While ants aren’t typically considered pests, they can severely affect the health and appearance of grasses. The importance of ant control on the lawn becomes clear when you consider that the mound-forming behavior of insects can cause not only ugly mounds, but root damage to the lawn as well. Anthills in the lawn can be dangerous for both pedestrians and mower blades. If you have a lot of ants in your lawn that cause yellow and brown spots, you should use natural means to drive them away – we explain how to do this below!
Why do I have so many ants in the lawn?
There is a chance that an ant colony will settle in your garden. It is possible for you to have access to water, shelter and food right in your own backyard. By looking at the conditions that make your garden so attractive to ants, you can find out how to get rid of these insects forever and prevent them from returning.
Entire lawn is infested with ants due to water sources
Anthills in your garden could be caused by leaking pipes, which is one of the likely explanations. Ants are attracted to the area because water seeping into the garden attracts ants, and these ants leave behind a scent that attracts other ants.
The conditions in your soil are just right for ants to thrive
For building their nests, ants prefer sandy soil or other soil that is dry and has good drainage. They also enjoy plenty of sunlight. Anthills can take shape in your grass if it has bare patches or is otherwise not thriving.
Lots of ants in the lawn – food sources
Ant infestation is more likely in areas where garbage cans are stored outside, especially in the garden. Ants are attracted to food, and they are particularly interested in sugary and sweet foods. There are a variety of potential food sources in your garden, including other insects, fruits, mushrooms, vegetables and more, so you probably have a lot of ants in your lawn.
After a few ants have explored your garden, the real colony will eventually arrive. Once the insects have found a source of food, water, and shelter, they produce a pheromone that other ants in the area can sense and then follow to get there.
The Impact of Ants on Your Lawn – Brown and Yellow Spots
A significant number of ant species build their nests in or under lawns. They do best on lawns that are not compacted and have good drainage. Because of this, even well-maintained lawns run the risk of being overrun by ants.
But not every ant is negative. They feed on other insects that may be present in your lawn, and the nests they build can even help aerate the lawn.
However, they leave the soil they dig up on the surface of your lawn as they continue digging. These anthills can have several effects on your weed:
- They can cause your lawn to become uneven.
- They make mowing the lawn more difficult because the mower blades get caught in the clods of earth.
- They also eat through the root area of grass as they form their colonies. It is therefore important to remove the grass under the mounds of earth, especially if the lawn has just been mowed. Because of this, there may be areas where the grass has died.
Lots of ants in the lawn – drive them away with home remedies
You can use natural ant repellents.
Various scents as a repellent – chili pepper, cinnamon & Co.
Place a cinnamon stick, chili pepper, paprika powder, or dried peppermint leaves next to the anthills in the lawn to keep them away. Ants can be repelled from the lawn by planting mint or cloves nearby. You can also sprinkle garlic cloves along the outdoor ant trails.
How to get rid of ants – Lemon helps
Ants seem to have a strong aversion to the scent of lemons and are uncomfortable with the acidity. This could be because the acid is harmful to certain types of fungi that these insects often use as a food source. Even more problematic for the ants is the fact that the strong lemon scent can cover their tracks, making it harder for them to navigate the environment. However, this does not harm or kill the insects. You will just avoid going in that direction.
Place some lemon zest on the spots where ants are likely to invade your grass to take advantage of the lemon’s natural ability to deter these insects. You can also try squeezing some lemon juice and spraying it near the anthills.
Coffee grounds against ants in the garden
Ants have a strong aversion to the smell of coffee grounds. Incidentally, this applies to a whole range of insects, including mosquitoes. The best part is that it is biodegradable and you can recycle your old coffee grounds. Simply spread some of the coffee grounds on the grass. As a result, the insects will no longer approach so quickly.