ANTS are GREAT INDICATORS of...

[@MsWatchdog]

I subscribed to this guy's channel when he was talking about Dandelions, The quality of his videos is second to none. I have learned so much about nature by watching his vlogs, and I like to show off to my children what I know. Thank you, Stefan

[@stuartdelamare4072]

Same as 👍🏼🇬🇬

[@VGV0]

Same here. The information can be found in text form online but he makes it quick and interesting and without a ton of shitty ads .

[@vktravellog1242]

Exactly how I got here! Love the content and very educational!

[@snivanacar63]

Me tooo. Dandelions ❤️❤️

[@davidlane777]

Sames here. That dandelion video was everything

[@spsmith1965]

If your yard is full of fire ants, it's a strong indicator that you might be living in the southeastern United States.

[@BittyBooBrown]

The fire ants have been trying to take over here the last 3 years. I hate them things man they hurt like heck.

[@roxanamadalina-dimian6043]

hahaha. yes. The Little Fire Ants are a whole other story now...

[@persephoneszeliga]

They are horrible in Hartwell GA!!

[@worddunlap]

I live in TN and the agricultural experts claim we have no fire ants. They didn't look by my sidewalk, out by the trees, near the underground telephone and fiber distribution boxes....

[@jennamakesbugs]

Fire ants are the enemy.

[@amyr505]

In New Mexico, the size of an anthill indicates the amount of snow we will get in winter. It is usually fairly accurate.

[@jeanard4240]

My grandmother could tell when we were going to get a "severe" thunderstorm by watching ants..amazing. Texan.

[@MidnightSunshine27]

I dunno if you ever gonna read this but I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU! Your videos have helped to be less scared of nature and be more outdoors. I even have a garden now. I really appreciate you TONS. Thank you thank you!

[@StefanSobkowiak]

So glad. You’re welcome and continue to learn and discover nature.

[@jujubeethatsme]

Me too.

[@johnham8824]

YAH is the NAME or our CREATOR, i see your name is yeah,did you know that?

[@B30pt87]

@@johnham8824 THE name? Our creator has only one name? Seems unlikely.

[@GameTimeWhy]

​@@johnham8824maybe it's the name of your little g god but you are the minority. Prove your assertions

[@jaenmartens5697]

See?!! If Entomologists taught like you, we could have a solid Ecology movement or, maybe no need for one 🙂

[@jesuschristislordoflordsan427]

perhaps working for the state rulers is not the same as working for the people, for most

[@jefferyleaver2847]

This video alone changed my whole outlook on Horticulture & gardening

[@pixie3393]

Makes so much sense. We had ants coming in years ago. Learned the root of the tree was coming up through our floor and destroyed the bottom floor foundation and flooring. We're getting it replaced this week. We learned of water damage as welll

[@IndySigur]

I stumbled into your channel and can not stop watching. You teach the things that everybody should know and are such a pleasure to listen and watch. Thank you so much, I look at my garden in a completely different way. Happy gardening!

[@neville3151]

Ants in the yard are ok....but invasions of the little mothers in my kitchen is a declaration of war.

[@ephecarrey5177]

Hahaha

[@RJisBack24]

Neville agree!

[@cmw7916]

Neville ...happens to us every year. When we start seeing a couple, we set off a few bug bombs in the cellar, especially near pipes, and they’re usually gone for a year. Helps to spray the pipes mid summer too.

[@neville3151]

@@cmw7916 Totally agree but the crawl space under my house is only 18". Much too little for this old knuckle dragging biker.

[@cmw7916]

Neville ...maybe you could just turn ‘em on and throw ‘em under?

[@cruella8501]

Diatomaceous earth works really well. I noticed that since starting a compost bin recently the ants have mostly migrated there instead of chewing through the back door.

[@fredsasse9973]

Borax mixed with sugar works well too.

[@IndigoMystik]

That's what I'm using.

[@robinmoser7343]

It’s a no fail, even for wasps on my hummingbird feeders. I keep powder on the bottoms of the feeders and the wasps detect it and fly off, get the word out and don’t show up anymore.

[@aletamekvold8005]

Thank you! This explains why I have so many!! Where I moved to last year has soil that is very sandy. I've found a few earthworms this year where I've added some compost but still lots of ants! I noticed another interesting thing with the ants last week. When I harvested my mustard seed there was a lot of seeds on the porch. I noticed the ants were carrying the seeds, so didn't sweep the porch off. A few days later almost every single seed is gone! So they're also 'cleaning' your garden of dropped seeds. Found that super interesting. I'd never thought of that side of it.

