Ants!

[Maneganden]

hello!

there are ants crawling all around my orchids.
they are considered pests right?
i know ants are inevitable, but other than using plant insecticides, is there any thing else i can do to get rid of them?
cause i have a curious dog at home who always sniff/lick my plant.
and is there anything i can do to prevent the ants from coming back?

Thanks!

[pikkumyy]

i dont know of one but im very interested as to the answer

[1joyceh]

Check for aphids Maneganden, the secrete a sticky, honey-like substance. Ants love it, will actually "capture" aphids and bring to their nest, keeping them alive to continue to make the "honey". One product you can use to get the ants and the aphids is called diatomaceous earth. It is crushed sea creatures (diatoms), and is like tiny razor blades. Cutting the soft bodied creatures each time it comes in contact with it's body. The creature will dehydrate and die within 48hrs. It is organic, pet safe (many people use in yards, pet areas to kill fleas). One caution...it is a fine dust, it really burns if you get it in your eyes....OUCH!! done that...only once!!

[kmarch]

In and of themselves, ants are not harmful to your orchids....but....sometimes ants can be a sign of another problem. Some ants "farm" other sucking insects like aphids and a lot of ants on your orchids might mean another insect infestation. Check your plants carefully for other bugs. If you have only a few ants and no signs of other bugs you're probably ok.

[Maneganden]

Ah ok thanks guys! I'll get diatomaceous earth Tmr. Don't want ants all over my house. Lol

[janet_a]

don't know if you can get this where you are

Orange Guard

but you can drench the medium with it and then rinse it out; it kills many of the ants on contact, and if you rinse it, it shouldn't be a problem for your dog.

[jessicalee]

ewww..... i found ants farming aphids on some of my outdoor plants, fascinating really...
but indoors, no... i was re-potting a new chid recently and there was an ant crawling on my floor, so i sprayed it with my handy bottle of 'the best stuff ever' .... it was dead in a minute.
The Best Stuff Ever!!!
check out this thread, the stuff is great.

[Mira-Claude]

I just buy raid traps. my cat is extremely curious and plays with it once in a while but it safe for them. The poison will not escape the trap end the ants will stop comming back as you literally killed the queen.

[edgy]

I second the ant traps made with boric acid or borates. The ant takes it back to the colony and disrupts the whole group. Be advised that with this type of trap...the ants will come in large numbers once they figure out where it is and then in about 3 days they are all gone.

[Maneganden]

If only I read about the ant trap before I bought the insecticide and spraying it. Because I just bought an organic insecticide. The people from the nursery told me that it'll be able to do the trick. Pray it works!