Hi Sherrih, I never recieved your e-mail. If the gardenweb link for it isn't working please try again at aengel@brandeis.edu Thanks.

Can you see where the ants are going? It isn't impossible to imagine they are feeding on the nectar, but if that were the case, there should be a pretty clear "stream" of ants up the inflorescence. In regards to NEEM, I've never had any luck treating outbreaks of root-mealies with pesticides of any sort. I either completely remove the soil from the roots, wash them off with a hose spray, and let it dry for a few days, or just toss the plant into the compost bin. In my personal experience, mealies (farmed or otherwise) usually infest plants that already have some kind of health problem. In particular, *under-watering* seems to invite a mealie infestation. I really, really hate ants. They cause me so much grief in the garden. Between a freakish collective intelligence, and essentially an infinite supply of workers, they are an unbeatable enemy. The only long term solution I've found to ants is to prevent access. I have most of my plants on racks, so I put that sticky "Tarfoot" stuff around each leg so they can't access my plants to begin with. But you have to stay vigilant. A single fallen branch can be enough of a bridge to let the little devils try and take over a whole rack of plants!

This plant looks rather like a pritty old Dragon Tree, Dracaena draco. Jordi

A. Ferox really does not like being cold AND wet. Not at all. I am on my second one because of the wettness.