ants
Hello,
I grow my orchids inside the house and recently there are ants all over them. I do not want to spray with chemicals – what is a natural ant repellent I could use without causing damage to the plants. Also, I noticed my Catallya produces some sort of sweet liquid that the ants like. Why would the plant "want" ants crawling on it when it is out of bloom? Regards Gal |
ants
Sweet liquid? Ants are possibly your worst nightmare. The liquid could be
created if the ants are "farming" aphids on your plants. I don't know of a natural remedy but I hope someone has one for you. "gal" wrote in message om... Hello, I grow my orchids inside the house and recently there are ants all over them. I do not want to spray with chemicals - what is a natural ant repellent I could use without causing damage to the plants. Also, I noticed my Catallya produces some sort of sweet liquid that the ants like. Why would the plant "want" ants crawling on it when it is out of bloom? Regards Gal |
ants
I don't know of a natural ant repellent, but if you mix up about a
tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent - Dawn, Joy, or the like - with a quart of water and spray the plants thoroughly, it will: 1) get rid of the insects that are there, 2) discourage them from returning (not a preventive, but if you kept getting hosed, wouldn't you reconsider?), and 3) would wash off the "honeydew" secreted by your plants, which may be part of the draw. (A word on that: the sweet secretion may be coming from the plant directly, or may be from aphids if the ant population has gone that far. Better hope it's the former, although the soapy liquid will get rid of them, too.) I take the secretion of the honeydew by your cattleya as a sign that it is good and healthy, not that it is trying to attract insects, but bugs are a way of life with plants, no? -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info! .. . . . . . . . . . . "gal" wrote in message om... Hello, I grow my orchids inside the house and recently there are ants all over them. I do not want to spray with chemicals - what is a natural ant repellent I could use without causing damage to the plants. Also, I noticed my Catallya produces some sort of sweet liquid that the ants like. Why would the plant "want" ants crawling on it when it is out of bloom? Regards Gal |
ants
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ants
If the ants have begun to nest in the pots, you may need to submerge the
pots in water for a few minutes to drive the ants up out of the pots and onto the plant where Ray's mix can get at them. -- Kenni Judd Juno Beach Orchids http://www.jborchids.com "gal" wrote in message om... Hello, I grow my orchids inside the house and recently there are ants all over them. I do not want to spray with chemicals - what is a natural ant repellent I could use without causing damage to the plants. Also, I noticed my Catallya produces some sort of sweet liquid that the ants like. Why would the plant "want" ants crawling on it when it is out of bloom? Regards Gal |
ants
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ants
I've had good luck with Terro http://www.terro.com/ the bait, not the
spray. Just put it near the pot, they'll find it. "Ray" wrote in message ... I don't know of a natural ant repellent, but if you mix up about a tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent - Dawn, Joy, or the like - with a quart of water and spray the plants thoroughly, it will: 1) get rid of the insects that are there, 2) discourage them from returning (not a preventive, but if you kept getting hosed, wouldn't you reconsider?), and 3) would wash off the "honeydew" secreted by your plants, which may be part of the draw. (A word on that: the sweet secretion may be coming from the plant directly, or may be from aphids if the ant population has gone that far. Better hope it's the former, although the soapy liquid will get rid of them, too.) I take the secretion of the honeydew by your cattleya as a sign that it is good and healthy, not that it is trying to attract insects, but bugs are a way of life with plants, no? -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info! . . . . . . . . . . . "gal" wrote in message om... Hello, I grow my orchids inside the house and recently there are ants all over them. I do not want to spray with chemicals - what is a natural ant repellent I could use without causing damage to the plants. Also, I noticed my Catallya produces some sort of sweet liquid that the ants like. Why would the plant "want" ants crawling on it when it is out of bloom? Regards Gal |
ants
"gal" wrote in message om... Hello, I grow my orchids inside the house and recently there are ants all over them. I do not want to spray with chemicals - what is a natural ant repellent I could use without causing damage to the plants. Ants in your plants, huh? (sorry, couldn't resist) Are the orchids in pots? If so, you can keep ants off them indefinitely, but you'll have to get rid of them first. To get rid of them, I'd lightly dust the orchids off with a clean cloth or brush. Or just pick 'em off one bye one. Check that they haven't nested in the substrate. If they have, you'll need to get them out of there or repot the plants. After that, I'd recommend getting a wide, shallow, water-proof container (glass, plastic, etc). Place another container or raised support mechanism inside that and fill the surrounding area with water. Then you can support your plants on the "inside" container. This creates a type of moat that ants can't cross to get to your plants. Some might try, but they'll drown. Once you've prevented ants from getting to your plants, you'll want to get rid of all the ants in the surrounding area. I know from experience that getting rid of ants can be a pain in the ass. Basically, you don't want to give them any reason to be there. That means no food and no shelter. Terro will work to kill of some of them. I wouldn't recommend any aerosol pesticides. I hear vinegar mixed with water scares them off... Good luck, even if you don't try this method. |
ants
Hi, Bill,
Diazonon works real well for ants. And, if you wish a fairly safe but temporary remedy, you can buy Schultz' Insecticide at Vons (when they aren't on strike). Schultz has Chrysanthemum pyrenes that work on contact for ants and are not toxic to humans. I have not found Schultz' to harm plants, including the buds. .. . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html ------------------------------------------------------------ "Bill H." wrote: "gal" wrote in message om... Hello, I grow my orchids inside the house and recently there are ants all over them. I do not want to spray with chemicals - what is a natural ant repellent I could use without causing damage to the plants. Ants in your plants, huh? (sorry, couldn't resist) Are the orchids in pots? If so, you can keep ants off them indefinitely, but you'll have to get rid of them first. To get rid of them, I'd lightly dust the orchids off with a clean cloth or brush. Or just pick 'em off one bye one. Check that they haven't nested in the substrate. If they have, you'll need to get them out of there or repot the plants. After that, I'd recommend getting a wide, shallow, water-proof container (glass, plastic, etc). Place another container or raised support mechanism inside that and fill the surrounding area with water. Then you can support your plants on the "inside" container. This creates a type of moat that ants can't cross to get to your plants. Some might try, but they'll drown. Once you've prevented ants from getting to your plants, you'll want to get rid of all the ants in the surrounding area. I know from experience that getting rid of ants can be a pain in the ass. Basically, you don't want to give them any reason to be there. That means no food and no shelter. Terro will work to kill of some of them. I wouldn't recommend any aerosol pesticides. I hear vinegar mixed with water scares them off... Good luck, even if you don't try this method. |
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