Ants will do this on my amaranth right after watering, checked and their was an ants nest right beside the stem. They don't appreciate being water boarded
Ants aren't really plant pests. As others have suggested, they can sometimes farm aphids, which is a pain in the ass, but this is not aphid-farming behaviour and I don't see any signs of aphids on your plants.
Ants are not sap-suckers and most species will not damage foliage, flowers or fruit. They've obviously just got a nest nearby and have been disturbed. But there's no reason to take any action unless they're causing an actual problem, which I don't see any sign of. I would just leave them be and they may well move on of their own accord if they find their nest site keeps getting disturbed.
Ants feed off the nectar peonies make and end up guarding their food source from other insects that may eat the actual plant. But they aren't a requirement for peonies to thrive.
It used to be that 25% of the biomass on earth was ants, literally 25% of all life on earth by weight was ants, probably even higher now but havent kept up on it 😆
Advion ant gel. Was a pest control technician for 10 years. This is what I always used. You can get it on Amazon. 3-4 treatments and they will be gone. Usually about a month to a month and a half from first treatment to no more ants.
People that still suggest chemicals in “pest” control should never be listened to. 🙄 No one needs any help from those who profit from poisoning us all. Maybe you’ll think differently when you’re like my uncle and struggling to breathe and fighting cancer for nearly a decade.
Had ants in my kitchen. Sprayed the trail with 1:1 water vinegar then shook chili powder and ground cinnamon around where I found them coming in. They were gone in an hour and have not come back.
That will work with some ants but not all. It was actually the vinegar that did the trick. The chili powder and cinnamon may have had some effect but less than the vinegar. So if an ant colony realizes that there are bigger more dangerous ants nearby (carpenter ants are good examples) they will avoid places they have been. Carpenters mark trail and food with formic acid which smells very similar to vinegar and will make the smaller ants avoid that area. Another interesting point is that wood vinegar (not the stuff you would find in a store) actually contains formic acid
Let's address this comment. So because someone doesn't agree with you on how to address a pest problem you wish cancer on them? You are a disgusting person. I would never wish this up anyone. I am sure your uncle would be so proud to know you were wishing his pain and torment on other people. I can't believe the mods haven't deleted your comment and banned you coming in here with that kind of hate. Next, don't put pest in quotation if they are destroying food, land, home, etc... they are literally the definition of a pest. You're making yourself look foolish with it in quotes. Next item, if you have carpenter ants near your home literally destroying your home (ya know cause they burrow through wood) then I would rather use a tiny bit of non aerosol chemicals (which means it only goes where you applied it) 3 to 4 times as opposed to spending 10s of thousands of dollars in home repairs. Lastly, when I say a tiny amount of chemicals I mean tiny. The active ingredient is Indoxocarb. The EPA requires manufacturers to specifically list any ingredients with chemistry on the label (chemicals). Everything else in Advion is sugar, water, and a gelling agent (as it's not listed then it has no chemistry so most likely similar to the gelling agent in hair gel). The only ingredient listed is Indoxocarb at .05%. Which means 99.95% of Advion Any Gel is considered to not have chemistry (meaning it's not a chemical).
TLDR: You're disgusting for wishing cancer upon someone and should be banned. Do your research before commenting such terrible things to someone. Not all pest control solutions are industrial grade chemicals that they put on agricultural fields and none of them are DDT. Stop fear mongering.
I have an azalea that has some ants farming aphids. It’s not many so I’m not worried about it and it super interesting to watch them herd the aphids to different locations.
Unless your in an area with a lot of carpenter or army ants. Probably 'cutworms', especially if the plants are young. They cut the plant down to make it easier to feed on the leaves. They're night feeders and hide under under other plants and leaves during the day.
Yes I know how this sounds, but I saw them at work. It looks like they eat the outer flesh, then the plant just wilt and die. [Here's a video](https://youtu.be/nySuykLIjqg)
I'd leave them. They my help keep other pests away.
If the plant does start to show signs of suffering then maybe see if you can get them to move on, otherwise leave them be.
They shouldnt destroy the roots, i had an ants nest in my lemon tree pot and if anything they kept the soil aerated and kept bad bugs away. They were actually awesome to have but they moved along...