[@ZaneMedia]

Aleta Mekvold that is quite interesting! Natures always surprising haha

[@StefanSobkowiak]

And those seeds germinate well wherever they take them

[@aletamekvold8005]

@@StefanSobkowiak Yep! I'd imagine!! In this case they were going into a hole that was in my concrete patio so it'll be interesting to see if anything tries to grow in the cracks! But then who knows where those tunnels go!!! Had just never thought of that side of what they do in the garden, although it makes sense.

[@roddwayne8792]

NEVER stack firewood against your house.

[@jesuschristislordoflordsan427]

what? if i made my house of the Rock, and use hay as an protection against the elemtents in the winter?

[@JessieJussMessy]

​@@jesuschristislordoflordsan427well, that's different

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

We had a colony of super-tiny leafcutter ants that indicated too much Kale! Any leaf put on the ground in the pathway was dissected within a few hours and pulled underground, along with the leaf stems (of giant kale leaves)! It was such an amazing sight to see (barely, as they were super tiny!)

[@maryglo1]

I had never seen these either! My friend walls them pi $# ants! Leaf Cutters ! They live cat food! Hard to see! Different from sugar ants. As he said, there are 12,000 kinds!

[@1Thedairy]

A simple analysis of this video for children would be fascinating for my 4 year old grandson who is obsessed by insects. They are so receptive to learning at this age.

[@marshhen]

I loved this video. Keep up the great work. I could listen to you visit the spots and creatures in your orchard all day.

[@jennifercarriger6168]

I like to forage on a regular basis in the summer. One time, when I was picking wild field strawberries, I would find some of the berries were buried under the sand even though they were still connected via a stem to the plant. This was always near to an ant hill. I have a sneaking suspicion that the ants are burying the berries, then eating their flesh, leaving the seeds behind. I wonder if that means that they are actively cultivating the strawberries?

[@a_diamond]

Wow.. well maybe.. cool!!

[@greystonesgardens7931]

they are but the strawberries plants are in charge of the situation

[@TheMistyBlueLounge]

I was just out yesterday shaking dirt off my strawberry plants that are just flowering! The ants had built an impressive column of dirt up several plants. These little black ants seem to eat anything sugary.

[@JamminClemmons]

@@greystonesgardens7931 Agriculture is destroying the planet. It is very frustrating how much miss information there is on this topic. Grazing can actually sequester far more carbon than forests at a much, much faster rate. If we grazed animals on a large enough scale, we could actually mitigate all human emissions. Growing plants can not do this. Plant agriculture uses massive amounts of fossil fuels and unlike grazing cattle, it doesn't mitigate its own emissions. The soil microbiome is killed with chemicals and that dead soil is lost rapidly, causing complete land infertility and desertification. Grazing animals is the fastest way to replenish these lands, bring the microbes back, give nutrients back, rehydrate, break up impaction, and build soil faster than any other process. It would take nature decades to build the amount of soil made in a couple of yrs of Grazing.

[@mariyaatanasova1556]

My garden is concrete and I have all my plants in pots. No clue where the ant nest is but one is for sure they herd both aphids and scale. So in my garden ants are clear indicators for pests trouble brewing. Not only they herd them but also attack their natural predators.

[@B30pt87]

Thank you! This confirms my suspicions.

[@waterbird91]

Our brown/black ants come out sometimes in the cracks of the cement sidewalk. They congregate in a swarm. THAT is when I know it's going to rain. And it does. I call it "The ants are re-arranging the furniture' below & they don't want their tunnels flooded" . They also clean our peonies before they bloom. .

[@sjr7822]

I unknowingly brought carpenter ants home in some lumber I was given. I had them coming into the house, what I used was borax with sugar they carried back to the nest and I have never seen them again.

[@ZaneMedia]

SJ R hmm very interesting

[@honeybadger8942]

Does this work with fire ants?

[@sjr7822]

@@honeybadger8942 I have no idea, borax doesn't cost that much to give it a try

[@honeybadger8942]

@@sjr7822 Thanks.

[@cmoore6131]

@@rodarywindsorcleveland8506 that's how the borax works, just as an fyi. Borax + sugar + water makes a paste. Put it in a few lids, in their path. They bring the mix back to the hive. Then you have to wait for the queen to eat it. But then, no more colony. This method takes patience, and you have to allow them to be present while they collect the 'food.' [Ps Don't judge me: I've only had to use this method twice as we had huge colonies attempt to move into our house when the seasons changed (CA). They were relentless, and laughed at any barrier we constructed.]

[@donnamarie4443]

You are so much fun to watch and listen to. Thank you for the great upload. Love the ant weather..... I had a line of iddy biddy black ants going in a hole by the concrete doorsteps. I sprinkled baby powder around the perimeter and they literally stopped entering the hole. Ants are important for peonies, which l did not know until my sister told me.....learning a lot about having my very first garden outside.

