Bugs, Bugs, Everywhere!!!!!!

[Nancy]

I walked into the orchid room yesterday and they were everywhere! Little black gnat things and ants. I have blooms and the ants were crawling in and out of my cattleya luteeola flowers. What can I do? I need to dunk the pots or fumigate the plants. Something. I don't know how they're coming in but I can hardly stand to be in the room. Any suggestions on where to start would be very helpful. I don't want to lose my plants. I've got cattleyas with big, fat, beautiful buds coming on them. I've got carniverous plants! They're covered with gnats. I hope someone has some idea. It started with only a few, then a whole pot of ants. I repotted the plant but it was soon invaded again. Oh Help Me! Please.

[brookn]

I broke down and started using Terro ant killer. Using the brookn's killed them where I could see them, but I couldn't stand over the plants all day, and I could not find the nests. This took less than a week, and I am not seeing a bazillion ants, in fact I am not seeing any hee hee. It's a clear liquid that you put out on pieces of cardboard (comes with it), the ants drank it up, some drowning themselves from drinking it. For the gnats, get some mosquito dunks.

[vcuchick]

what about ant bait traps? little ant hotels? or using those ant/bug spikes you buy at Home Depot that you shove into the group around the perimeter of your greenhouse.

I agree with you, I would be having the heebee geebeees if I saw the mess you've got!

Obviously, they LOVE something you've done... You're plants probably give off sweet fragrances to attract all the creepy crawlies.

[Nancy]

I guess I should be a little more specific. I grow my plants in a bedroom window well with supplemental lighting. That's one of the reasons that this is so appalling! Thank you both for the kind words. I've tried ant baits and the ants definately prefer the blossoms. The ants don't seem to care for the Zygopetalum. I'm really haunted by the fact that the gnats are eating the roots. I'll probably fumigate and repot this weekend. What do I do about the mounties?

[CharliesAngel51]

Have you tried Brookn's recipe. Jenny posted that she bought some orchids that were infested with all kind of bugs and she dunked pot and all in brookn's recipe and it killed all kinds of bugs. I don't know about the ants. It seems like nothing works for ants. I know those ant hotels don't seem to do a thing. I think the Terro is better. I have heard that corn meal will kill them. I have never tried it. I think anything you use for ants just takes patience. It takes a while for them to take it back to the nest so it can kill their friends, family and neighbors.

The gnats are bad enough but I hate ants.

[Ron]

Hi Nancy.
Ant problems can often be cured by using a good ant poison bait, I prefer the thick liquid type.
Only use it outside were the ants are entering the house or if you can find the nests place a few drops around the nest and on the trail.
It works by the ants carring the fluid back to the nest and shareing out with all the others.
Once an ant is contaminated by the poison others eat him and thus spreading and killing off more of them.
If by any chance you are going to soak the ant infested pots add a drop of dishwashing liquid to the water first.
The ants somehow seem to form a bubble around there nests in the mix and the soap helps break down this barrier and also helps drown them once the barrier is broken.

Gnats, black flying tiny insects are often breeding in a sour potting mix, usually a dose of 1 spoonful of garden lime to 2 gallons of water and mix well, water all the pots with it until it flushed out the bottom of the pot.
It should sweeten up the mix and make it not a good home for the gnats.

No other poision is often neccessary.
Best of luck
Ron

[articuno75]

I just dunk the pots. Time consuming, yes, but it does work. Just be sure to flush and rinse the pots after treatment. Right now bugs are just overwhelming. (Welcome to summer folks! ) I'm just not a fanatic of creepy critters. Outright terrified. More dead, the better.