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Fire ants in potted amaryllis

18 years ago

Aargh! Fire ants have invaded my potted amaryllis. Although it stays warm enough here to leave them outside for the winter, I certainly don't want to provide a haven for fire ants on my porch. I'm also afraid that they'll damage the bulbs. I've put Aamdro in the pots, and hopefully this will work, but I would really like to repot the bulbs just in case.

However, the foliage has just started to fade, and I'm afraid that repotting the bulbs at this point will shock them out of dormancy. Does anyone have any advice? Will it be ok to go ahead and repot my bulbs at this point in their cycle?

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Comments (5)

brigarif Khan
18 years ago
I cover drainage holes with fine mesh alluminium gauze the only way out
amaryll
18 years ago
You might try drenching the pot for a while, just long enough to drown them. Or throwing out the soil. I doubt that repotting without water will shock them out of dormancy.
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Thanks Barb! The amdro has not helped :( It's suppose to be down in the 20's at the end of this week so I have brought all my other hibs in but this one! I am going to try plan b...remove as much of the soil as I can (w/o damaging the roots of course!) and totally repot it. Including a little amdro in the new potting soil just in case! Even though it's full of fire ants, it's still just blooming away! Thanks for the feedback! -A
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The label should make it perfectly clear that you can use the product inside. Right? If I were you, I would find a container or saucer several inches in diameter larger than the plant's pot. Place a brick in the middle of the larger container, then place your plant on that brick. Fill the large container with two or three inches of mildly soapy water. Enough to create a moat around your plant but don't let the pot sit in the water. Sprinkle the Cimexa on the potting medium. If the fire ants don't like the disturbance, they will try to escape but will sink (drown) in the soapy water. They will float on plain water, so don't forget to add the soap. I'm glad you know to avoid toxic pesticides inside the home. Be sure to keep your eyes open for the ants elsewhere.
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haweha
18 years ago
Well squashcat;

PLEASE Be aware of two things

1) Your posts are read by international Publikum who are interested in the subject and have potentially the appropriate knowledge to solve your problem.
In short: What the hell *ggg* is Aamdro?!
I have NO idea, and Aunt GOOGLE shook her wise head.

2) I presume that the ants are not the problem but only the indicator of a more serious problem. Why are these ants frequenting your pots - may be there are smaller insects inside which are feeding on the roots. These insects might be the reason because they ooze liquid containing undigested overrageous sugars.

In this case a bath for the roots in a dimethoate or malathion solution will be necessary and give satisfactory control.

Hans-Werner
cynthianovak
18 years ago
haweha: consider yourself fortunate that fire ants aren't in Germany

squashcat: I would definitely replant them. I'm no expert and there are some around here.

I would also allow them to go dormant and force them to bloom. THat process alone rids you of the fireants. Once they have bloomed, I'd transplant out in your garden to get some sun and nutrients in the summer. Zone 8 they will likely multiply.

c
jbcarr
18 years ago
The amdro (an ant bait that kills all including the queen) will kill the ants just fine, and no need to repot. I keep my pots up on pot feet, and this keeps the ants out.

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