Ants laying eggs in greenhouse walls (slrpnk.net)

submitted 3 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/22945751

Hello.

See the picture please. Ants found their way into many panels of my (bought with the house, no idea about its history) greenhouse. At first I thought they could he beneficial, cleaninf up the crud that found its way in there but now they are laying mondo quantities of eggs.

I just spent 3 hours removing and washing two panels, but the greenhouse is built between two metal fences and either I'm doing it wrong, or the location doesn't make it easier. I will have to do it again to replace the broken tape closing the panels (which is arguably the root cause) but... I'm open to suggestions. Maybe I'm overthinking it and they will move out when it's really hot?

Antsy yours

S11

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[-] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Yeah the only way to prevent that is to repair the tape. There is a breathable tape designed for that that keeps insects out but allows moisture in and out to prevent condensation inside the channels.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

going to be fried eggs soon when the sun hits!

[-] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

It's on the north side, it gets sun but not too direct. The same cannot be said for me, working on it on the hottest day of the year so far. Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

As an ant keeper, they moved their eggs and pupae to warm up and hatch faster. They dont look like carpenter ants so no structural damage to worry about. They do keep other bugs away but could be a pest if they farm aphids.

If it gets to hot or too cold they will move again. I would mark the panels where they are in so you know where to repair if this is undesirable.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

Thank you! That seems to agree with what I observed in a mostly shady southern panel, where I observed the same early in the year, and while there are still some, they seem to have moved on (well, as long as I dont look on the north side :))

That is fascinating about them using it as incubator. I forgot that ants don't all lay eggs.. So they must be taking them there from where the queen lives?

I'll leave them alone and observe for a while and ping you here if I have questions, thank you!

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, the eggs and larva and pupae (cocoons) are moved to where the best place would be for that stage of life to grow the fastest.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Yesterday night there was heavy rain, it must have been bumpy in there.

Are these crumbles a sign they hatched or broken? There seem to be more ants around today.. Do they come out of that cocoon fully independent?

They also seem to be accumulating under the frame, so it might be already getting a bit too hot for them?

It's fun to watch, I hope I don't regret it 😅

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Looks like hatched or them adding sand or something to help them hold on or be able to stack cocoons better.

There will be empty cocoons if they hatch and maybe pieces of them if they break them down but if there are no more cocoons they probably moved them due to humidity/temp.

Edit: if you really dont like them in there and are ready to repair it, you could use a hair dryer to heat it up or ice to make them move if you care about them.

Edit 2: didnt see second picture. Probably hatched and they dumped the empty cocoons. I keep trying to figure out the species to make sure they arent Camponotus (carpenter ants) but without more location information, like nothern america or wooded area or whetever you are comfortable with sharing would be hard to tell. In any case you should probably fix the panel? To prevent mold from the discarded/bad cocoons and other junk they may leave there.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

The location is southern Germany. I don't know if carpenter ants are a thing here.

They now amassed almost everything in the sections of the panels that are partially covered by the structure. It rained hard for 24 hours, so they are not shielding from the sun,

The ants are now spread on at least 4 panels (but crucially, not in the one that I flushed, fully damaging the tape). I guess it's very humid in there, I let it bake off a bit before reinstalling it, but then I thought it would dry also while installed, given the damaged tape. The heavy rain didn't make it worse (the openings are in a protected area)

I will have to spend the better part of a day to remove and fix all panels, so I guess I'll observe the evolution until the weekend. I would not have the time (and the weather!) for major maintenance until then.

The garden has several spots with heavy ants activity. I naively expect that after hatching they will move out...

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

slrpnk.net was gone for a while, and I didn't update the thread, but I wanted to thank you again, @[email protected] We went through a cold-ish and super rainy week and into a heatwave, and while they kept shuffling their cocoons around, they seem to clean up after themselves and leave when hatched. Now, it seems like it's an invasive species around here, and they are a bit annoying in some places (my wife's workplace had an indoor wave of them). I'll confirm the species when I get a chance. But for the specific case of the greenhouse, they are very considerate guests, ignoring my plants, nursing their babies, and GTFO. I think they leave the panels cleaner than they find them. A+ guests, would host again :D

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Interesting. Yeah glad it all resolved itself. Sucks they are invasive but either case i agree it is fun to watch them. Glad i could assist.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Well it's not "solved", and they seem to be increasing in number, but its not like that became the "hive" (which I'm sure it's not the right name for ants). Way way more cocoons are appearing and disappearing than the average amount of "nurses" shuffling them around. And crucially, while they walk around a metal beam inside, they don't seem to care about my tomatoes and my plants. The feeling I get is that they are guests. I'm ready to regret my choice of not acting, but so far they keep behaving.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Just a reminder, If they are invasive, they will kill off native species. This could be bad or good depending on if you have other insect issues, but often it's bad. I would suggest fixing the greenhouse siding as see if the move elsewhere or if you want to be kind to all the other native species in your area, would recommend some ant bait to kill off the queen(s). In USA we have an ant bait that is a mix of sugar and borox which is spread around the colony before it kills them. Takes about 2-3 weeks but you will start seeing less and less ants.

At the rate they are growing, Im worried you will be overrun with them. Im hoping they dont sting or bite as they could harm any animals you have.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

I'd let this play out for awhile if it was my house, unless of course they're causing trouble elsewhere. It'd be fun to watch.

this post was submitted on 31 May 2025

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