Anyone know why ants would camp out in the upper branches of my
parsely. They try to attack me when I go out to harvest the leaves.
These ants are a bit over 1/8"-4mm approx- long, half red/half black
and real mean.
Deb

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 23:45:44 -0000, thistletoes
wrote:

Anyone know why ants would camp out in the upper branches of my
parsely. They try to attack me when I go out to harvest the leaves.
These ants are a bit over 1/8"-4mm approx- long, half red/half black
and real mean.
Deb


Are there aphids on your parsley?

Regardless, take the hose and give the parsley a really strong shower
- use a water stream as strong as the parsley can handle. Tick your
parsley.

Boron

thistletoes wrote:
Anyone know why ants would camp out in the upper branches of my
parsely. They try to attack me when I go out to harvest the leaves.
These ants are a bit over 1/8"-4mm approx- long, half red/half black
and real mean.
Deb



Check for aphids under the leaves. I've never grown parsley, but it
seems wherever there are ants, there are aphids. The buggers farm the
aphids...feeding off the aphid's "juice" and even taking them home for
the winter so that they can stay warm and cozy until the next crop.

..

--

We must change the way we live,
or the climate will do it for us.

"thistletoes" wrote in message
ps.com...
Anyone know why ants would camp out in the upper branches of my
parsely. They try to attack me when I go out to harvest the leaves.
These ants are a bit over 1/8"-4mm approx- long, half red/half black
and real mean.
Deb


If they were bigger, and I knew which end was red, and which end was black,
and if they raised their abdomens, I might think acrobat ants.
Dave

On Jun 22, 9:44 pm, "Dave" wrote:
"thistletoes" wrote in message

ps.com...

Anyone know why ants would camp out in the upper branches of my
parsely. They try to attack me when I go out to harvest the leaves.
These ants are a bit over 1/8"-4mm approx- long, half red/half black
and real mean.
Deb

If they were bigger, and I knew which end was red, and which end was black,
and if they raised their abdomens, I might think acrobat ants.
Dave

I looked those up just now on the Web. In the morning, when it is
light I will see if I can identify some of the characteristics. At
the least I will be able to tell which end is red. These seem to like
to nest in the roots of plants - like weeds, so when I pull the weeds
up by the roots, look out! And as I said, they like to camp out in
the top of the parsley. I will report back tomorrow. - Thanks
Deb

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 23:45:44 -0000, thistletoes wrote:

Anyone know why ants would camp out in the upper branches of my
parsely. They try to attack me when I go out to harvest the leaves.
These ants are a bit over 1/8"-4mm approx- long, half red/half black
and real mean.
Deb

Hi Deb,as the others have said they are probably farming aphids.
This is bad. The good bit is the ants are also protecting the plants
against any other insects that may damage "their" farm.
A double edged sword.
So if you don't mind the job of hosing off the aphids every now and again
its best to not poison the ants.
--
Regards From
Wane Smooth

Help feed the Hungry,goto
http://www.thehungersite.com
It's Free!

"thistletoes" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 22, 9:44 pm, "Dave" wrote:
"thistletoes" wrote in message

ps.com...

Anyone know why ants would camp out in the upper branches of my
parsely. They try to attack me when I go out to harvest the leaves.
These ants are a bit over 1/8"-4mm approx- long, half red/half black
and real mean.
Deb

If they were bigger, and I knew which end was red, and which end was
black,
and if they raised their abdomens, I might think acrobat ants.
Dave

I looked those up just now on the Web. In the morning, when it is
light I will see if I can identify some of the characteristics. At
the least I will be able to tell which end is red. These seem to like
to nest in the roots of plants - like weeds, so when I pull the weeds
up by the roots, look out! And as I said, they like to camp out in
the top of the parsley. I will report back tomorrow. - Thanks
Deb


The 2nd photo is what I'm used to seeing but larger.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomolog...7/444-287.html

Probably, I'm incorrect as these prefer trees/wood vs. land environment.
Can be as bad a carpenter ants in voiding trees interior and eating your
house. The former, I've seen in many a stressed live oak.
Dave

Dave wrote:


The 2nd photo is what I'm used to seeing but larger.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomolog...7/444-287.html

Probably, I'm incorrect as these prefer trees/wood vs. land environment.
Can be as bad a carpenter ants in voiding trees interior and eating your
house. The former, I've seen in many a stressed live oak.
Dave


Neither carpenter ants or acrobat ants "eat" a house. In homes that have
"foam" based insulation, the acrobats can make more of a mess when the
excavate into the foam. When both CA and acrobats are in a tree they are
in already rotted wood that they are cleaning out the diseased/rotted
wood, actually a benefit to the tree.


Lar

On Jun 24, 9:27 pm, Lar wrote:
Dave wrote:
The 2nd photo is what I'm used to seeing but larger.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomolog...7/444-287.html

Probably, I'm incorrect as these prefer trees/wood vs. land environment.
Can be as bad a carpenter ants in voiding trees interior and eating your
house. The former, I've seen in many a stressed live oak.
Dave

Neither carpenter ants or acrobat ants "eat" a house. In homes that have
"foam" based insulation, the acrobats can make more of a mess when the
excavate into the foam. When both CA and acrobats are in a tree they are
in already rotted wood that they are cleaning out the diseased/rotted
wood, actually a benefit to the tree.

Lar

That's encouraging regarding the trees. However, my home is almost 50
years old and I am not sure of the condition of some of the older wood
in the walls; I had some rotten old stumps removed several years ago
and also an old heat pump that sat on a wooden pallet by the back
door. The big black CA apparently lived under this pallet and in the
stumps. In reaction, they made their crazed way into the house,
somehow, even as large as they are. It was like a sci-fi horror
film. So, we had the exterminator out and he scared the daylights out
of me with tales of destruction. Now, every mid-May we see one or two
wing wings and maybe a half-dozen or so around the house, sometimes
even in the house. It is still standing, so I count my blessings and
put out ant bait. At least where we are, there are supposed to be no
termites, a worse threat I think.

Deb