Question

Question for you lovey people. i have strawberry plants and a gooseberry bush. But they succumb to ants last year (We have 100s of the little pests) they are in pots and have netting for birds. How can I stop the ants eating away at the fruit?  

Answer 1

Pour white vinegar around it , it's supposed to make them leave area

Answer 2

Water in the plates under pots. Sprinkle Diatomaceous earth powder on the soil. It deals with pests, mealy bugs, ants, roaches, etc.  

Comments

Also needs to be food grade de powder as its safe for up and pets if ingested. i use ot alot. also use as natural wormer and deflea treatment :)

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@hundley996 Yup, missed that.  Food grade DE please .  

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@hundley996 Yup, I too have to use pretty much only this. Two cats in the flat. So, I use it on anything the plants are attacked by. Works almost always  

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Will this hurt birds? I have feeder's and wouldn't want to kill them. Also do you know of anything that kills slugs? I have a dog and must be careful of what I apply.  

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@dye98217 It says pet and bird safe. The packaging, and product description online read as follows, 'Insects can not develop immunity against it, since it kills them mechanically by damaging their cuticle and dehydrating them Just sprinkle it thoroughly in affected areas such as plants leaves or around plants, or rub it thoroughly on your dogs body. ' I've not had to apply it on the cats but they are unperturbed. Small birds visit the balcony garden and have not stopped visiting. You'll need to re-apply/sprinkle powder a few times for it to be affected. It's a fine powder so it does get wet in pots and also shifts from the floor quite easily. So re-apply as necessary. Cover your mouth and nose when applying as it's a fine powder, and you may accidentally breathe it in. Come to think of it I haven't seen slugs in a while but that could be on account of winter. Can't confirm about slugs.  

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@bedstead thank you for your help!  

Answer 3

I don't have this problem thank goodness. But I was looking for organic insecticide and came across one on Google that used chilli mixed with water. Worth a try even just on the leaves and pots. There is a product called eco-oil which my son swears by. But he's in Auz and in this country they only seem to sell it in huge containers that cost a fortune. He can buy it in small bottles. ☹️

Answer 4

Could you move the pots away from the ants to a part of your garden that’s ant free?  

Answer 5

I loose all the leaves but whatever it is they don't touch the gooseberry