As I grow many tropical plants in a nice, light, perlite-laden, sandy soil I have sometimes experienced problems with ant colonies in my pots. Some of my little trees have pots too large to be completely submerged in water and so I need other solutions. Here are a few:
What you could try is to do whatever you did before to clear out the ants but, then, circle the pot with a think line of dish washing soap and make certain no part of it touches anything else. Another thing to do is to fill a container with water and prop the plant in the center, making certain, again, that no part of the plant touches anything else. Most ants will not cross water or soap and will go elsewhere.
The borax is great if the ants are of the type that will eat it but, sometimes, the ants are not interested. Sevin (
Carbaryl - Wikipedia ), if you can get it in Spain, will very quickly wipe them out.
I sometimes use Artemisia absinthium to clear the ants out but that is not always an easy plant to find and the leaves must be fresh and enough leaves are needed for every pot. The types of ants we have here avoid the plant and by putting some freshly picked leaves on top of the soil, it sends the ants scurrying, their young in tow.
Hybrid Mode
