Vanda Help ants killing the buds!
Samuel Miensinompe
6 years ago
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shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
6 years agoSamuel Miensinompe
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Ants ... bloody boogers are unstoppable! Help?
Comments (9)I can sympathize - I have endless ant problems too. We get several types including fire ants. :( The things that have worked at least somewhat: - boric acid baits - Google making ant traps - the 20 mule team borax works fairly well for me. I have raised beds, so put the traps outside of the actual bed in case of spilling. My worry is birds finding the sugary water solution. I've cut holes in a platic cup that is set over the trap to keep birds out. - The little spike traps outside the garden - these are also baits and the ants gorge, take it back to the nest and eventually die. These are not healthy inside your garden. - Water can be partially successful - on okra, I spray off the aphids and it takes awhile for the aphids to get back up to the flower buds. If the nest is at a place that you can spray intensely - drowning the nest with a high pressure spray from the hose or if outside the garden, dumping a pot of boiling water into the nest works really well. - I had some limited success with dried molasses scattered into newly raked beds. That evicted some ants, but they will come back. - Diatomaceous earth spilled into a disturbed nest or on the base of the plant they are climbing to farm the aphids. - The weed flamer works well if you can dig up the nest and torch the ants in the nest - they will abandon it if you fry them enough. But it's not very economical and isn't good for your garden soil, but it's good for your mental health after weeks of battling ants... One of the most curious things - I've had the problem with bean aphids and ants for several years. This year I grew milkweed to feed and attract butterflies. The milkweed is loaded with the most amazing collection of colorful aphids I've ever seen - yellow and green and black. The ants don't care about these. Neither do the ladybugs either. And the aphids don't seem to slow down the plant much either. But it gives me the crawlies to look at them... Good luck! Cindy...See MoreHelp-Yellow Jackets Building Nest on Budding Camellia- Help!
Comments (3)You can get Wasp and Hornet killer in an aerosol spray at the supermarket or hardware store. right there along side of the Roach and Ant killer. just aim, spray and run as you are going to make them angry. It may take a couple of really good soakings to do the job. It won't hurt the bush. PB...See MoreHelp!!! Some bugs are eating our plants' roots and killing them!!
Comments (17)Hello folks - thanks for shedding some light on this - if anything it makes me relieved to hear bugs may not be at play so I dont have to worry about stuff breeding etc lol. I dont think Clemson does soil testing here, but I heard something local from someone at work which I will follow up on. The sun has been the same every spring/ summer - no change there. We moved here 2 years ago during fall - they were growing fine then. Next summer I may not have watered them enough as I saw burn spots on the hydrangea leaves and some of them were big patches. Following fall I hired someone for some yard work and they said our hydrangeas/ rose etc. had grown a lot and needed trimming so they went ahead and trimmed everything to 2-3 feet. The spring after (this year) - these guys esp the hydrangeas have been growing like crazy with less flower output than last year. I have also been watering more regularly - although there are still some burn spots - not as bad as last summer. So that's about all the history I know about these guys ;-) Btw - I m worried the pyroligneous acid will kill useful soil bacteria/ bugs as well. And doesn't it go against the theory that bugs are not at play here? Thanks....See MoreWhat killed my plum tree and is killing my peach tree?
Comments (5)We really do need to see photos to determine what is going on, otherwise we are just guessing and you then may be following advice that is not appropriate or could even prove harmful. FWIW, horticultural oil is NOT a suggested treatment for borers.......if that is what you have. Because the larvae tunnels (bores) into the wood of the tree, any sort of topical approach has to be carefully considered and timed to have any effect. The bugs are not inside the bark....they are inside the tree and it often requires a systemic (seldom recommended for edibles) to ensure effective control. And the appearance of sap - aka gummosis - can arise from a multitude of conditions, not all of them serious or requiring treatment. Photos, please!!...See MoreSamuel Miensinompe
6 years agosuzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)
6 years agoSamuel Miensinompe
6 years agoSamuel Miensinompe
6 years agosuzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)
6 years agoshavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
6 years agoSamuel Miensinompe
6 years agotom_d1026
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoshavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b
6 years ago
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shavedmonkey (Harvey in South Fl.)Z10b