g'day phorbin,

yes this is a common symbiotic relationship which i at least have
tried to tell other gardeners about only to be hit on by those who may
not know or think they know, dunno? no money in it for us. and the
suggested remedy is as cheap as cheap is.

ants aren't different by nature in other parts of the world they are
all about prolificating and eating.

so yes ants not only farm aphids, but also mealy bugs/woolly aphids
and scale, and yes they keep a breeding stock of the above on the
roots of the plant so if the ones on the plant die or get knocked off
the plant in which case they die, then they can bring fresh bugs into
play.

this is why in very many cases i read people go to extraordinary
effort to control aphids only to have them return, and the aphids i am
familiar with don't bring themselves in ants do that job very well.

mealy bugs can of course infest the roots of the plant which then
means time to dump the plant.

aphids can be dislodged by a strong spray of water, and if they come
back then would be a good ime to look for the ants, no need to see
masses of ants a few is all, so may not be in sight working all
through the day.

On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:17:09 -0500, phorbin
wrote:

My wife pulled up the Bhringraj(eclipta alba) this morning and we found
one ant clinging to the plant just above the soil and aphids attached to
the roots.

This is a new one on me but once I got thinking about it, it seems
pretty logical that this would be quite common.

Live and learn.

The next thing is to id just what kind of aphid.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phorbin/4998231621/

--

Matthew 25:13 KJV
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither
the day nor the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh"

Mark 13:33 "Take ye heed, watch and pray:
for ye know not when the time is".

len

With peace and brightest of blessings,

"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/