Ants on New Bentgrass Putting Green: Bait, Not Spray

New bentgrass green, ants active. Need control safe for tender first-summer grass.

Delivery Method Matters More Than Active Ingredient

Ants forage and share food. Bait formulations (gel, granular, station) exploit this: workers carry toxin to colony. Sprays only kill foragers.

Select bait labeled for turf/ornamentals (e.g., hydramethylnon, indoxacarb, abamectin).
Apply around mound perimeters—not on top (ants may reject).
Reapply as label directs until activity ceases.

Bait + patience = colony elimination without grass risk.

Lawns: Persistent Creeping Bentgrass Invasion: When to Call the Experts; Ants Didn’t Kill Your Lawn—Sandy Soil Starved It; Will Sugar for Dollarweed Control Attract Ants?; Organic Grass Control Under Horse Fencing: Vinegar and Barrier Methods; Controlling Bentgrass in a Mixed Lawn Without Killing Desirable Grasses; Controlling Weeds in a Newly Seeded Lawn Without Harming Grass; Cultural Practices to Eliminate Moss and Restore Grass in Shady Lawns; Controlling Ant Nests in Lawns: Identification, Treatment, and Prevention; Corn Gluten Meal for Crabgrass Control: Does It Work and When to Apply?; Controlling Bahiagrass in Fescue Lawns

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