How to Get Rid of Ant Piles on My Lawn
An ant infestation can cause numerous problems on a healthy, lush, green lawn, particularly during rainy seasons. When they construct small ant hills by bringing granulated soil to the surface, ants create unsightly mounds that can suffocate the surrounding grass. You can get rid of ant piles on your lawn with a number of home remedies, using natural elements or poisonous ones. Either way, within a short period of time you can be worry-free about these crawly insects.
Rake the ant piles out and even to ground level before applying any sprays or chemicals. Wear protective shoes and rake the ant hill from different angles throughout the grass every couple of days.
Use the home remedy of crushed black pepper if the ant activity hasn't subsided within one week after raking. Spread the crushed black pepper around the ant hills or where there is a lot of ant activity. Ants are repelled by the smell and flavor of black pepper and avoid building a nest near it. Be generous with the pepper, and spread it around every couple of days for another week to get rid of ants.
Kill the queen ant for larger ant piles on your lawn that are not deterred by home remedies. Wait until there hasn't been rain for about a week. Layer instant grits on the ant hill, so the worker ants can carry the grits to the queen to eat.
Lightly water the area around the ant hill. Once the queen drinks water after she eats the grits, the grits will expand and kill the queen. Once the queen is dead, the worker ants will perish as well, and you won't have to worry about ants rebuilding a nest. Unfortunately, some fire ant nests now have multiple queens as they have learned to adapt to pesticides, so this may not work for you.
Poison the ant piles if all else fails. Combine one cup borax, two-thirds cup sugar and one cup water. Soak cotton balls in this solution and place them around the ant hills. The ants will consume the mixture, resulting in death.
