It seems that the biggest pest in the garden at this time of year are ants; that's if the letters, e-mails and phone calls pouring into Harrod Horticultural HQ are an accurate indicator, writes Martin Fiddes.
We've been inundated with requests on how to deter, move on and eradicate these obviously unloved creatures, and it would appear that nests in the lawn rank very highly on your lists of current dislikes.
Although ants nesting in the lawn are unlikely to cause any long term damage, the mounds of spoil they produce when excavating their labyrinth of tunnels are an obstacle to mowers which often smear the excess soil across the grass; ants are a cosmetic pest and, quite understandably, if you've worked hard to create a lush green lawn, you don't want anything to ruin it.
That's why the news that nematode specialist Becker Underwood - responsible for the Nemasys range of products along with Nemaslug, the scurge of all garden slugs - have developed a nematode-based ant product will be extremely well received in gardens throughout the country. The new treatment is known as 'No Ants' and does exactly what it says on the tin. It's specifically designed for use in the lawn environment and, like all Becker Underwood's nematode treatments, is both perfectly natural and completely safe to use around children and pets.
And before ant lovers throw up their hands in horror, it's worth noting that 'No Ants' nematodes don't actually kill the insects but simply irritate them to such a degree they abandon their nest and set up a new home a considerable distance away - hopefully not in your lawn!
If you'd like to know more about ants in the garden environment and discover some other methods of controlling them, visit our extremely helpful 'Ask the Expert' section of our website. You'll find common and more specific gardening questions accompanied by detailed and informative replies - you might even find the answer to a horticultural query that's been baffling you for a while! In the meantime, I'm off to evict some ants from my lawn...
