ants
Ann Pepper
Posts: 14
I have an invasion of ants on my recently acquired Fremontendendron. all the buds and flowers are covered in them and they're secreting a sticky substance that won't wash off with a water srayer. I'm growing it in a pot on the south facing wall of the house aga inst trellis. Though I don't use chemicals normally, i've had to put ant powder down around the pot in the hope it may control a few! I'd really appreciate any suggestion for getting rid of them. Many thanks.
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Posts
Boiling water works well if you find the nest (although it's probably under or inside the pot). Also the little 'Nippon' plastic containers - I find these are better than their powder. You can use them indoors and outside.
Are you sure its the ants secreting the sticky substance? Ants farm aphids for their honeydew and that is probably what is causing the problem. Get rid of the aphids and the ants will have no need to be near the plant.
Could well be aphids, but how do I get rid of them? Are they usually black?
Ants in the garden are usually either black or reddy-brown. The black ones tend to be smaller than the reddy-brown ones. The reddy-brown ones bite me!
Ants don't like being wet, so a good few dousings will normally make them move along somewhere else, especially if they are living in a pot (you can also submerge the pot in a bucket of water if the pot isn't too large).
Agree with Ceres. Hose off the aphids and the ants will go.
In the sticks near Peterborough
aphids are black or green mainly but come in other colours too, i have the same problem all over the garden with ants farming aphids on a variety of plants, either blast the aphids off with the hose or spray with soapy water, if you can find the ants nest, usually looks like a sandy pile with a hole or one i found looked like the entrance to an underground pyramid, i watched them to see where they were going as they were all going back and forward to/from same place and found it, i did use ant powder on it as it was near a plant and couldn't use boiling water. they are flippin everywhere though at the moment
Yes, the ants "farm" the honeydew they love my Paeonies for that reason. Monty says ants dont cause problems, well, one I am allergic to their bite, and secondly everytime they have made a nest under a plant/bush it has died, read on another forum, one, dont try to move them, they will set up camp somewhere else in your garden, for what you can see, there is 10 times that size/activity underground! They made a nest under one of my apple trees 2 years ago, it is now devoid of ants, but about 1 foot high. Anyway, the forum said spray bottle 50% ordinary vinegar 50% washing up liquid.
I hate look of ant powder so when a friend said she uses Ant Stop around the house to stop them coming in I gave it a go IT WORKS well. Well I think red and black ants the are taking over the world
sorry my garden and pots. I've now used it around the garden not on plants but on the soil and around the base of pots. It seems to work even if the bottle doesn't say use around the but it doesn't say don't .
i don't like the ant powder either so might try that primrose
I wouldn't be without it, I sprayround all my inlet pipes,window ledges, doors and about 12 " up the wall s . The big planters don't appear to be bothered by the armies of them I had last year . I found B&Q on Wednesday the cheapest
cos it has to be the real thing subs just don't do the job. One going over lasts all summer .