How To Keep Ants From Invading Your Rock Landscaping

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You might think that rocks would be a great asset to your garden — a hard surface that will keep bugs away. Alas, they do sometimes attract insects, including ants. There's a reason ants love hanging out in your rock gardens: It offers them protection. Those rocks provide excellent shelter, keeping them cool and hiding them from predators. Their thermoregulatory properties also offer the ants a great place to keep their larvae toasty.

Even though ants might see rocks as a safe haven, there are some things you can do to get them to leave your yard alone. If you're trying to keep ants out before you put in your landscaping, or you don't mind doing a complete overhaul, the answer to your ant problem could be a fabric liner. Putting down landscaping fabric blocks the dirt and sand underneath, where the ants like to make their homes. If you already have an established garden, however — or if you'd rather not tear up your backyard — you'll need to turn to other ideas.

The easiest way to get rid of ants in your rock garden is to sprinkle diatomaceous earth around it. This natural substance causes dehydration in ants, prompting them to avoid it. Be sure to invest in food-grade diatomaceous earth to ensure the safety of other wildlife or pets. 

If you are looking to add some plants to your rock landscaping, consider using plants that naturally deter ants. Insect-repelling plants from the mint family, such as the myriad peppermint flavors and catnip, are easy to grow. These herbs not only taste great in teas and other recipes, but they'll keep ants away, too. If you have cats, you can also harvest and dry the catnip for their enjoyment — just remember that some gardeners may reconsider planting it in their yards. If you don't want to plant herbs, you could mix mint oils with water and spray the solution around your garden, but you'll need to refresh them every few days, and especially after it rains. This can also be done with citrus oils, or you could put slices or peels of citrus around the areas where ants live. As well as peels, lemon juice can be used to banish ants from all areas of the home, from your rock landscaping to your backyard swimming pool. These items work so well because they mess with the ants' scent trails, which would otherwise lead them back and forth from their homes to their food sources.