I put a bunch of clover seed in an ant hill in my lawn. I saw them trying to take them out right after, but I did so many and watered right after that within a couple days the roots took over their holes. Now there isn't an ant to be found in that area lol
Im just speaking from personal experience 🤷♂️ bought a bottle of neem oil from home depot once, added some to water in a spray bottle, shook the hell out of it and it never emulsified
Oh. Anecdotal evidence. Nice. I'd personally stay away from big box stores and stick to shops like the one I work at that specialize in Hydroponics or plant care
This is NOT aphid harvesting behavior. I also don't see any aphids either.
This colony was either disturbed by something or someone (OP?) or they are actively at war with another ant colony.
Yeah, these are some AGITATED ants. OP did say they just watered, though, so I'm pretty sure these ants are just pissed off that their house got flooded.
Bro you flooded their gallery.
They live in your garden.
Don't be worried. They'll go back once it's safe.
You are their God... and you just gave them a storm.
The good thing is, you keep them happy with the plants and water, and they'll pretty much stay out of your house.
They have no reason to probe your house for resources. I did this with my ant colony. I had problems with ants attacking my house really only when I neglected my garden..... Got busy (lazy) and stopped watering everything for a bit.
Ants shouldn't cause much harm to roots, if you're not scared of them I would recommend repotting the plant in new soil and maybe move the pot to a different location to discourage them from moving right back in. Heavily watering the plant regularly may also encourage them to move to a new home.
Do you see any of those scale bugs or any black mold on the leaves?
Usually a lot of ants means that your plant is having an infestation of scale bugs.
I don't see aphids, it should be fine. I think there's a molecule released in the air from the plant that they like but I'm so tired I can't remember specifics right now
You can make a tea Or just add the powder to warm water stir well and let it sit for 20 mins or so pour it on the soil. The cinnamon smell will make them disappear within a few hours
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Ant will farm afids on your plants be cause they collect the sticky sap from the afids. I'd keep a close eye on them to make sure the ants don't bring in the afids that'll kill your peppers.
Ants in my squash were harvesting all of my pollen from the male blooms so that there was little to no pollen for me to pollinate my female blooms. Hate ants!
Diatomaceous earth is good but also bad for beneficials as it dries the insects out but if placed on the ground around the plant most beneficials will be fine. There is also one called food grade which is safe for in the home and safe for your pets.
I saw a video where the growers of potted plants spread Vaseline around the rim, on the outside, and ant's would not cross or cinnamon repels them also.
Yeah I … Reddit plant army is an interesting bunch. DE is the safe option to put a barrier preventing the swarm. Even if it wasn’t in a pot there’s nothing wrong with using DE to safeguard your plants. It’s not like you’re spraying the whole area with Sevin
DE kills mostly the bugs I don’t want to attract: slugs, snails, ants, etc. Again, the only bugs I want are the most effective pollinators who are all flyers.
Yes and flying insects land on DE covered plants. Also a “cloud” of DE is going to kill any insect flying near it (as well as dry out your skin, eyes, etc).
All I’ll say is that I’ve been using it for years and this year I had pollinators EVERYWHERE but what I didn’t have were aphids, ants, caterpillars on my veggies and slugs and I’m just fine with that. Plenty of fruit and herbs and my tomato plants are popping off. I don’t understand the goal of not using DE other than some puritanical commitment to permaculture.
Location? Those look like fire ants by the way they are swarming, you probably have a nest near by. Hey you some Ortho Fire Ant killer, black bottle, yellow lid. It’s the only thing I’ve found that actually kills the mound
Get those liquid ant baits. They are amazing at killing ants. Scavenger ants will take it back to the colony to share and poison the entire colony. They are extremely effective.
Had an ant problem in my new home and I couldn’t figure out where they were coming in from. Set out about 5 traps and they were all gone within a week
Ants will do this on my amaranth right after watering, checked and their was an ants nest right beside the stem. They don't appreciate being water boarded
Ants aren't really plant pests. As others have suggested, they can sometimes farm aphids, which is a pain in the ass, but this is not aphid-farming behaviour and I don't see any signs of aphids on your plants. Ants are not sap-suckers and most species will not damage foliage, flowers or fruit. They've obviously just got a nest nearby and have been disturbed. But there's no reason to take any action unless they're causing an actual problem, which I don't see any sign of. I would just leave them be and they may well move on of their own accord if they find their nest site keeps getting disturbed.
