ants on my caapi

[Light&Love]

Hey guys

My two caapi plants are being attacked by ants for some reason, even though they look relativley healthy. I repotted the worst infected one and they came straight back. How do i get rid of these fuckers?

Peace

[tripsis]

Are the ants actually causing damage or are they "farming" other insects that do? Often an infestation by ants is actually an indication of an infestation by something else. Have you looked closely to see whether there are aphids or mealy bugs present that the ants are protecting for their sugary excretions?

[Light&Love]

Are the ants actually causing damage or are they "farming" other insects that do? Often an infestation by ants is actually an indication of an infestation by something else. Have you looked closely to see whether there are aphids or mealy bugs present that the ants are protecting for their sugary excretions?

 

What do these bugs look like? I sprayed some neem seed oil on all my caapi plants roughly 1 week ago, and that didnt stop the ants from coming back the next day.

If it is these other bugs, what can i use to get rid of them?

Peace

[tripsis]

Aphids:

Mealy bugs:

Both are quite small, but can also be tiny. Water-based pyrethrum should work for both. Using a detergent in the spray will act like a surfactant and help the insecticide stick.

[Light&Love]

Upon closer inspection, there are these tiny bugs, around 1mm big, that are forming in groups of 5-10 on the underneath of the leaves, they dont look like aphids or mealy bugs though. The ants are also crawling down into the soil, so whatever it is it must be in the roots as well.

Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?

Peace

[Hashassian]

spray ipa/alcohol on and under leaves....dries the bugs out. then a couple hours later high pressure water knocks them off.

put heaps of garlic around the base of the plants.

i wouldnt worry about the ants unless they are eating into the trunk\stem of the plant.

is your climate hot days and cool\cold nights?

[Light&Love]

spray ipa/alcohol on and under leaves....dries the bugs out. then a couple hours later high pressure water knocks them off.

put heaps of garlic around the base of the plants.

i wouldnt worry about the ants unless they are eating into the trunk\stem of the plant.

is your climate hot days and cool\cold nights?

 

Thanks hash, yeah right now its 32 and the night get as low as 15-16 in summer so yeah, there is a difference. Why do you ask?

Peace

[Hashassian]

are they white?

dosnt matter, alcohol and high pressure water fucks everything up.

im containing outbreaks on my chilli crop atm. mine start off real small white eggs. come on real quick when you have hot days and cool nights.

dont leave the alcohol on to long.

i also have ants around the problem area

[Flip]

Just my 2¢

I wouldn't use IPA right off the top as a spray

*depending* upon the size of the plant in question

I would suggest hitting them with a nice jet of water

Work your way down leaf by leaf all the way down the stem

That's a lot less damaging to the plant

as long as the spray isn't so heavy that it's ripping the leaves apart

you're in good shape.

Ants will go to caapi and feed off of the sugar wells

small nodules at the base of the leaves.

Once that happens they'll start setting up little farms.

A good way to keep such things as aphids out of the picture

is to nuke the ants out of existence. If you're unsure you've got any in your area,

a good way to test for ants is to go down to a local pet store and buy a dozen crickets.

Use their dead bodies as bait. set them along walls close to planter boxes

Many ant species will zero in on them within a hour if they're in the area.

Then you know what to do..

I've got no problems with nuking invasive species likeArgentinean ants vs native species

They like to establish mini colonies in your pots as quickly as an afternoon

if they find a food source close by.

Edited February 18, 2010 by Flip

[DarkSpark]

The thread is a bit old but i have two plants in my yard that the plants seem to love as well. The psychotria and brugmansia, they are constantly walking over them, i had a spider mite problem not long ago so maybe thye are finishing themo ff... although as someone stated above they do appear to be gathering something from them, would psychotria have these sugar wells too ???

[planthelper]

The thread is a bit old but i have two plants in my yard that the plants seem to love as well. The psychotria and brugmansia, they are constantly walking over them, i had a spider mite problem not long ago so maybe thye are finishing themo ff... although as someone stated above they do appear to be gathering something from them, would psychotria have these sugar wells too ???

 

psychotria doesn't have a sugar well, but what the ants do there is to farm aphids, and the "sugar" comes from the bottom of the aphids.

flips suggestion, is exactly what i do aswell. for small plants or areas i use the hand mister and gently rub the critters off. i call this massaging the plant and they love it.

after spraying/rubbing off the critters for around 3 times the worst is mostly avoided.

for bigger plants on can use the garden hose maybe with little pressure only.