Can granular ant baits be dangerous for worms and humans?

by Stephan
(Radevormwald and Cape Town)

Hi I have a worm bin under my house that's was going great. My worms where recycling organic waste in large quantities. Now reverently ants raided the bin in thousands, not knowing, my mother put a BIG pile of granular ant killer next to the bin. Now most of the ants are gone, but I wonder if they could have brought some granular killer inside the bin and would it be dangerous for the worms or us if we used the castings to fertilize vegetable plants in the future??

Answer:

Hello Clint,

ants in a worm bin are a nuisance as they compete with your worms for their food but there are other ways to get rid of them than using ant bait or granular ant killer. You can find out more about this subject on my page

https://www.worm-composting-help.com/protect-worms-from-ants.html

But now that the granular's have been applied it is about damage control. As with all pesticides, it’ would be important to read the instructions manual for information on how to best store and apply the product around children and pets.

Some ant baits use borax which is a natural mineral that can be found in common household products like soaps or tooth pastes People are often surprised to learn that borax, a natural mineral found in many common household products such as hand soaps and toothpastes, is also the active ingredient found in some granular ant baits. It is not harmful to humans but is deadly for ants. The ants that are usually attracted to the granular's are the worker ants they carry it into their nests and use it to feed their queen and the rest of the colony. So the contents of your worm bin is most probably be contaminated with some of the ant bait but it would be up to you to find out about the possible side effects the bait could have on worms, worm castings and crops that have been fertilized with those castings.

If in doubt I would rather use the castings for ornamental plants only.

I wish you and your family all the best and rich blessings.

Kind regards.

Stephan Kloppert
Author of
"How to start a profitable worm business on a shoestring budget"
https://www.amazon.com/author/stephan-kloppert

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