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Ants Eat Brugs?

15 years ago

Has anyone ever had problems with carpenter ants eating their brugs? I have caught quite a few chowin down on the stems!!

Daniella

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Comments (10)

karyn1
15 years ago
I've never seen that but I'd rather them eat the brugs then my house!
Karyn
napdognewfie
15 years ago
It's probably not carpenter ants, they eat insects (alive or dead), honeydew from aphids, sweets, meat & fats. They do not eat wood. They do chew wood up making their tunnels but I don't think there's enough room inside a brug stem to house a colony of them. Unless they are eating bugs in the brug. Get rid of the bugs & the ants should leave, if that is the case.

Linda
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Karyn, I was hunting those slugs early in the morning and one day I saw the biggest slug I ever saw on the rim of on of the pots...needless to say he went to slug heaven and after that I was finding small ones once and awhile..the slime trail is a big give away....I also saw one ladybug that came in with the brugs this last fall, Im sure its nice and fat with eating aphids all winter...I saw it yesterday on some cuttings that just got infested..it was sitting in the sun eating away..lol...Judy
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daniellalell
Original Author
15 years ago
Yeah Karyn me too, lol. But I still dont want them there.

Linda, there were no bugs on any of the brugs..I checked after I took the ants off to see what they were doing, they were def biting the brugs. I havent seen any on leaves, or green stems, just the hardwood stems/trunks whatever you wanna call 'em. They are def carpenter ants.
I have been spraying with soapy water and have been getting rid of any aphids and other nasties that I see. Everything is pretty much bug free, for the time being anyway. *knock on wood*
My dryer lint/dog fur combo & collars seem to be keeping the slugs away as well.

O hey Karyn..I saw some assassin bugs in my beds the other day. They'd better get crackin, lol. I hope I'm not killing off their whole food supply with the soapy water, I don't want them to leave! I wonder if they eat mealy bugs? Every year my 'President' clematis gets infested with fantailed mealy bugs.
napdognewfie
15 years ago
Can you post a picture of the ants & the damage they are doing? I am taking Master Gardener classes & it can be my first mystery to solve.

Linda
fool4flowers
15 years ago
One of the cuttings I got in the mail last year had a hollow tunnel in it full of ants. Yuck. I hate ants and found the pot with my tea leaf was full of them when I went to plant it today. Thats what was killing it I think. I put out ant poison all in the bed since it got dumped out in the bed before we realized it.
daniellalell
Original Author
15 years ago
Linda, I can try..but I already sprayed Raid..don't know if they'll be back anytime soon. If I manage to get a pic, I will post it.

Kristy, I had that problem with my mandevillas last year. tiny lil red ants in them and all over in the pots. O I hate ants..they are right up there with slugs.

Last year when I was out in one of the beds weeding I had a big @$$ carpenter ant get in my pants..that lil SOB bit me right at the top of my crack! I almost pulled my pants down outside, lol..I ran in the house to the bathroom so fast. Man that hurt. Neighbors prob thought I was nuts..then again, I'm sure they all already knew I was. I flail my arms and run screaming alot out in the yard, wasps flying around my head, and things biting me, I just dont handle that well.
karmahappytoes
15 years ago
napdognewfie, I have to agree with you on this. There is a reason that the carpenter or any ant is attracted to any plant and you need to find why they are there. You remove the reason they come and they will soon be gone. But remember some plants need ants to help then bloom so to remove them all might be a problem.
daniellalell
Original Author
15 years ago
I'm not removing them all..even though I wish I could, lol. I put plastic collars around the bases of the brugs, veggies, and a few other plants to prevent the caterpillars and slugs, so what I didnwas I just sprayed the Raid on the collars. Nothing that would need the ants.

Do you think that maybe they were eating off sediment or whatever left by the Fish Emulsion or Manure tea? I just realized this..maybe that's what attracted them, and they were eating any that may have dried to the plants?
fool4flowers
15 years ago
Lol at the butt crack bite. My ex mother in law was terrified of lizards and one ran up her pants leg at work (elementary school) and she stripped off her pants and ran screaming down the hall, lol. Now days she would have gotten arrested for it.
karmahappytoes
15 years ago
daniellalell, I take it they are there to feed and you need to track them back to where they live and distory the whole group. Got any dead decaying lumber around?? I sure hope they aren't in your home.

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