I'm so glad you finally got an answer to your problem! Not knowing is the worst. I finally figured out how One section of my hostas got infected with nematodes. I found some beautiful Spring wildflowers called wild oats and thought they would look great mixed in with the hostas. They did and when the Fall came, classic nematodes markings throughout the clump's leaves and the surrounding hostas that never showed signs before of nematode damage. I forgot that leaf nematodes are not specific to hostas, but many plants can carry them . Well, live and learn.

First your hostas get attacked and then your website!!! It has not been a good year for you. Hope you find a solution and protection for both!

I am glad you found the problem. Ants are great movers and gardeners. They carry other pests with them and also seeds of plants they like. To keep them at bay I use Seven Dust and Andro.

I am also glad that you finally have the answer. I hope that after you do your research, you will find yourself empowered and can do something about it. Good luck!

Good to hear this news, bkay. I'm sorry you were so stressed out, but your diligence prevailed. Your website hacked - now that really sucks!!!!

I've had mealy bugs too this year for the first time ever, something awful. No ants in sight!!! The ones in the petioles can only be killed with rubbing alcohol which can penetrate that waxy cover. Repeated Bayer insectide drenches appear to be killing the ones (larvae?) in the soil if they aren't too entrenched. Bkay, I'm convinced these critters came here on bark or bagged soil, as I don't have them anywhere else in my yard.

I'm thinking of baking (in a turkey roasting foil pan) all my bagged orchid bark in batches. Maybe even the planting mix too, next spring to make a new home for new plants. So sad to see so many go. Thanks for doing all the research.

-Babka

Bkay, I'm so sorry to hear about your website! That is quite the setback - I can only hope the negative aspects are minimized time-wise until you can establish another one. It is sad to think that there is someone out there that derives pleasure from such a wilful act of malevolence.

As to the results you received from Texas A&M, I am relieved to hear you have answers. I appreciate your diligence in sharing this information with the rest of the hosta forum community and keeping us in the loop. We can only benefit... albeit from your misfortune. Thank you.

It has been a challenging year for you, to say the least but you doggedly pursued answers and all that diligence has paid off. (There is irony in that comment :( ) Here's to a better growing year in 2016! You've got all of us rooting for you! (pardon the pun, lol).

All the best, Bkay!

Hi bk,

I can't wait to see what works for you. For the ants my neighbor uses grits & I've used yellow cornmeal. The ants eat but can't digest it & it kills them. People may laugh but it seems to work. Poisons worry me as I have an indoor/outdoor cat. Just one of many mentions on the internet, see video, good luck!

http://lifehacker.com/kill-ants-safely-with-cornmeal-510414551

Hurray, you you got a answer to your problem! Next season will be better, hard to imagine it could get worse.

sherry

bk....I didn't get anything from you. Did you email it or did you send me a PM? I messaged you my email so you can directly contact me.

For the first time since we moved back to SA 4 years ago I had a bad problem with ants in some of my pots this year. I didn't actually notice them in any of the ones that had major problems but that certainly doesn't mean that they weren't there. That's an extremely valuable piece of information.

I really think that at least part of my problem was overwatering some plants with older media that wasn't properly draining. That's something I'll adjust going forward and anything that I don't think drained as it should will get new media next spring. I don't want to repot this time of the year so I'll have to deal with it until spring and hope for the best.

This is an article I found, bk.
Fungicides for basidiomycetes

kathy