. As long as they don’t establish permanent colonies, their presence can be tolerated.
Using Ants to Benefit Compost
In some cases, limited ant activity in compost can be beneficial. As insects, ants can speed up the breakdown of organic materials. Their movement aerates and mixes the compost, while their tunnels allow for airflow.
As with any composting life form, moderation is key. A small, transitory ant population will cause no issues. Just be vigilant for large influxes requiring action before the ants get out of control.
When to Seek Help with Compost Ants
If do-it-yourself remedies fail to eliminate ants from your compost over two to three weeks, you may need professional pest control. Exterminators have commercial-grade insecticides, baits and treatment methods. However, always opt for non-toxic solutions around compost used for food gardens.
Although ants are a common compost pest, there are many effective ways to deter them without harsh chemicals. With attentive bin management and targeted ant control methods, you can reclaim your compost and enjoy lush, nutritious gardens. A little patience and persistence goes a long way in outsmarting ants.
Will Ants Kill My Compost Worms?
Just so you know, almost no ants will go out of their way to hurt or kill worms or other bugs in your compost pile. Most of the ants you find in compost are not there to kill worms but to find food. Furthermore, many ant species are attracted to and eat the same food types that a worm composter eats. As a result, you may not need to discourage ants or kill ants in your heap.
Still, some ants will kill young worms and eat their eggs in their own colony. These more aggressive ants might not bother big worms because they are too big, but they can keep your young worms from growing to their full potential. In the same way, even ants that aren’t mean can kill your worms by competing for food in your compost and leaving them hungry.
Benefits of Having Ants in Your Compost
Ants provide a surprising array of benefits to your compost bin. For example, ants help increase biodiversity by bringing fungus and other unique and beneficial organisms into your compost.
You can add new things to your compost and they will help break down new food waste, both green and brown. These microorganisms can help your pile compost faster and make a wider range of food times. This may keep natural predators and invasive species away from your pile.
Ants also tunnel throughout compost and may extend their colony here, which helps aerate the compost more.
It helps the compost break down, lets more air into the tunnels, and breaks down sharp pieces in the pile faster. This method might help your compost keep its moisture and help the food scraps and organic matter break down in your pile. This level of moisture in your pile is important to keep good bacteria in and pests out that could hurt your compost.
Interestingly, ants also prey on harmful pests while bringing fungi to your garden and compost. This process gets rid of unwanted insects and pests and protects the plants around your garden.
How to Get Ants Out of Your Compost
FAQ
Why is my compost bin full of ants?
How do I get rid of ants in my bin?
Will ants kill my compost worms?
How do I get rid of bugs in my compost?
How do you get rid of ants in compost?
If the compost is extremely dry, the ants can tunnel right through it. When it comes to composting, the ideal moisture content is around 40 to 60 percent. If ants are present, you may be able to deter them with some added moisture while providing the water the compost microbes needs to flourish. Add an Organic Pesticide.
Can you keep ants out of a compost bin?
Keeping ants out of the compost bin is one of the most difficult problems I’ve ever had to deal with. Ants are rarely useful in composting; instead, they tend to cause more harm than good. And once these industrious little things get established in your compost pile, it can be a nightmare trying to get rid of them for good.
How do I get rid of fire ants in my compost pile?
If fire ants are a problem, look for ant baits that contain spinosad, which is available in several organic ant baits. This organic method of fire ant control works best when it’s an attractive alternative to your compost pile. What would make it attractive? Proximity to the nest in most cases. Follow the ant trail, if you can.
How do I get rid of ants in my garden?
There may be times when you want to get rid of ants if they’re invasive or particularly problematic in your garden. If you want to get rid of ants from compost, drench it with cold water, add cornmeal, or use diatomaceous earth or nematodes. Cornmeal can also benefit your compost, giving microorganisms in the system food.
