How to Get Rid of Ants in Lawn
Ants might seem harmless at first, but in a lawn, they can quickly become a nuisance. Their activity creates mounds of soil on the surface, disrupts the evenness of the turf and can interfere with mowing and lawn care. While ants don’t damage the grass directly, the structures they build can create uneven patches and bare spots. Getting rid of ants in the lawn is about controlling the colony without harming your turfand preventing them from coming back.
Why Ants Settle in Lawns
Ants build their nests in dry, well-drained soil, often in sunny spots where the ground is undisturbed. Lawns that are healthy but dry, or areas that aren’t regularly watered or compacted, can be ideal territory. Once established, the colony creates surface mounds, which are actually soil deposits pushed up from tunnels below. These mounds not only affect the appearance of your lawn but also interfere with mowing and can smother the grass beneath.
It’s important to distinguish surface ants from those that invade your home as garden ants in lawns are typically not the same species as house-infesting ants and usually don’t pose a risk indoors.
Disrupting the Nest
The first step in ant control is to disrupt their nest. Regular mowing, raking and brushing over the affected areas will flatten the mounds and unsettle the ants. Doing this consistently forces the colony to relocate or collapse. For smaller infestations, this alone may be enough to reduce their presence and stop further surface disruption.
Watering the lawn more regularly can also help. Ants dislike overly damp soil and often move their nests if conditions become too wet. This won’t eliminate them entirely, but it can reduce surface activity and make the environment less attractive.
Treating the Area with Ant Control Products
If physical disruption doesn’t work, there are lawn-safe ant control treatments available. Choose a product specifically labelled for outdoor use and safe for lawns. Granules are commonly usedthey’re applied to the affected area and watered in to reach the nest below the surface. These treatments target the colony without harming the grass.
Avoid using general household insecticides or boiling water, as these can scorch the grass and damage the surrounding soil structure. Any treatment should be done when the weather is dry and calm, and ideally in the evening when ants are most active underground.
Rebuilding the Lawn Surface
Once the ant activity is under control, you may need to repair the lawn. Ant hills can smother grass, expose roots or leave bare patches once removed. Rake out any remaining mounds gently, level the soil, and reseed thin areas using a grass seed blend that matches your existing turf.
A light top dressing over the area can help smooth the surface and encourage healthy regrowth. Keep the area watered and avoid heavy traffic while the new grass establishes.
Preventing Ants from Returning
Long-term prevention involves making your lawn a less favourable environment for ants. Regular aeration reduces dry surface soil and discourages nesting. Keeping the lawn well-fed and hydrated also improves root density, making it harder for ants to tunnel.
If ants persist in one part of the lawn, try changing how that area is used. Increased foot traffic, moving furniture, or more frequent mowing can be enough to encourage the colony to relocate naturally.
Ant Hills Disrupt More Than Just Appearance
Ant hills may seem like a surface problem, but they can affect lawn function too. They blunt mower blades, block airflow to grass roots, and smother healthy turf. Over time, repeated tunnelling beneath the soil surface can contribute to slight subsidence or make turf feel uneven underfoot—especially in heavily colonised areas.
Why You Should Avoid DIY Methods Like Boiling Water or Vinegar
It’s tempting to try homemade remedies like boiling water, vinegar or washing-up liquid—but these often damage the lawn more than they help. Boiling water scorches grass and alters soil structure. Vinegar changes the pH and kills beneficial microbes. Even if these methods kill surface ants, they rarely reach the queen or collapse the deeper colony.
Repeated Disturbance Is Key
Ants are persistent. Even if one nest is destroyed, they often move sideways and reestablish nearby. The trick isn’t just elimination, it’s sustained disruption. That’s why brushing out hills, lightly raking, mowing frequently, and watering consistently over a few weeks works better than a one-off treatment.
Encourage Natural Predators
Some garden wildlifelike birds, ground beetles, and even frogsfeed on ants and can naturally help keep numbers in check. Reducing artificial barriers or installing small bird feeders near problem areas may encourage more predator presence. This approach doesn’t solve a major infestation but contributes to long-term balance.
Be Cautious with Ant Control on Newly Seeded Lawns
If you’ve recently overseeded or laid turf, avoid using chemical ant treatments right away. Many products interfere with root development and can weaken young grass. Instead, focus on regular raking, brushing and moisture control for the first 6–8 weeks. Once the lawn is established, you can safely apply treatments if needed.
Spot-Treating Works Better Than Blanket Spraying
It’s rarely necessary to treat your entire lawn. Focus on active nest sites rather than widespread spraying. Spot-treating minimises chemical use, reduces the risk of harming beneficial insects, and protects healthy grass that isn’t affected by ants.
Dry Lawns Are Ant Magnets
Ants love dry, sandy or compacted soilconditions where water drains too quickly or doesn’t penetrate. Lawns that are underwatered, compacted or thinly rooted become easy real estate. Improving watering habits, aerating regularly, and feeding your lawn well helps eliminate the ideal habitat.
Final Word
Ants may not harm your grass directly, but their nests and mounds can spoil the look and feel of your lawn. With the right approachdisrupting nests, applying lawn-safe treatments and repairing any damageyou can reclaim a smooth, even surface and keep ant activity under control. A little persistence goes a long way in keeping your lawn both healthy and ant-free.
