A few months ago, we put together an infographic about the 8 most common pests in Abu Dhabi, and we found that ants are one of the most common pests found in villas with gardens. Although most people dismiss their existence since they believe ants don’t cause any real damage to the garden, there is no denying that they are a nuisance to you and any pets you may have. Furthermore, you have good reason to worry if and when you come across anthills in your garden for the following reasons:
- Grass roots may be exposed, which could kill individual grass plants.
- The grass around the anthill gets smothered.
- Your lawn becomes uneven and it would become difficult to cut the grass.
- Grass plants don’t get the amount of sunlight they need.
To find out whether these pests have settled in your garden, watch out for:
- Red, brown, yellow or black ants,
- Ant nests or colonies along the structure of the house or in the soil,
- Spots in the garden that look more like hay than grass, and
- Mounds formed in the soil
And here’s how you can get rid of these pests in Abu Dhabi:
- Don’t neglect lawn maintenance. Make sure the grass is trimmed to the right height and provide all the nutrients or fertilizers that are needed by the soil. Furthermore, stick to the water schedule to ensure that the soil and plants are not parched, especially in Abu Dhabi’s severe heat.
- Use a synthetic pesticide. You can also spot treat anthills using a synthetic pesticide, which can be purchased from a local garden center.
- Use a natural ant control. If you don’t want to add synthetic compounds to your soil, organic treatments may also work. Pour 12 cups of water over an anthill, and apply a mixture of water and orange rind to it once it has dried. You can also consider deceiving the ants with a mixture of sugar and borax; the ants will be drawn to the sugar but the borax will kill them. However, be careful if you’re using this method, since borax can also kill the grass if placed on it.
If you don’t want to take up the hassle of dealing with lawn pests in Abu Dhabi yourself, you can obtain and compare quotes from Abu Dhabi based pest control companies at ServiceMarket, and read the reviews to ensure that you will get the high quality service that you are paying for.