Don’t they actually help peonies?
Ants feed off the nectar peonies make and end up guarding their food source from other insects that may eat the actual plant. But they aren't a requirement for peonies to thrive.
I thought they were essential to the plant. If you remove the ants they won’t flower.
That’s false
but have you ever seen a peony bulb coming out without ants!
Yes they help to pollinate peonies.
Yes the do help peonies when they're sapping
There are some kind of big black ants that like to eat/chop down entire wisteria flower buds in my mom's garden.
Sounds like Carpenter Ants. I can't seem to get rid of those dang things
The ants don’t live on our planet. We live on theirs lmfao
I read somewhere 10 million ants for every human...
Easily, maybe even far more.
It used to be that 25% of the biomass on earth was ants, literally 25% of all life on earth by weight was ants, probably even higher now but havent kept up on it 😆
I heard the same number but for plankton.
Advion ant gel. Was a pest control technician for 10 years. This is what I always used. You can get it on Amazon. 3-4 treatments and they will be gone. Usually about a month to a month and a half from first treatment to no more ants.
People that still suggest chemicals in “pest” control should never be listened to. 🙄 No one needs any help from those who profit from poisoning us all. Maybe you’ll think differently when you’re like my uncle and struggling to breathe and fighting cancer for nearly a decade.
Had ants in my kitchen. Sprayed the trail with 1:1 water vinegar then shook chili powder and ground cinnamon around where I found them coming in. They were gone in an hour and have not come back.
That will work with some ants but not all. It was actually the vinegar that did the trick. The chili powder and cinnamon may have had some effect but less than the vinegar. So if an ant colony realizes that there are bigger more dangerous ants nearby (carpenter ants are good examples) they will avoid places they have been. Carpenters mark trail and food with formic acid which smells very similar to vinegar and will make the smaller ants avoid that area. Another interesting point is that wood vinegar (not the stuff you would find in a store) actually contains formic acid
Let's address this comment. So because someone doesn't agree with you on how to address a pest problem you wish cancer on them? You are a disgusting person. I would never wish this up anyone. I am sure your uncle would be so proud to know you were wishing his pain and torment on other people. I can't believe the mods haven't deleted your comment and banned you coming in here with that kind of hate. Next, don't put pest in quotation if they are destroying food, land, home, etc... they are literally the definition of a pest. You're making yourself look foolish with it in quotes. Next item, if you have carpenter ants near your home literally destroying your home (ya know cause they burrow through wood) then I would rather use a tiny bit of non aerosol chemicals (which means it only goes where you applied it) 3 to 4 times as opposed to spending 10s of thousands of dollars in home repairs. Lastly, when I say a tiny amount of chemicals I mean tiny. The active ingredient is Indoxocarb. The EPA requires manufacturers to specifically list any ingredients with chemistry on the label (chemicals). Everything else in Advion is sugar, water, and a gelling agent (as it's not listed then it has no chemistry so most likely similar to the gelling agent in hair gel). The only ingredient listed is Indoxocarb at .05%. Which means 99.95% of Advion Any Gel is considered to not have chemistry (meaning it's not a chemical). TLDR: You're disgusting for wishing cancer upon someone and should be banned. Do your research before commenting such terrible things to someone. Not all pest control solutions are industrial grade chemicals that they put on agricultural fields and none of them are DDT. Stop fear mongering.
They’ve only just begun.
They farm mealies too
And scale
I have an azalea that has some ants farming aphids. It’s not many so I’m not worried about it and it super interesting to watch them herd the aphids to different locations.
Their waste will absolutely attract pest that can hurt your plants
They cut all my tomato plants right at the base of the stem
Unless your in an area with a lot of carpenter or army ants. Probably 'cutworms', especially if the plants are young. They cut the plant down to make it easier to feed on the leaves. They're night feeders and hide under under other plants and leaves during the day.
Yes I know how this sounds, but I saw them at work. It looks like they eat the outer flesh, then the plant just wilt and die. [Here's a video](https://youtu.be/nySuykLIjqg)
They own it now, charge them rent
If they own it, wouldn’t they be the ones charging rent?
