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

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

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

(gal) wrote in message . com...
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?

Are you sure there aren't aphids or scale insects producing sugary
wastes that ants like?

Protection from other pests is one benefit orchids get from close
association with ants. Ants are ruthlessly territorial and will drive
off
or kill other insects intruding on their territory.

Some orchids derive other benefits from ants. Coryanthes species
thrive with ant colonies around their roots; the ants seems to provide
nourishment through their droppings. It supposedly is hard to get
these orchids to grow well ant-free.

Schomburgkia (Myrmecophilia) species have hollow psuedobulbs that are
colonized by rather fierce ants which rush out and sting or bite
anything that disturbs the plants.

J. Del Col

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

On 4 Nov 2003 05:46:56 -0800, (J. Del Col) wrote:


Schomburgkia (Myrmecophilia) species have hollow psuedobulbs that are
colonized by rather fierce ants which rush out and sting or bite
anything that disturbs the plants.


I just bought a bare root of a Schom tibianis. I rarely buy orhcids
at this point as I've got my hands full learning how to keep them
alive with a steady supply of sickly cast-offs from others. I figure
once I get the hang of rejuvinating the almost dead I can safely buy a
few that interest me.

Anyway, I found the fat hollow stalks of the Schom so intersting and
unique I just had to treat myself to it.

bb

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

"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.

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.