[@KawakebAstra]

Love ♥️😎U & ants♥️🐜yes r great indicators .. but .. since my garden is now permaculture I have no more fire ants & lots of worms .. ♥️😂super info about the rain forecasting

[@voxintenebris6367]

They have disproportionally large appetites and come in strength of number! They find any weakness in your render. They love the fine tilth of my covered carrot beds - but insects rock and I love them! I have six metal ant sculptures in my garden, I use them in a seasonal theme - try to get the local kids to appreciate insects, our unsung heroes! Can't wait for the video!

[@portiaholliday8741]

I was amazed at watching one drag a larger wasp than itself and it was DETERMINED:-) Some black ones have a route up and down my deck probably going up to the wood. They seem selective in the food that they forage. I put some selections out for them. I don't remember which they chose but I'll do the experiment again.

[@splash4891]

for someone "who doesn't know much about ants" you know a lot about ants...great info, thanks...people are so quick to dismiss ants, kill ants, hate ants, etc., yet we have so much to learn from them, they are such hard workers, team workers, determined/never give up on their task at hand

[@claudiapastor]

We have some ant colony, that red type, coming from the soil to our stone pavement every summer... we have laid some flat stones in our back yard patio, over a layer of sand and gravel stones and the ants come out of the sand in between the stones every year and they make a mess spreading sand all over the stones... I don't really mind the ants, if they DON'T climb my feet, something they do sometimes. It is an area of our yard which was prepared with sand, laid with the flat large stone and gravel stones so it makes sense that the ants like it drier and compact as that is exactly how the area is... great video. Thanks

[@missbeans]

The quirky editing is half the joy of these videos 🤣❤️

[@AwakeningWarrior]

I found carpenter ants in one of my raised garden beds that has not been used or weeded in years and the wood is rotting so I'm guessing they are there killing the rotten wood! This was so informative!!

[@MelliaBoomBot]

We have been living in Creuse, France for six years. Im from the UK so the comparison of nature around me is quite interesting. We had a mound of wood ants outside our window and my other half worried incase they got a liking for his guitars but they NEVER came in the house. We had the ordinary little ants in the house which liked the kitchen best but the wood ants stayed put. The wood ants have now disappeared because we had some fir trees near us that they cut down, so what the odd rotten tree that the wood ants liked have gone and so have the ants. Feel quite sad about that, we were co-existing quite nicely. Hope they found a new home and have not just died.

[@judylloyd7901]

...in case*...

[@MelliaBoomBot]

@@judylloyd7901 Fank u 😉

[@B30pt87]

@@judylloyd7901 Guitar case?

[@owenbanks3675]

In Texas we have fire ants everywhere, we are an organic farm, so the mower is the only way we slow them down, but it does not do much to keep them down. I must admit I smile every time the mower hits another ant mound!

[@JamesThompson-ol3eu]

I got a recipe off the internet some 15 years ago or more. Said to be safe and "environmentally" sound. I am not much of a environmentalist but hate the smell of the most effective powder. I could smell it across a half acre yard! Anyway it is a mound drench - 5 gallon bucket of water and 1 cup of pinesol and about a cup of ammonia. That may not be perfect measures - water should turn milky white to work best - about 2 gallons per mound. Doesn't always destroy but shuts them down for a while and they will move. Also the grass will green up in the area of the drench - like fertilizer! I moved to the country recently and don't have as much problem except in my large gardening pots - this will immediately make them evacuate! That way I don't feel like I am poisoning my tomatoes and peppers. Only use about a quart or 2.

[@GeoffsSousChef]

I’m from tax too. now I’m up in the Northeast and marvel at all the lightening bugs each summer. My brother down in Ft Worth says they rarely see a lightening bug because they’re ground nesters and freggin fire ants are killin ‘em all!!!!!! 😡

[@bonchidude]

@@GeoffsSousChef Use something to repel them.

[@richards.9257]

Valuable and interesting information presented in a fun/creative way, as always. You and Zack are a great team. The weather report was hilarious. :) Marsha, Phoenix, AZ

[@ZaneMedia]

Richard S. hahaha thanks Marsha I must admit, I had fun putting that bit together! Also yes I’m extremely lucky to be able to work alongside my father & the fact that were both able to come together as a team and do what we both love is AWESOME!

[@EllieChristine744]

Thanks for your always interesting video. I have small, black ants in one of my plant boxes and where my climbing rose is growing. I will get some humus and better the earth in there, and water more regularly.

[@RaveBabyFuu]

Lizards feed off ants, so only destroy ant hills that are close to the home. if you have a large field, leave some hills alone or say goodbye to the local lizard population.. also, dont use poison on ant hills. flooding the hole till the soil is compacted and that will work just as well. Think of the lizards. =(

[@ZaneMedia]

Good point!

[@stevengonzalez27]

Thomas Jefferson Little lizards eat pests and do no harm at all. Lots of those in warmer areas of the world, thank goodness. Some people have a lizard for a pet. They are very quiet creatures, and they are cute too.