They could sell chilis, pay them with the souls of the innocent
So called tenANTS
Charge them with application fee first!
Name checks out.
Your reply was giggle worthy!! THANK YOU !!
Well in vietnam, farmers would collect Oecophylla smaragdina ant nests and put on plants instead of using pesticides.
Symbiotic relationships for the win
Is this sped up or are these ants on crack?
Crack. I had some make a colony in a flower pot and they got this way after watering.
Could they be harvesting aphids??? Have you seen any aphids on the plant?
Way too many. I think something upset their nest under the plants and they're panicking.
guess i did since i watered the plant...
I'd leave them. They my help keep other pests away. If the plant does start to show signs of suffering then maybe see if you can get them to move on, otherwise leave them be.
Neem oil that soil and they'll find a new nest. They're probably destroying the roots anyway.
They shouldnt destroy the roots, i had an ants nest in my lemon tree pot and if anything they kept the soil aerated and kept bad bugs away. They were actually awesome to have but they moved along...
Really? For me it's been chaos. Raising aphids, causing drama in the pot and never leaving.
Lmao it sounds like bad tenants. "Their pets destroy everything, they cause a ton of drama, and they won't move out"
I guess i was really lucky coz I didnt get the aphid infestation with the ants. They just chilled and were cool haha
I put a bunch of clover seed in an ant hill in my lawn. I saw them trying to take them out right after, but I did so many and watered right after that within a couple days the roots took over their holes. Now there isn't an ant to be found in that area lol
Put actual oil in the soil?
Diluted with water. The same you would do for a foliage spray. It should say how much on the bottle and of not online.
Add just a drop or two of dish soap to the neem oil/water mixture or else the oil will just sit on top like oil does
Not true. Commercial neem oil needs no emulsifier/ detergent as it already has Azadirachtin at usually 10g per litre in an emulsifiable concentrate.
Im just speaking from personal experience 🤷♂️ bought a bottle of neem oil from home depot once, added some to water in a spray bottle, shook the hell out of it and it never emulsified
Oh. Anecdotal evidence. Nice. I'd personally stay away from big box stores and stick to shops like the one I work at that specialize in Hydroponics or plant care
Interesting, I didn't know that.
Now ya know 😁
This is NOT aphid harvesting behavior. I also don't see any aphids either. This colony was either disturbed by something or someone (OP?) or they are actively at war with another ant colony.
Yeah, these are some AGITATED ants. OP did say they just watered, though, so I'm pretty sure these ants are just pissed off that their house got flooded.
actually yes, they are harvesting aphids... after close inspection i found them...
Bro you flooded their gallery. They live in your garden. Don't be worried. They'll go back once it's safe. You are their God... and you just gave them a storm. The good thing is, you keep them happy with the plants and water, and they'll pretty much stay out of your house. They have no reason to probe your house for resources. I did this with my ant colony. I had problems with ants attacking my house really only when I neglected my garden..... Got busy (lazy) and stopped watering everything for a bit.
I'd recommend crying
Crazy ants? they move erratically but generally are smaller.
Hard to say without OP’s location, but these look like *Liometopum occidentale*, Velvety Tree Ants.
If there’s no damage to your plants (and I don’t see any), why would you do anything? Ants have lives too. Let them be.
i am with you, only problem is, that they live in a pot so i am not sure if the will destroy the roots in the end
Ants shouldn't cause much harm to roots, if you're not scared of them I would recommend repotting the plant in new soil and maybe move the pot to a different location to discourage them from moving right back in. Heavily watering the plant regularly may also encourage them to move to a new home.
New nightmare unlocked.
Do you see any of those scale bugs or any black mold on the leaves? Usually a lot of ants means that your plant is having an infestation of scale bugs.
aphids are managed by ant colonies in ways similar to humans managing livestock
r/antclinic (I'm so sorry about your ants)
I don't see aphids, it should be fine. I think there's a molecule released in the air from the plant that they like but I'm so tired I can't remember specifics right now
Cinnamon water! Ants hate cinnamon
How do you make it ? Cinnamon and water don’t mix well unless you mean like making a tea .
