Nature is Calling

Decide whether the ants actually need removing

Before reaching for any treatment, work out whether these ants are a genuine problem or just part of a healthy garden. Most UK garden ants - the familiar black garden ant (Lasius niger), the yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus) and the red ant (Myrmica rubra) - do almost no direct damage to plants. They prey on other invertebrates, clear away weed seeds and organic waste, and turn over the soil as they tunnel. A garden with a settled ant colony is often a healthier one.

The honest answer is that you'll rarely drive ants out completely. Destroy one nest and a passing queen usually claims the territory and starts another. So instead of declaring war on every nest, draw your own lines: which areas can you happily share, and which are genuine no-go zones? Reasonable reasons to act include nests pushing soil over low plants or making a lawn too lumpy to mow, ants streaming into the house or a child's sandpit, or ants farming aphids on a prized plant. Everywhere else, leaving them be is usually the right call - and the least work.

Clear and level ant nests on the lawn

The most common complaint is fine heaps of soil appearing on the lawn where worker ants excavate their nest. These get in the way of the mower and can smother low-growing grass. The simplest fix costs nothing: on a dry day, before you mow, brush the loose soil heaps flat with a stiff broom or a besom. Doing this while the soil is dry stops the mower smearing wet earth across the turf and discolouring it.

If years of ant activity have left the surface genuinely uneven, deal with it properly in winter when the ants are dormant and less likely to simply rebuild. Peel back the turf over the raised areas, scrape away the excess soil underneath, then firm the turf back down and water it in. For a small lumpy patch you'd rather reseed, level the ground first and oversow once the soil warms in spring.

One trick UK gardeners swear by costs almost nothing: ants dislike wet ground. Keeping a troubled area of lawn well watered through dry spells often persuades a colony to move somewhere drier on its own, no chemicals needed.

Treat persistent nests and protect pots and patios

For the stubborn nests near patios, doorways and containers that you genuinely can't live with, step up to a targeted treatment. Pouring a kettle of boiling water directly onto the nest entrance knocks a colony back, though you'll usually need to repeat it. A reliably effective option for paving and pot edges is an ant killer powder or bait: workers carry the bait back underground and share it, which reaches the queen rather than just the ants you can see. A tub such as the Zero In Ant Killer Powder 450g is the kind of cheap, targeted product worth keeping for exactly these spots - just be patient, as buyers note stubborn nests can take more than one application.

Containers are a special case. Ants often move into a pot because the nest has outgrown its space and the dry compost suits them, and their tunnelling disturbs the roots. The kindest fix is to lift the plant, gently wash the old compost and ants away, and repot into fresh compost. Watering pots more regularly through summer also makes them far less inviting. To deliver soapy water or a diluted treatment precisely into a nest entrance, a Spear & Jackson 5L pressure sprayer lets you push the liquid where it's needed without flooding the whole bed.

Use natural deterrents and tackle the aphids ants farm

If you'd rather avoid chemicals, the most effective natural route on lawns and beds is biological control. Water the pathogenic nematode Steinernema feltiae - available from biological control suppliers - into the soil exactly where ants are pushing earth to the surface. These microscopic worm-like creatures disturb the colony enough that it often relocates. Apply them with a watering can or sprayer when the soil is warm and moist for the best results, and bear in mind they can affect some non-target insects too.

Strong scents can also help nudge ants away from favoured spots: many UK gardeners grow mint or garlic in pots near problem areas as a mild deterrent, and diatomaceous earth worked into nest entrances is a popular low-toxicity option. The other half of the job is often overlooked: ants are usually present in numbers because they're farming aphids for honeydew, protecting them from ladybirds. Knock back the aphids and you remove the food source that's drawing the ants up your plants in the first place. A contact treatment such as the Provanto Ultimate Bug Killer 1L clears aphid colonies on ornamentals, which often quietly reduces the ant traffic along the stems.