Bugs in my potted veggies

Check out this place:
www.gardensalive.com

ants are easy.

give 'em a poisoned house...

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/ants.htm

Thank you for that.
While reading about the ants I have -
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/odorous.htm

I just realized that I can combine boric acid with honey. Put that on a little metal beer top and place it directly on the soil. They will feed that honey to the entire colony.

( pulls out pretend guns )
Die bastards DIE!!

that's all ant traps are basically

Yeah. I realized that.

it was a ... duh moment Pinky. Im finding them harder and harder to avoid.

I continue to rely on my magnifing glass, you can hear the ants POP.

tastes like chicken

This borax thing re ants looked interesting so I've been googling for a bit. (I use it with flour and cocoa for in-house cockroach control, and it works, knock on wood).

I don't know how correct this website is, but it rings a bell, re boron and soil. The landarch firm I was associated with had a client with soil boron that was a problem, but I barely paid attention as it wasn't my problem at the time, just a word flying around across the room (enough going on already).

So - I'd read this and check it out before putting a borax ingredient in your yard or in your yard ants, or maybe even by outdoor potted plants -
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ipm/msg0622204413443.html

I bet Farmerman knows if this is a real worry.

chicken tastes like rattlesnake.

I refer you all to the following MSDS (material safety data sheet) for....
Trade Name: Searles Borax (Boron)
Product Use: Addition of boron in boron deficient soils.
In particular.
Section 12 - Ecological Information
Plants: Borax and other boron compounds at high levels may kill plants. Borax may be used as a nonselective
herbicide. However, boron is an essential nutrient for plants, and boron compounds (including borax) occur widely in
nature. Boron is taken up from soil by plants in proportion to the amount of boron in the soil. Borax is also used in
fertilizer formulations to supply boron, which is an essential plant nutrient.

Generally speaking I would avoid borax in potted plants as the concentration will become too high.

I have used the following product with great success outdoors. Several applications may be required. Additionally you may need to track any other ant nests close to your home.

ANT SAND
http://www.mortein.com.au/product_out_ant_sand.php

Boric acid, and borax are two different things.

They start with the same compound of salt, but with different treatment, end up two different chemicals.
One is toxic, one is not.

Borax is a laundry detergent additive.
Boric acid is a pesticide that is extremely harmful and is the main ingredient in most pesticides you find.

In making the beer bottle top trap , I will use less then 1/16 of a teaspoon of boric acid and about 2-4 drops of honey. Not even enough to fill the bottle top.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid

Maybe I'm wrong, but I take it they both have the element Boron in the compound.

Also, if one or the other isn't harmful in the soil, great. If even small amounts are, then it's possible someone reading this thread will go out and put lids with boric acid (or whatever boron compound) and honey or corn syrup all over their outdoor garden.. presumably repeatedly, possibly for years.

Ahhh.. there you may be correct. That would make sense .

As for the ant powder, I dont see that you can put it ON your plant soil?

I do not have ants that live outside of my pots. Not on my patio, not in the house.. just in the soil of the plants themselves.

This is all conjecture on my part. MY ants live outside and have little mounds for their colonies; there can get to be a lot of them as the summer goes by. I had been thinking I might do that with lids with boric acid (whatever, boron)/corn syrup or honey and was still looking it up when I ran across that site. So, if a small amount that the ants carry to the colony could be a no-no, that's a stopper for me. On the ants in your pots, where'd they come from? I'm guessing a walk up your wall from soil below. I should do some research, but am presently lazy.

Which brings up my cockroaches, how I hate them. Haven't seen one for at least a year, after I've done the borax/flour/cocoa thing, but I shouldn't even say that out loud much less type it. But, as far as I can tell, mine don't come from outside, but from the city drain system. I suppose there are millions traveling the city pipes..... shudder.

i too can report one calendar year if not longer of not ONE SINGLE roach.

I used boric acid + suger in a salt shaker. Lined the backs of all of my cabinets and took an eye dropper and over the period of a week, blew some of that powder under the baseboards of the place.

nice to be roach free.
pour a little down your drain at night.
They will make it up, but they wont breed or survive..

Yah.. mine is under the sink. I have a broken garbage disposal on one side of the sink and I think they come up the drain and out of there. I have a new garbage disposal but to install it means taking out the cabinet (messed up old cabinet), taking off the counter top, at which point I should put in new cabinets, eh, no money for all that. So that's the source, far as I can tell. I keep the drains in the rest of the place closed off. I suppose I could drop some roach delectable down the drain. I renew the borax/flour/cocoa concoction every four months or so, though there's plenty left in the undersink container.

Just sprinkle a little where they appear to enter or exit the pot, it is more like sand than powder. I have used it by sprinkling it on ant trails but it seems less effective that way than directly around ant holes. of course i have never tried it on potted plants but in the open garden it is very effective

So I have these ant colonies and I've been researching some more.

Some sites tell me to add boiling water, which make take doing it a few times, and will work if the colony isn't too deep.
Lots tell me to add borax concoctions.

I looked up borax and boron, and yup, borax is supplier of 1/3 of the world's soil boron, or something like that.

Then I found this site, when I was researching re toxicity of boron - very interesting as plants do need some boron, but the range between enough and toxicity is rather small, I gather especially in inland deserts with alkaline soil (cough).

On the other hand, I wonder if in a place like mine, it'd just filter down through the sand... oh, but then what, ecologically.
Here's the link -
http://www.soilandplantlaboratory.com/pdf/articles/BoronOverlookedEssential.pdf
(Keep reading, it'll get to being careful about adding any
borax .)
So, I still don't know if I'm being goofy about outdoor ant traps. Gonna try the boiling water scenario.

Adds - I suppose I can call the state agricultural extension service.