ants
By Cheekynan
United Kingdom 
My garden seems to be full of ants. Last year they attacked my cherry blossom tree, stripping the bark, so I had to cut the tree down. Now they are all over my Rhododendron which is in a large pot.
Help please !
Janet.
6 Jun, 2008
Answers
Hi
I have put ant powder down on the patio area and also tried ant laquer. We seem to get a lot of ants every year, all my neighbours get them too, its worse when the flying ants come.
Will repot it once it has finished flowering,
thanks for the advice,
Jan
6 Jun, 2008
It was actually advice from Alan Titchmarsh himself! I read it just before I found the ants in my pot and took his advice...
6 Jun, 2008
Ah, Alan Titchmarsh....my gardening hero!
7 Jun, 2008
Well, even though he has diversified, he has worked his way up through all types of gardening and so I do accept his advice!
7 Jun, 2008
Previous question
« small round holes about 3cm wide are appearing in soil - what can they be?
Buy some Ant traps from the Garden Centre, Supermarket or DIY store. They do work. Are the ants actually in the pot? Unfortunately, if they are nesting, it would be better to take the shrub out, dispose of the compost and nest and re-pot. This is because the nest can disturb the roots and then your Rhododendron will suffer. I had to do that last year with a very big pot. I tipped it out onto a ground sheet to contain the mess. Then I raised the pot off the ground and put a trap underneath. This worked!
6 Jun, 2008