[@iambecauseweareonelove8211]

@Thomas Jefferson sorry my friend, but the fukin lizards are every fukin where, there your controllers, your owners, sorry to point that oot, wake up people. :):)

[@laurieparis2203]

@Novy Honza I left "my" fire ants alone, they had two large hills in my front yard. Live and let live until they decided to move inside and wouldn't take no for an answer. Then it was war. Boiled two large stock pots of water, added boric acid and dishwasher detergent and nuked both hills. Best done when the soil is at its driest. Do not stir the soil, let their tunnels carry the boric acid/dishwasher soap water deep into the nest.

[@laurieparis2203]

@Novy Honza Novy, I used dishwasher detergent, the stuff you put in your dishwasher. It won't foam up when you add it to the boiling water the way dishwashing soap will. Also be aware the boiling water will kill any grass or plants you are pouring it on. But the Boric acid will stay in the soil, poisoning it so that they can't rebuild their nest there... and you don't need to use very much. Best of luck, watch your feet and legs when you pour! 🌱

[@mikeburlison5085]

Ground ants love my sand-based golf greens. It's a constant battle keeping them out. I've never seen higher mounds due to upcoming rain storms. Height varies throughout the stages of excavation. As the number of ants, and the size of the burrow increases, so does the height of the mound.

[@MrMockingbird1313]

Hey Stefan, Here in Missouri maple trees are common. The Acer macrophyllum is the most common. We call it a big weed because it is easily susceptible to disease and insects. Carpenter ants love this tree. They burrow into the middle and slowly eat out the inside of the trunk. Eventually this species will blow down in a wind storm.

[@christikulczyk1439]

Carpenter ants and sugar ants have moved into our house. I do love watching them protecting the roses and peonies. They’re the ultimate protector of flowers, my house not so much

[@JamesThompson-ol3eu]

I fought sugar ants for the better part of 30 years in the city in the house n garage. Moved to the country have not seen them here. I went through EVERYTHING I moved with a fine tooth comb to ensure I didn't haul a nest to the new house. They absolutely will nest ANY where! Opened the case around a music CD and found a colony in it more than once!

[@KJV7154]

@@JamesThompson-ol3eu boric acid and sugar will kill carpenter ants. Took me two weeks but they are gone.

[@johnc206]

@@KJV7154 Apparently there are species of mushroom that will kill carpenter ants. I don't know for sure if that's *all* they kill though, so it'd be good to look into that before you kill off beneficial stuff.

[@KJV7154]

@@johnc206 Oh wow didnt know that will look it up thx.

[@jlynn2053]

Just curious, how do they protect your rose bushes? I see ants around my rose bush too, but I thought they were a nuisance 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@claudettemonty4077]

I have a forest in my backyard with old trees as you show !! But they don’t want to stay in the forest! And they come to see the balcony and my dog, rolling on her back bring them (1 or 2) in the house. But, now, I put the Dia... earth and they die very fast. Thanks.

[@ZaneMedia]

Claudette Monty glad we could help 👍

[@MistyMeadowsPermacultureFarm]

Love this video! We had swarms of carpenter ants last month and a variety of birds, especially bluebirds, finches and swallows, hanging around the farm every day gobbling them up. Plus, frogs, garter snakes and toads everywhere. 👍

[@bettinaeiben7267]

I'm so grateful for this input, honestly. I have a - let's call it a "wild" allotment - in a family gardeners association, and many different species of ants and other insects are at home here. Unfortunately, much to the annoyance of many traditional hobby gardeners. Around 132 ant species are known in Switzerland, of which eight are currently actively protected by federal nature conservation laws and ordinances, and a further 46 are classified as endangered. Personally, I am pleased that at least one of them noticed my garden - the carpenter ant, which is also reported here. It's sad how little we know about the world we live in and with. Thank you, yet again, for sharing. I will make sure that the people in our association get at least a brief insight into the subject.

[@AtlasReburdened]

The number one way to dissuade ants from your house is to build a garage apartment style house if you can. The less physical contact area your structure has with the ground, the less chance a meandering ant will encounter a way up, so a house built onto 4"x4"s with no interior finishing on the garage and metal siding that has a small gap between it and the ground is about the cheapest ideal way to do it. My house a little less than 40'x30' inside and has a ground contact footprint of less than 3'x3'. Never had a big problem with any insects, even when it becomes apparent over the winter months that a bachelor lives here.

[@Zack-lq9tb]

I really doubt 4x4 is code compliance more like 8x8 but an outhouse ok that's fine

[@AtlasReburdened]

@@Zack-lq9tb Solid life advice: Don't quit your day job to be a construction consultant.

