Do ants destroy orchid plants?

the ants will not, but ants often bring in other critters (like
aphids) that *will* chew on your plants. best to get rid of them.

--j_a




On Aug 21, 11:15*am, Pradip Shah wrote:
Do ants destroy orchid plants?

On Aug 21, 8:15*am, Pradip Shah wrote:
Do ants destroy orchid plants?

Agreed - while ants will not usually "destroy" an orchid (although
they will feed on the honeydew from the inflorescences and may damage
some plant parts and or roots - they will actively establish a nest in
orchid pots - and once you water them what seems like MILLIONS will
come out...

I have very good luck using TERRO liquid ant baits - which are non
toxic - and it kills all the ants, including the queen. It comes in a
liquid that you can either place on little bits of paper or in pre-
made feeding stations.

agreed, terro is great; just don't get the liquid on painted surfaces,
it's very tough to get off.

--j_a

For people like us, who grow outside under screens, the bait traps and such
are not as effective, especially in summer when S. FL gets a lot of rain.

We used to have ants coming out of our ears; now I rarely see them near the
plants. We used Orthene for other things (thrips) some time back, and the
ants just went away. Haven't used Orthene in ages now, but still no ants.

Of course, if you grow in an enclosed area that is not a greenhouse, using
chemicals presents a problem. As usual, what works depends to a great extent
on your conditions.

Diana

"jankey" wrote in message
...
agreed, terro is great; just don't get the liquid on painted surfaces,
it's very tough to get off.

--j_a

Thanks you for the post.
Hi guys, Im a newbie. Nice to join this forum.

yes they can be a pain.