Damaged Lawn

[swampydrill]

It seems that i have a lot of ants on my lawn and it is these that are damaging it, what can i put on it to kill the ants off and not damage the lawn

 

[JohnD]

Nippon gel is very effective.

Do you have a very sandy soil? Ants generally dont do real damage and are harmless and hard-working litle things. What makes you think they are damaging it?

 

[swampydrill]

The Lawn in the area where the ants are is not sandy but is quite dusty, gargen is top soil on mostly clay. Thought it might be leather jackets but is probably too early for that

 

[JohnD]

please describe the damage.

Ants usually do little but dig out loose sandy soil to make a nest.

 

[swampydrill]

Ok, have sent a couple of pics that will get uploaded, i have had a look at the problem as it is actually my fathers lawn, he has raked several areas on a high setting as done many times before, you would think with all the rain it would be in really good shape, i couldn't see any ants myself and don't see how they could have done this, he has also fed the lawn .

http://file034a.bebo.com/6/large/2007/06/23/08/35902225a4764794341l.jpg
http://file034a.bebo.com/6/large/2007/06/23/08/35902225a4764794364l.jpg

 

[JohnD]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=73320

And does he have a dog, or a petrol mower?

 

[swampydrill]

Has had a petrol mower for 30 years but no dog

 

[JohnD]

All I see is a brown patch. no reason why it should be ants. might have been over-mown, dried out, or had a fungal disease.

You might mow the who thing short and brush in some more lawn seed, then it will regrow and green up.

 

[swampydrill]

My father said there were a whole load of ants on the grass, thats why he thought it might be them as his grass is generally in excellant condition, and with al the rain you would think it would be a bit better than this.

 

[JohnD]

mmmm, beyond me then

 

[breezer]

well surely if its a brown patch something killed it / it dried out.

cant see it being ants, been around for millions of years

 

[Trazor]

How old is your lawn?
How much foot traffic does it get?
When was the last time you scarified, or aerated it?

 

[swampydrill]

Lawn would be 30 yrs old and gets very little traffic on it, it was scarified about 5 weeks ago with a rake, it has never been aerated apparently but then most of the lawn is ok

 

[breezer]

so as i said, something has killed the brown areas

 

[ModernMaterials]

Is it possible that a neighbour has recently acquired a dog which likes to use your dads lawn as a toilet?

Or could it even be foxes doing the dirty?