Ants

[R.R.]

Why are ants attracted to the pots on my porch where I have my seedlings? Could it be something I'm doing (I frankly can't think of what) and, if I run out of spinosad, is orange oil gonna kill the seedlings?

 

[Chuck]

Why are ants attracted to the pots on my porch where I have my seedlings? Could it be something I'm doing (I frankly can't think of what) and, if I run out of spinosad, is orange oil gonna kill the seedlings?

what kind of ants?

 

[R.R.]

Not fire ants. Small but not aggressive.

 

[Chuck]

Not fire ants. Small but not aggressive.

If they are smaller than fire ants and run around fast and act like they don't know where they are going they are called crazy ants. They arrived in Houston about 5 years ago. If you are a dry as I am here they are coming after moisture. Put your pots on a brick or something and spray the brick and the pot with Orange Oil @ 2opgw. Orange oil will not hurt the plants unless sprayed on the leaves and in direct afternoon sunlight. I have them in my garden and so far they haven't hurt anything that I can see. They have been found to be attracted to electricity and will damage anything that has power running through it.

 

[R.R.]

I'll do that, thanks! I think I read somewhere crazy ants kill fire ants, which is really good

 

[claudine]

Lol, it's the first time when I hear of crazy ants, it sounds so funny I think I've seen a few of them here, too. Tiny, black ants always run randomly on our terrace. When my mother wants to scare them off, she sprinkle everything with cinnamon.

 

[Pat]

This is also the first time I have heard of crazy ants also. I had an invasion of ants in the house that I just moved into, in the boxes and cabinets looking for food. I used Home Defense spray to get rid of them there were so many.

 

[Chuck]

IIRC crazy ants boarded a ship in South America somewhere and jumped ship at the Port of Houston about 10 years ago and have been moving westward and eastward ever since. They arrived in central Texas about 5 years ago.They are a small ant, smaller than a fire ant and when disturbed go absolutely nuts. They can also kill fire ants which is a good thing. I have heard but not seen that they farm aphids. I do know that they love electricity because they made a nest in my pressure switch box on my well and shorted it out.

 

[headfullofbees]

Not crazy ants, but I have watched ants farm aphids on one of my cherry trees.
When I sprayed with soapy water to deal with the aphids, the ants went too.

 

[headfullofbees]

Tip: if you want rid of ants, use talcum powder; ants HATE talcum powder.

 

[Chuck]

Tip: if you want rid of ants, use talcum powder; ants HATE talcum powder.

Never tried that. Have you ever heard of Aspertain. It is a sugar substitute that comes in that little blue package at restaurants and such. It so happens that it is a nerve agent and is death on ants...........................sweetener for you tea anyone??????????????

 

[headfullofbees]

Do you mean "aspartame"?

 

[Chuck]

Do you mean "aspartame"?

Yeah thats it. Try it on ants especially those little tiny ones in the kitchen that always follow a trail. We call them sugar ants here

 

[Beankeeper]

All ants hate Bay Leaves so if the Orange Oil doesn't keep them out of your pots, just put a few Bay Leaves at the base of the pot and inside the pot as well. That should clear them up. Just remember, once the Bay Leaves have been out there for quite some time, you may need to replace them/add more in case they've lost their potency. The same advice goes for the Orange Oil application. If you can find the ants' nest or mound, put coffee grounds in and on top, and you could even try cinnamon. These are all natural ways to rid your plants of ants. I hope that helps.