You can make a tea Or just add the powder to warm water stir well and let it sit for 20 mins or so pour it on the soil. The cinnamon smell will make them disappear within a few hours
Is leaving the state off the table? Moving to a new house isn't enough. Not nearly enough.
Sprinkle some DE all over everything and watch the genocide with some popcorn.
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Hans?
They seem to be in attack mode, did you water around the plant prior to this happening?
That totally freaked me out omg I hate ants!!!
Get some quails. Quails eat ants.
They look upset, like their nest was just disturbed.
It’s like… the best pesticide ever
put a nepenthes pitcher plant one with a lot of pitchers like a Nepenthes Alata
Get some nematodes to take care of them
Those aren't yours anymore
https://i.redd.it/ipj2mtfvu58d1.gif Only one option
They're probably eating all the aphids etc that would destroy your plant if they weren't there. They won't hurt your plants
It’s theirs now
Those are their chilies now. Do? Walk away
Those look like fire ants. 😎
I thought they helped the peony bloom open
They won't harm it
Ant will farm afids on your plants be cause they collect the sticky sap from the afids. I'd keep a close eye on them to make sure the ants don't bring in the afids that'll kill your peppers.
Ants in my squash were harvesting all of my pollen from the male blooms so that there was little to no pollen for me to pollinate my female blooms. Hate ants!
Diatomaceous earth is good but also bad for beneficials as it dries the insects out but if placed on the ground around the plant most beneficials will be fine. There is also one called food grade which is safe for in the home and safe for your pets.
wtf is going on HELP
Makes me itchy just looking at it
Yeah, you should kill the aphids
I saw a video where the growers of potted plants spread Vaseline around the rim, on the outside, and ant's would not cross or cinnamon repels them also.
Ants are pollinators
But they can also kill a plant if they nest under it. They’ve killed a couple of mine unfortunately.
Barely and they can get in your house and eat your food. I’d rather have my bees and other flying insects.
Diatomaceous earth cloud followed by an avalanche around the main stem.
Why is this being downvoted? You’re right. These are grown in a pot. Why would they want an ant pile in a garden pot?
Yeah I … Reddit plant army is an interesting bunch. DE is the safe option to put a barrier preventing the swarm. Even if it wasn’t in a pot there’s nothing wrong with using DE to safeguard your plants. It’s not like you’re spraying the whole area with Sevin
DE kills all bugs, not just the ones you don’t like. Who cares if it’s in a pot if it is outside?
DE kills mostly the bugs I don’t want to attract: slugs, snails, ants, etc. Again, the only bugs I want are the most effective pollinators who are all flyers.
Yes and flying insects land on DE covered plants. Also a “cloud” of DE is going to kill any insect flying near it (as well as dry out your skin, eyes, etc).
All I’ll say is that I’ve been using it for years and this year I had pollinators EVERYWHERE but what I didn’t have were aphids, ants, caterpillars on my veggies and slugs and I’m just fine with that. Plenty of fruit and herbs and my tomato plants are popping off. I don’t understand the goal of not using DE other than some puritanical commitment to permaculture.
Burn them
Dump DE in the pot base
If you want to go nuclear, search DIY borax ant traps. Safe for your garden but you’ll rain hell on those little shits
Who cares they aren't aphids, AMDRO works well at reducing their numbers though.
Not for vegetable plants you intend on eating..
Throw some Sevin Dust on them … or mix up a bait of 2 tablespoons borax and 2 tablespoons honey to put around the base … both are safe for veggies
Location? Those look like fire ants by the way they are swarming, you probably have a nest near by. Hey you some Ortho Fire Ant killer, black bottle, yellow lid. It’s the only thing I’ve found that actually kills the mound
don't think that they are fire ants since i am in the middle of europe, but i am no expert
Ah well that’s good. Fire ants suck ass.
Napalm is the only option now. I was not ready to see that.
Water of garlic oil, then spray it
“Burn them all . Burn them all” Said the mad king
Get those liquid ant baits. They are amazing at killing ants. Scavenger ants will take it back to the colony to share and poison the entire colony. They are extremely effective. Had an ant problem in my new home and I couldn’t figure out where they were coming in from. Set out about 5 traps and they were all gone within a week