Ants. No aphids. I feel crazy.
witchygirrl6bwv
4 years ago
I keep finding this. I tore one apart yesterday, and inside the hole was full of ants (again). Ants had a trail going up cane, and entering hole. There weren't any aphids, and this is the 5th or 6th one. They did this to Lady Emma last year, and the plant is dead now. I didn't think much of it at the time, so I don't know if it was fully the ants fault. I got a picture of one of these holes, and a blurry ant. Every time I investigate these holes, they are filled with ants. Is it some unknown kind of ant? The only thing I see every time I find a hole, is ants. It seems like they are only doing this to fragrant roses. Emma smelled like candy.
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
witchygirrl6bwv
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
Do some ants eat aphids?
Comments (7)I would have thought you were joking around if of course I didn't know you were serious. I am constantly impressed with the knowledge of people on this site. Now if only I could get 4 or 5 of you to come on over and show me what I'm doing wrong and how to get rid or contain every pest, I'd have the best garden around! I'm not too concerned about the aphids at the moment...not on my corn anyway. It seems like the plants are big enough to handle a small number of aphids. I just have to go home today and put mineral oil on the silks. Never tried it before so wish me luck and correct me if my plan is not right. The silks appeared about 6 or 7 days ago. I am going to apply half a dropper (per GW poster's instructions) of mineral oil on each ear's silks. I don't plan on reapplying the ineral oil later b/c I am affraid of doing more harm than good by overdoing it. I can't remember ever having too many ears that were worm free so hopefully I can make that happen this time around....See MoreRe aphids - don't ants eat aphids?
Comments (20)I saw a documentary on ants by some famous ant scientist. Ants also secrete a pheremone where they walk and that is how the soldier ants know where to go- to bring food to the queen etc. If you watch ants they form trails- patterns that they all follow. If you put down something to distract them such as lavender oil, black pepper- something with a strong lasting smell they will get to that place and loose the pheremone scent and turn around. You will then see some very confused ants. I don't know about the whole aphid thing but I do know this is fact. So- if you really feel the need to get rid of the ants- experiment with this and see what happens. I tried this when I had an infestation of these tiny ants which happened to be in an external modem for the phone.It was so gross but I still had a hard time killing these little creatures carrying eggs trying to protect them when they were disturbed. So out came the lavender oil and away they went.Anyway I have millions of tiny ants in the garden this year and I wondered if they were somewhere in the chain of disaster I'm experiencing. See my post on bugs, bugs, bugs!...See Morefeels like ants in my head
Comments (13)My two year old and my sister's son (lives in an entirely different city) are both having problems with hives. And I'm not talking the mild kind that look like a heat rash. I'm talking full blown raised patchy itchy WELTS. Both only break out on exposed skin. My sons doctor says it's some kind of contact and through process of elimination we still can't figure out what it is. She put him on Claritin and it's giving complete control. My sister's doc gave her a diagnosis of sun allergy and gave them a cream to use. Funny to me and her that he still breaks out when he's INSIDE...and the cream does not control break outs. I told her she needs to get a new pediatrician. We are both hoping that with the arrival of cooler weather this problem will disappear. Netta...See MoreThese ants are making me crazy
Comments (7)Thanks for the continued help! Yes, I saw that too! Fascinating to watch them 'climb the tower,' but takes more time. That's why the one plant was completely under water, the whole thing, foliage, flowers, whole thing. The ants were crawling around under water after 30 minutes. It got too dark to see in there after that, but the one plant that stayed in for 2 hours still had ants when I finally took it out. The ants seem to have no interest in anything inside, so I don't know if they're what you're calling house ants or not. I never saw this kind of ant in OH, or any of the smaller ones that take up residence in pots here, just much bigger black ones which were definitely interested in coming inside. AFAIK, plants don't have pests aside from the occasional aphid or white fly that any bunch of plants outside would have, which I dispose of/rinse or trim off. I look at every leaf at least 4-5x per week, almost every day. They're definitely not picking pots housing plants with pests as a basis for that decision. The pots that seem to have ants in them more often than not show signs of stress and slow growth from issues around the roots, not pests at the foliage. The primary issue is nests in pots. If I could isolate why they like some and are not interested in others, that would be awesome! I'd like to put a moat around the whole porch, sigh! Yes, there's a lot of pots, most of them hanging. The ants find those too. They can be temporarily thwarted by coating the hanging arms with veg oil, or backwards tape, but either method is short-lived, and messy or ugly. (Not that this conglomeration of cheap plastic pots is terribly attractive, but I'm working toward having the outside of all pots covered with enough dangling foliage to 'fix' that.) This is shady end of front porch. There are more pots on the back porch, around my potting area, hanging from several trees, and our dog's house....See Morewitchygirrl6bwv
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
witchygirrl6bwv thanked Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValleywitchygirrl6bwv
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
Related Stories
WINTER GARDENING6 Reasons I’m Not Looking Forward to Spring
Not kicking up your heels anticipating rushes of spring color and garden catalogs? You’re not alone
Full Story
HOUSEKEEPING20 Things You Might Be Forgetting to Spring-Clean
Clean these often-neglected areas and your house will look and feel better
Full Story
GARDENING AND LANDSCAPINGBid Bad Garden Bugs Goodbye and Usher In the Good
Give ants their marching orders and send mosquitoes moseying, while creating a garden that draws pollinators and helpful eaters
Full Story
BATHROOM COLOR8 Ways to Spruce Up an Older Bathroom (Without Remodeling)
Mint tiles got you feeling blue? Don’t demolish — distract the eye by updating small details
Full Story
MOST POPULAR33 Magic Household Cleaning Tips
Houzzers from around the world share their tips for transforming housework into child’s play
Full Story
HOUSEKEEPINGWhat's That Sound? 9 Home Noises and How to Fix Them
Bumps and thumps might be driving you crazy, but they also might mean big trouble. We give you the lowdown and which pro to call for help
Full Story
HEALTHY HOMEHow to Get Rid of Mosquitoes Indoors and Out
Follow these tips to keep your summer bite-free and healthy despite the uptick in mosquito-borne diseases
Full Story
OUTDOOR ACCESSORIESHow to Keep Bugs Away While You Enjoy the Outdoors
Reduce your chances of being bitten by mosquitoes and other critters this summer
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESNew Ways to Think About All That Mulch in the Garden
Before you go making a mountain out of a mulch hill, learn the facts about what your plants and soil really want
Full Story
LIFEOh Yeah, There’s a Snake in the House
A Houzz contributor lives through her worst nightmare and comes out the other side with lessons learned and new footwear
Full StorySponsored
Central Ohio's Trusted Home Remodeler Specializing in Kitchens & Baths
sautesmom Sacramento