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Ants!

elequin

elequin

I just found ants ALL over one of my Bhut Jolokia plants. Why would that be??

I hope I did the right thing in dousing them with pyrithium spray. I hit all my other plants that were close to it, just in case.

Any ideas? No other pests are visible to the naked eye..

- Eric
 
real bad news elequin - i got $10 says they're lining you up for an aphid ranch.

I went to war on the ants here a few months ago & after a lot of searching I settled on a product with 2g/kg of Bifenthrin. and just sprinkle a little around the stem of the plant & under the pots. Its not one they take back to their nest...it kills on contact. Its not poisonous to plants & other animals (no good for fish)...but dont breathe it in.

Theres no nice thing to take out ants...this was just the lesser of about 40 evils.
 
imaguitargod said:
Probably setting up a nest in your dirt....kill them!
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The pyrithium is supposed to kill ants. They were all over the leaves and stalks though, so I don't think they were building a nest in the dirt.

QuadShotz said:
Beware of ants bearing gifts....ya don't want 'em. ;)

Got any pics btw?
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Hehe, not yet. They're pretty small yet. My bhuts are doing well, and some of my scotch bonnets and cayennes are doing well, but others are kind-of looking like they might have mites or something. Weird distorted leaves, shrivelled leaves, etc. I may take some pics tomorrow to show off the ones that are doing well and inquire about the possible reason the others aren't.

Rob said:
I agree with bent....look closely for aphids
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I did look closely, and couldn't see any. Practically lifted up each leaf on one plant. I now remember about the phenomenon I read about somewhere, where ants will set up an aphid colony so they have food.. Is that right? I don't know if that was what they were doing, because I really looked close and couldn't see any aphids. Mites, on the other hand, are supposed to be difficult to see without magnification. Maybe they could have been feeding on mites? Either way, the pyrithium is supposed to kill ants, mites and aphids, so lets hope I have it taken care of!

- Eric
 
they're sly buggers...they may be hiding eggs underground that they brought from another plant and just scouting the new terrain. keep us posted.
 
Maybe they were looking for aphids? All i know is that whenever i find ants on my peppers i find aphids. Hopefully thats not the case with yours. Good luck
 
elequin said:
Weird distorted leaves, shrivelled leaves, etc. I may take some pics tomorrow to show off the ones that are doing well and inquire about the possible reason the others aren't.

- Eric
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Eric...check out the thread "Potawie needs help"....there are several of us experiencing the shrivelled leaves and can't figure out what it is...he has a pic of one of his plants there...I have the same thing going on with some of my plants too...
 
AlabamaJack said:
Eric...check out the thread "Potawie needs help"....there are several of us experiencing the shrivelled leaves and can't figure out what it is...he has a pic of one of his plants there...I have the same thing going on with some of my plants too...
Click to expand...

Looks exactly the same...

Why can't we find the cause? I'll report if the chemicals I used did any good..

- Eric
 
Dang it, you all were right.. I looked today, and that one bhut jolokia plant now has an aphid infestation, being farmed by the ants.

So.. Ladybugs? Neem? Flamethrower?

:(
 
Safer Soap...insecticidal soap...get it at walmart or your local nursery..coat the plant good and make sure you get under EACH leaf, then give the new growth a shot from the top...I use a 2 gallon pressurized sprayer with the cone attachment in it...apply safer soap at the rate of 2.5 oz per gallon....then reapply about 7-10 days later to get all the hatchlings that came out after you sprayed the first time..

I am just getting ready to go treat a spot infection right now...

later...
 
AlabamaJack said:
Safer Soap...insecticidal soap...get it at walmart or your local nursery..coat the plant good and make sure you get under EACH leaf, then give the new growth a shot from the top...I use a 2 gallon pressurized sprayer with the cone attachment in it...apply safer soap at the rate of 2.5 oz per gallon....then reapply about 7-10 days later to get all the hatchlings that came out after you sprayed the first time..

I am just getting ready to go treat a spot infection right now...

later...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice AJ! Heading to WalMart now..

- Eric
 
if you really want to get at them, I think you can add pyrethrin to the solution too...seems I read that somewhere...
 
AlabamaJack said:
if you really want to get at them, I think you can add pyrethrin to the solution too...seems I read that somewhere...
Click to expand...

Funny, but pyrithium doesn't seem to help a lot. I soaked that plant in pyrithium last night, and today have the aphid infestation.

- Eric
 
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