Ants - help!!!

[Susan Taylor]

Another choice if the plants are on the ground is to pour water with soap (1/4 cup to a pint) into the media. This will kill any ants it contacts and not harm the plant. Then later (at least an hour) flush through with plain water. You need to thoroughly flush because the ants will leave formic acid in the pots and you want to get that out since it inhibits plant growth.

I like this method because it works and because no pesticides are used. The soap clogs up pores in the ants and they smother. Insects cannot develop a resistance to it.

[OrchidPam]

I'm with Susan. The soap really works! I have not used any commercial pesticides for over 25 years, and everyone who visits my yard and greenhouse always comments about how beautiful everything is. My orchid leaves are extremely clear and green. I use a hose-end sprayer almost every week in my greenhouse, spraying the floor, ceiling, plants, everything, then rinse and fertilize. I put about 5 ounces of Ivory dish detergent into the sprayer, then fill the bottle with water. I set it on the 3. This will kill ants that have invaded a pot if you just fill the pot a couple of times and wait a bit before rinsing. I occasionally use the same method, but a stronger solution, on the outside of my greenhouse, giving special attention to the base.

The soap and water method takes care of all kinds of unwanted bugs, but it won't go around corners or back to the source. You must spray the scale, mealies, ants, etc. directly. For me this is the best way because I don't worry about killing birds, pets, or me.
Pam

[Kathy-WPalmBeach]

Thank you, all. We have sprayed w/Orthene because it was a very widespread problem. We also soak the plant a few minutes in water w/ a little peppermint soap - something we have done for a long time and is very effective when we find a few pote w/ ants. And Art, we have taken your advice and spread the lawn w/ant killer. Everything has helped but this year we just can't seem to get rid of the problem. Life in south Florida

[Ricardo in PR]

Soap can be quite effective under certain circumstances. But the way it kills insects is by interacting with the waterproof coat of oily substances that covers their bodies. Once the insects lose this waterproof cover they dehydrate and die. That makes soap a particularly powerful weapon against certain types of pests, such as mealy bugs that have a waxy, water repellent coat. That is why it is often recommended that a few drops of liquid soap be added to the water used to dilute some pesticide, it is said to be a "wetting agent" against highly water repelent pests.

[Allen]

From what I have read, the reason that Orthene works so well on ants is because it was originally made for killing ants and then later learned that it also killed other insects. I mix 1/4 tsp.wettable powder in a quart spray bottle and keep it readily available in my greenhouse to spot spray any insects. I also use Bayer Rose and Flower spray in the same manner. Spot killing seems less hazardous to me than wholesale spraying the entire greenhouse and it seems to keep things pretty well in control for me. I also use Orthenex sometimes as a spot treatment which kills insects and also controls disease problems. Any plant that I feel the need to spray is taken outside of the greenhouse and sprayed and left outside for several hours.

[raybark]

One more good addition to the anti-ant arsenal (and roaches), and not all that toxic, either, is boric acid.

Melt about 1/4 pound of candle wax, then slowly stir in about 1/4 cup sugar and 4 ounces boric acid powder (available at your local drug store). When thoroughly mixed, pour into a pan, creating a 1/4" to 1/2" thick slab. Cut or break into chunks, and distribute around the greenhouse.

A few other entries from my "Home remedies" page, submitted by others:

■ A surprising - and no doubt smelly - ant repellent is fermented cow manure tea. Put about a gallon volume of fresh manure in a 5-gallon bucket and top it up with water. Cover and let stand for a couple of weeks or more until it's fully "cured." Spray around the greenhouse and under the benches. (CJ Maciejeski claims this keeps fire ants away down in Houston, and if it works for them...)

■ Here's another volunteered from the world of cyberspace: raw grits or corn meal! Sprinkle them in an area where ants are attracted, and they will gobble them up. Later they will swell in their bellies. (Need I say more?)

■ Another contributor verified that the grits or corn meal works, but only for larger ants. For the small ones, try sprinkling some bath powder around.

■ OK, another one volunteered by a reader - aspartame! You know...Nutrasweet, the sugar substitute? Apparently it is attractive to them, is taken back to the colony, and kills the lot. This one is even supposed to be effective against fire ants. You may find it necessary to dampen the powder or granules to make it attractive to the critters.

[petercandid]

Hi Kathy-WPalmBeach,

Well,I have used several pesticides, including Sevin against ants with minimal or inconsistent results. I live in a tropical area where there are many ants species including a tiny red-yellow one called "Aballarde" whose bite is excruciatingly painful. This particularly fear some ant was in manyin range .The Sevin seem to have put a significant dent in their population. Now a days there are rarely seen any ants in my field.

Thanks

[Kathy-WPalmBeach]

Again thank you one and all. We are battling white foot ants and they are so reproductive that it's really hard to get rid of them. We are trying many of the suggestions you all have offered.

[remo]

Originally Posted by Kathy-WPalmBeach

Ray,
Did you use a drench or does a foliar spray work?

I need an answer to this question as well. Ants have invaded some pots and I don't even know where to buy any orthene. I live in L.A. so I should be able to find it somewhere around town. I really don't want to spray it as the ants are inside the media- a drench would seem to be the answer, but, hey, what do I know?
thanks for any help & direction.

[Alice-NJ]

Remo, if you only have a few plants that are infected, you might try soaking the pots in water for an hour or so. The ants will swim out to prevent drowning. The trick will be to put weights on top of the medium to prevent it from floating out.