[@backtoourroots3966]

good to know, I must have a fungus problem in my woods because we keep loosing trees and I had been blaming the ants because they were there each time. Thanks for the information, Cant wait until the next video!

[@ZaneMedia]

Back to Our Root's thanks for the great feedback glad to hear it :)

[@b_uppy]

You live in Oregon?

[@terrywereb7639]

On my brother's property, we noticed the poplars break off at about 10 feet up. Yes, there are always carpenter ants...the breakoff point is always enlarged or misshapen, amd of course, rotten at that point. What we haven't been able to find out is why 10 feet up? But, je looks for the trees with the bulgy spots, marks them with colored tape, and waits for the firewood to fall. He normally gets about a cord of kindling and smaller fuel logs every year just from poplats infested with carpenter ants.

[@brandonberg7703]

Another fun fact about ants, they are attracted to electrical fields and they will follow the source. This usually happens when you have a fixed ac unit outside. I lived down south and had ants short out my ac unit.

[@FloridaGirl-]

Yup 👍

[@catmandont100]

Apple or Banana placed near an Ant hill. Quail barely touched the fruit, but mowed down the ants attracted to the fruit.

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Great strategy.

[@michelifig6356]

😅

[@cefinau]

I am in Western North Carolina and Asian needle ants are spreading in this area. Unfortunately, they can tolerate cold winters. The cold was what had protected us from fire ants. Needle ants can adapt and eat anything, live anywhere, and displace native species. They are fairly small, brownish ants packing a mean sting and are not afraid to use it It was only a few decades ago that we had never heard of or seen stink bugs, tiger mosquitoes or needle ants...

[@L6FT]

I love your way of thinking and observing how every species indicates something about the environment it is in. Your insights have helped my thinking and observation skills a lot.

[@cdevidal]

I have a mild Myrmecophobia (fear of ants) so this video was hard to watch. But the fact that I kept watching says you made a great video sir. Keep up the good work.

[@StefanSobkowiak]

I never heard of a fear of ants.

[@cdevidal]

@@StefanSobkowiak when my sister was just a toddler and I was three years old she sat down in a pile of southern fire ants then started screaming. That left an indelible mark. I’ve gotten better-used to not be able to stand anywhere outside without watching my feet constantly. But it’s still there. When that carpenter crawled on your arm I jumped.

[@aaabeverages7152]

I had fear of some weird so called uncle's

[@B30pt87]

@@StefanSobkowiak One of my aunts was fearsome.

[@user-ww8nz5oo2l]

​@@cdevidalthat's not how fear of ants works young one.

[@wanderingmoon9772]

Baking soda works as well.

[@jonathanschadenfreude9603]

ive always loved ants......really dont wanna mess with one of earths most successful species.

[@sanjeeva311076]

Far more ants than just about any land animal on the planet and they do an important job of recycling nutrients and building topsoil. I think a lot of land life depends upon them doing what they have evolved to do.

[@justfine8647]

Right?! I don't understand why people hate them. They're not dirty, they don't destroy, an they will leave your house soon enough.

[@sanguineel]

I found you today because of your Dandelion video. You remind me of documentaries I watched as a child. So refreshing and educational. Awesome stuff.

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Wow, thank you!

[@cherylanderson3340]

One of tbe most fascinating things re: ants having a symbiotic relationship is that of an insect which has a biological need to be in the stomach of a particular animal. This insect zombifies the ants & literally make the ant do their bidding, by causing them to craw up the stem of a plant which grows where this particular cattle grazes. Thusly, this critter gets the ants to be eaten,& along with this particular plant, so delivers it's eggs, growing inside & controling this particular type of ant, into the stomachs of this particular type of cattle. I think the infestation ends up killing the cattle. I read it a long time ago & now my old brain feels a bit vague on the specifics,but I promise, if you research this, you might find the same, riveting article I read! Thanks for another great video, sir!

[@darrelllee7946]

Cheryl Anderson sounds like a liver fluke from snails to ants ,they use mind control on the ants, so far as my understanding there has only been one documented case of a human being sercome to a liver fluke , but that might be what the gov. Wants me to say. I digress any how "Consider The Ant" is a biblical quote. I myself was looking for info on why they cut down the cherries off my tree.i sure hope it dosent have any thing to do with our prez. Lol

[@1945pappy]

Maybe Cheryl, you have ants growing inside of you! Have a great day Luv!

[@sanjeeva311076]

@@darrelllee7946 they have done the same to my cherry tree, seem to cut the small unripe cherries and take them to the colonies to feed the grubs or something. They farm the blackfly too. Not one single ripe cherry in the 5 years since I planted the tree, little bastards! Oh well, all part of life's rich tapestry I suppose, at least their waste is feeding the tree which is growing like f...Hopefully one day I might get some cherries.

