Gareth wrote:
:: I have 12 chilli plants in a greenhouse and a number of the plants have
:: been affected by ants - 1 in particular has clearly been damaged and
:: isn't bearing much if any fruit as a result of mechanical damage to the
:: roots caused by the ants.
::
:: I'm unclear as to why the ants are attracted to the plants but they are
:: and I guess that it's due to the nectar.
::
:: Does anyone have a suggestion of what insecticide I could use on the
:: plants to kill the ants? I really don't want to use insecticide and I
:: don't use it anywhere else in the garden or on other plants but I don't
:: think I have a choice.
::
:: Alternatively would an ant bait placed close to the plants do the trick?
::
:: I'm not going to have a surviving chilli plant left at the fast rate the
:: ants are destroying the plants - any help would be appreciated.

It's likely that you have planted it on top of an already active colony, I
have an enormous ant's nest in my GH and the chillis are 18 inches away and
have not been affected at all, the garlic are closer still at about 6 inches
and these too have not been bothered.

You say the ants are destroying the plant? - I find this hard to believe,
it's far more likely that your plant(s) are infested with aphids, the ants
'milk' these in much the same way as we do with cows...inspect the growing
tips and especially the underside of the leaves and you will probably see
hordes of greenfly, you can spray them with a water sprayer with a few drops
of fairy liquid in it, it worked for me earlier on in the season but only
after I'd lost 2 or 3 plants to them.

To discourage ants from growing areas, put down a paving slab where you want
them to move to and add plenty of water, they can't work with mud and will
quickly take up residence under the stone...I don't reccomend using
chemicals and especially pesticides on food crops and ants don't do much (if
any) harm at all.

--
If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs.