Could it be true? Have the ants really gone away?
I wrote a Helpful Ideas post about ants a while back. It said you could get rid of ants with corn meal. There was also another post that I can't seem to find that said I could put vaseline on branches to prevent ants from attaching their aphid herd. Looks like I goofed.
I just checked this website called Gardening Know How and it said I was supposed to smear the vaseline on a paper collar and put that on the plant.
I hope I haven't killed our Dessert Rose. It was on its way to dying with the ants and aphids anyway. I tried soapy water, but the ants kept coming back.
The vaseline and corn meal seemed to do the trick because I don't see any ants anymore. Unfortunately, I may have killed my patient in trying to save it from the disease.
On the other hand, I spread corn meal below this area of our patio and after months of battling ants with soapy spray, they've stopped coming. You can see remnants of ants dead from the soapy spray, but no new live trails.
Could it be? Is it possible that it might have actually worked?
We'll see.
I wrote a Helpful Ideas post about ants a while back. It said you could get rid of ants with corn meal. There was also another post that I can't seem to find that said I could put vaseline on branches to prevent ants from attaching their aphid herd. Looks like I goofed.
I just checked this website called Gardening Know How and it said I was supposed to smear the vaseline on a paper collar and put that on the plant.
I hope I haven't killed our Dessert Rose. It was on its way to dying with the ants and aphids anyway. I tried soapy water, but the ants kept coming back.
The vaseline and corn meal seemed to do the trick because I don't see any ants anymore. Unfortunately, I may have killed my patient in trying to save it from the disease.
On the other hand, I spread corn meal below this area of our patio and after months of battling ants with soapy spray, they've stopped coming. You can see remnants of ants dead from the soapy spray, but no new live trails.
Could it be? Is it possible that it might have actually worked?
We'll see.
I have never tried corn meal,. I have tried cucumber peel, its messy though, I hope the rose survives, darn ants,
ReplyDeleteMy sister tried the apple cider vinegar with a couple drops of dish soap to catch those pesky fruit flies, and it worked like a charm! I'll remember these helpful hints, Kay. Looks like the cornmeal is a winner, too. Hope your plant survives...
ReplyDeleteI hope it has worked. Yuck, ants!
ReplyDeleteEvery year the ants start coming into my kitchen. I try various remedies, and eventually one of them works. (For some reason it's a different one every year. I don't understand...)
ReplyDeleteI hope the plant survives....you have put a lot of effort into saving it.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. I hadn't thought of ants in years. I don't think we've had ants in the 8 years we've been in Oregon. I wonder why we don't have them.
ReplyDeleteAnts come in waves, not a permanent, constant stream. When there is adequate water outside, they won't bother to come inside the house.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, what a disaster these ants have been for you. I'm afraid I'm not as Green as you when it comes to ants.
ReplyDeleteWe've had a Hibiscus plant attacked by aphids, going from healthy one day to shriveled by aphids the next. Seems to be a common problem in Hawaii. A quick google about aphids (ehow), and if I'm reading correctly ants are part of the problem. They work together with aphids to spread and populate:
ReplyDelete"Rid your garden of ants. Ants love to eat "honeydew," the sugary sap secreted by aphids, and will keep the aphids alive by fending off predators and carrying the sap makers to other plants."
Read more: How to Get Rid of Aphids Naturally | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4030_rid-aphids-naturally.html#ixzz1xDaz90CH
L. from W.
Thanks L.! I always thought the ants brought the aphids but it looks like the aphids bring on the ants. Sigh... I'll have to try that soap-oil-water spray.
DeleteMake a nontoxic pesticide by mixing 1 c. vegetable oil with 1 tbsp. liquid dishwashing soap. Add 1 1/2 tsp. solution per cup of warm water to a handheld spray bottle.
The ants were probably farming the aphids for their honeydew and not harming the plant. Just a plain stream of water will wash the aphids off and the ants will look for them and then go away....Michelle
ReplyDeleteyou've found the answer to little terrorists called ants-cornmeal-amazing!
ReplyDeleteI hope the ants have moved on to new territory, although I really don't wish them on anyone else, either.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine why cornmeal would work, but sounds like an easy remedy. Hope your rose survives the trauma.
ReplyDeletehope your plant didn't die of the treatment!
ReplyDeleteSo far I am ant free but will remember that. At least your rose now has soft and smooth stems.
ReplyDeleteOH NO, I just threw a bunch of old cornmeal in the garbage today. Maybe I can salvage some of it to put outside by the deck. Silly me. But who knew? Well, now I know.
ReplyDeleteK
CORN-meal! Well I'll be!
ReplyDeleteHave a GREAT Weekend you folks
Aloha from Waikiki,
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >
Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYour situation is different, but my kitchen wall has two tiny holes up high through which ants sometimes like to come and go. I am now trying clear nail polish to plug the holes. Let's see if they can eat through that.
Haven't tried soapy spray...I've tried cinnamon and powder and they work temporarily. What usually works for me is terro (store bought).
ReplyDelete