[@darrelllee7946]

@@sanjeeva311076 not to make lite of your anxt of them greedy bstrds eating all the cherries but its nice that some one shares my concerns. Once again im watching the cherries disapear one by one, i keep debaiting wheather to battle against the ants, and the slugs are a problem to the cherries aswell. Last year i was abble to get a couple cherries and thought maybee when the tree is real big there will be enough cherries for everyone but I think im delutional. I tried putting cinnamin around the tree it didnt work maybe the cinnamin was to old. I dont want to use poison, but ive herd mixing borac acid with sugar will kill the ants, I herd same with bakeing soda, im abought ready to battle the ants and slugs. I dont want to exspecially after watching the " back to eden" gardner on utube. But i have a totaly differnt envirment than he does and it seems the pests are from the devil the way they just keep devistating. I thought this was the year there would be enough there were thousands of blossoms well there was alot any how. I just had a thought of using crushed mint around the tree ,ok i will try that, but if that doesnt work then no more mr. Nice guy ! Im fed up on hunger, lol

[@sanjeeva311076]

@@darrelllee7946 leave them to do their thing, the system will balance out eventually. Or get an anteater.

[@ahmadghosheh3104]

Absolutely true. Carpenter ants come in the kitchen from one spot, the north western window where there is a weak old wood frame that doesn't get sun to dry out from rain. I need to replace the window to fix the problem and not spray chemicals

[@midsouthhomestead9180]

The fire ants here in Collierville Tn eat everything. Blooms and all! They even ate the wiring out of our WELL electric panel. Thanks for your video.

[@wmluna381]

Had that happen with the outside well pump when I lived in Florida. Wonder why they like electrical components so much.

[@bksidhu6437]

I love your every video they r not only informational but also a eye opening on whats really happening with our garden. I have a question for you, I have red ants nest in our little garden and they are farming scales in nearby hibiscus plant, the plant almost lost its leaves but did not die, if scales are also indicators of plant health...if I add compost to it, does it solve the scales problem? I have also heard that scales go away along with change in climate conditions, is that true?

[@StefanSobkowiak]

If you’re talking about scale like Sam Jose scale you can try compost and basalt rock dust. It’s a wonderful combination to restore vital minerals in the soil

[@bksidhu6437]

I'm sorry I didn't mention my location earlier I live in South East Asia region and the scales looks like black scale to me, with hard round shells like tortoise. We used have aphids too on other plant but when I watched your video about them it changed my view and I started watching them patiently without spraying any pesticides and added mulch to it hoping it would get it minerals ( we didn't hav compost back then)..few weeks later somehow ants population had decreased and beneficial insects like lady bug and praying mantis took over and ate all of them, from then the plant is healthy but its not going same with these scales though, ants are continuously farming them and my pesticides aren't working on them as wel and here I'm, seeking ur help.

[@nesq4104]

Ants in Orlando also tell you if its gonna rain and how badly depending on how high the ant hill the create. More rain means high anthill and lots of excavation

[@SuperWhatapain]

No wonder mine are high in st Augustine on the marsh!

[@nesq4104]

@@SuperWhatapain there it is!

[@brettb9194]

there will be frass around the base of the tree (in a wall the frass may fall inside the cavity) as a rule they are more likely to be in live trees - with, as you say, interior decay ants don't like their house falling over any more than we do same woody woodpecker, prefers decaying cavity in a live tree

[@fullvegan]

Another great video! Good info. We live out in the Chihuahua desert, we have some worms but lots of ants. I need to learn more about these buggers.

[@DoesItReallyMatter25]

You are a treasure trove of outdoor knowledge ! So happy to have found your channel. Your videos are so great to watch. Thank you for sharing!! 🥳

[@RParmable]

Ant weatherman! Never did I imagine I would walk away from this video with that ! Great channel

[@ZaneMedia]

RParmable haha I had fun putting that skit together, glad you enjoyed it

[@andreaberryman5354]

I have the little sugar/ammonia ants ruining my concrete-they are concrete destroyers. They excavate under concrete for nesting, causing walkways to collapse. They are chiseling out the inside of my concrete stairs. Brats.

[@hope2029]

Thanks for that info! 😯

[@HootMaRoot]

Pressure isn't always a great indication of when it will rain depending on where you live, my barometer has been saying it is raining for the last 3 months but in total we have only had around 14 days of rain. So I am sure its more than just pressure that the ants sence before it is about to rain

[@menarussell]

Thank you!

[@joellenbroetzmann9053]

We have ant invasions in the winter. This winter it got to 25 below F. here in N WI. The ants invade our kitchen and bathrooms. We are on a slab. The kitchen and bathrooms are heated floors. Must be like a winter trip to Jamaica for the ants.

[@JessHull]

I wish I could have seen the ants you talked about in closer detail. I could have ID'ed them for you. I have tons of live ants from several genera and many different species in my collection living in formicariums..

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Formicariums, learned a new word.

[@JessHull]

@@StefanSobkowiak Oh cool! You can see some of my ants in a few short videos I've uploaded.

[@Exposetheluciferianagenda]

Thank you for the invaluable information. I garden 100% organically and I can use the kind of wisdom you provide other channels don’t focus on. Keep em’ coming 🙏

[@247Hardworker]

Thanks for sharing.ive tried everything so far and I have had no luck. Time for a new strategy.

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Try getting and spreading a load of wood chips in one part to speed up soil improvement.

[@Qetesh777]

I had a wooden window that was rotting and the infested with carpenter ants 🐜. Had to replace the window and the drywall around it. I hope we don’t get them again as we repaired the gutters causing the water issues but they are falling apart again so time for new gutters .

[@leaelizabeth23]

Love the ants in the yard! Especially in my compost heaps. I just dont enjoy turning the compost to be bit all over. Love your videos!

[@mycedarridge]

I love all the info in your videos. But I mostly just watch them because they are FUN and FUNNY! You are such a bright person! 🤣🔆

[@ZaneMedia]

Back to Basics Homemaker haha always love hearing such positive feedback thanks :)

[@morethanmortal8362]

Thank you

[@mossandstars4984]

I learn a lot from you and notice and understand more about what happens in my garden. Thank you.

[@silverpromidi]

Thank you, I have learnt a LOT about the HUGE nest that is a couple of houses down from us and the ants like to travel across our place in search of food :/ but also about the ants that are in our yard, and yes our soil is pretty crappy - backfill - so time to get the soil nutrition back up and at it methinks.

[@jessemeyer3628]

We have mounds of ants all over the feild. It makes a lot of sense after hearing your explanation because it is a drained swampland. Used to be very wet and likely there are lots of decaying wood.

[@gabriellakadar]

There was a multi-day war between two colonies of pavement ants at my allotment garden. Apparently they fight to the death. One colony has to win. We've had some serious rain over the past couple of days so I have forgotten to check if the war has been stopped for now. This year my garden has not been attractive to European Fire ants which eat the instars of Cucumber beetles, Potato beetles, caterpillars, etc. They wait for the eggs to hatch. Last year I didn't bother to remove the eggs of Cucumber beetles because the ants would eliminate the larvae. European fire ants move their nests to be closer to food sources.

[@ZaneMedia]

gabriella kadar wow super fascinating thanks for sharing!!

[@debbiehanisch2099]

Probably a lot more entertaining than Netflix.

[@Skashoon]

Never knew any of this, thank you.

[@pln8503]

Always learn heaps from you.

[@aceyorba]

Yes I learned that I live on One Huge Anthill.

[@busker153]

I have small red ants here, too. They crawl all over a lot of my plants and trees, but I never see any damage from them, which is awesome. I am sure they have been responsible for a lot of pollination, as things keep fruiting, although many of my flying forces seem to have moved away. LOL

[@conservativetothecor]

How refreshing, a video for problems so many of us actually have. My entire yard is ants. A few different kinds.

[@triumphmanful]

love those sticky traps, !!!!!

[@Azure_Zahab_Truth_Zealot]

This is the 2nd video I've watched from you, this is great stuff, thank you!

[@marjorieboggess6733]

Good information. (breaks out sprinklers and spreads the worms around) -- I know that ants have a purpose in the garden. BUT I'd prefer to not have any. Scene: Harvesting okra growing up to the top of your head, apparently fed with too much nitrogen b/c the aphids were THICK, and being dairy-ed by the ants. Smell ants, look down and see your body covered with them. I think every b;acl ant in the area considered me to be a threat, and came to see what it could do about said threat. We have some red ants too, but it's limited to a couple of areas. Now I know what to do: frequent watering and worms :)

[@VGV0]

Also if inside the house, follow the ant a bit to get an idea of the path they taking. You must wash their pheromone off the surface. Other ants will follow this . So Washing the trail will help prevent more ants coming due to the pheromones

[@chrissede2270]

What kind of ants do I have? Fire ants How do they bother me? Every way you can possibly imagine. I would terminate every one of the in a 100 mile radius of me if I could.

[@cindylousinn9041]

I’m on your side. In S Florida I patrol my yard weekly and treat every sign of ants I see. My feet and ankles are full of scars from the poison they inject. Irrigation is the best solution to this problem but 2 1/2 acres is too big of an area for lawn.

[@didthatreallyjust]

Right. They just aren't beneficial. They hurt and are aggressive. All the other ants okay. Eh, actually carpenter ants can be a pain too

[@timomuxlow5331]

So much great information once again ! Thanks my man

[@ZaneMedia]

Timo Muxlow you’re very welcome

[@wild-hernessaerialist6440]

I appreciate your time videos! Thank you!

[@lulugalaxy3089]

I use this for teaching agriculture to my kids and they love it and laugh! They actually learn something from you!

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Wonderful. If they grow a few easy vegetables (peas, beans,...) they are more likely to like those vegetables.

[@18Bees]

an insect exterminator company came knocking on my door selling services to eliminate ants. I pointed to my garden, pond, beehives, worm bins and said , "does this look like I want to get rid of ants?" he walked away empty handed but with a little education on pollinating plants and bees and beneficial insects. 😂

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Wonderful.

[@bonchidude]

Excellent. Ants will only enter if there is damage or food. But there are ways to repel the humanely so they leave defeated but intact. I am sure you know 5 ways to do this for every way I know how. I repelled some ants but it took a year to find out. They never really got a foothold but they tried. They left on their own. There were quite a few of them.

[@beebob1279]

My problem is the mosquito spraying later in summer.

[@bonnie_gail]

ants kills ladybugs and ladybugs eat aphids

[@beebob1279]

@@bonnie_gail cycle of life until man tries to control it

[@mssavedin92]

fantastic info Stephan!!! We've just been noticing Carpenter Ants on the north west corner of our house right beside the wooden gate...and we have older wooden siding on the home...guess we need to DE the area and figure out whats going on in the wood. Thankyou so much, your information is so valuable

[@StefanSobkowiak]

10 minutes that can save you thousands. Start with the outside wood (gate) before DE a wall.

[@antoniospanayiotou8619]

I love your investigative approach!

[@ilenewhitney2672]

Great info Stefan. Just subscribed. Things we should learn in school for everyday living.

[@BurtBowers]

Its generally a sign of termite damage in the walls.

[@philam1973]

In the Philippines here we have sections of out property with a very small red ant that bite and sting bad

[@EtudianteAviendah]

Love your educational videos! Thank you so much! I love nature and am always looking for ways to appreciate ants and other creatures and plants like my favorite dandelion. We have red carpenter ants living under a flagstone walk and have many other ant hills near our house and shop. I would like to encourage them to move further away, because their bite is very painful and takes 2 weeks to heal. Any ideas how to entice them to move without killing them?

[@StefanSobkowiak]

Give them areas with similar characteristics (flagstone in sun) in other areas that are not disturbed. Gradually they may prefer those areas.

[@pamelakeller1693]

I wish I had an ant eater here in east Texas, They could eat up all the nasty fire ants. The ants get into my raised garden beds and bite me all the time. No good uses here.

[@coastalncgardeningwithnico5335]

cinnamon works for me on fire ants. I only use it when they are where I need to go. They seek out areas that won't be disturbed, so if you have areas you mow they will travel to the area with the least vibration which unfortunately is our garden beds. I found a large mound in my grass last year and had my kids mow around it. No fire ants in my garden bed near it. I am hoping it works this year too.

[@kimberlysmith258]

put some ants from another colony in a nest and watch the games begin!!

[@curtisdecoste9345]

😂 "I'm not an ant expert" -a few moments later- "Now this ant has slight depression, sue to the way he is walking... oh! and THIS ant is most likely named Charles, so obvious."

[@jesuschristislordoflordsan427]

◄ Proverbs 6:6 ► Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

[@an-tm3250]

You have great tips on many overlooked items. Thank you!

[@mssavedin92]

gotta be careful using wood chips too. Certain types of chipped wood, they also love.

[@ZaneMedia]

mssavedin92 thanks for the info!!

[@YSLRD]

I live in a carpenter ant infested swamp. Last winter they ate the paper bags that I stored my cannas in. Today I found their frass under the cats' scratching post ( solid wood). I had to stop using cardboard weed block because they love it.

[@tw33ty4u]

Ants in the back garden, take out alot of sand from under the patio and then i have loose paving, using cimamon power helps orange peels cucumber too. When the cones get high, these ants are ready to fly.

[@akeleven]

The kind of ants I have, you would not dare lie on the ground next to. Now I know why staking people on an ant hill was torture. Arizona

[@born4this783]

I’m in Arizona also, it’s those tiny hellish piss ants! 😂

[@uncounlessages2259]

Oooh My man ! Really love your knowledge that you shared with us.

[@tiffkungpoify]

The carpenter ants here in Arizona are brutal. The pain of the bite lasts 3 painful hrs and it radiates pain. They are also huge. I was but once as well as my toddler he screamed like life was ending it was horrible. I used ice to help with the pain medicine hardly works

[@palefeathervaldez3563]

Wow, I did not know they bite. Thanks for that info...

[@ZaneMedia]

Artemis Hunts thanks for the info!!

[@christinaribbons4691]

Try tobacco juice on an i sect bite

[@georgettepeterson3442]

Boil mint tea. Put the dry bags near doorways. It keeps the bugs out.