Posted on 07/02/2010 5:03:50 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
The whole concoction will kill them on contact. I have no idea how long it lasts. I just watch the plants and if I see bugs crawling I squirt them, then I usually don't see them for a few days-maybe 1 or 2 bugs here and there.
My problem isn't ants, it was germination. However, I notice a lot of ants in my garden. There were no ants there before I built it, and all of the "soil" (planting mix) was brought in. Where did they come from? And why are they there? Just to annoy any grasshopper who happens by?
I already have baby watermelons (and I mean baby) on my plants because they were blooming when I bought them. Don’t know if they’ll continue to grow. We shall see.
We'll likely read about you in the tabloids where it will say that the Palimony suit was settled trading buckets of blueberries for the psychological support you received from gazing on her flower garlands. Fair trade. Next case. ;)
I don’t know why or where they all come from. Wish I did. They are a real problem here. They will get under my containers for some reason. Maybe the water.
So far, though, I have fortunately not seen any fire ant beds this year, which IS unusual.
We don’t have Fire Ants in Wisconsin. The cold probably kills them. They certainly were a problem when we lived in Houston, however. The first time I got bit was when I sat on a pile of sod to rest when we were putting in our back lawn. Welcome to TX.
Is the plant showing any sign of transplant shock? If, not, the fruit will probably survive.
I have about 4 zucchini coming, which I hope to start eating this weekend, and the beans are growing like mad. I've never had beans before, and I had no idea they grow so fast!
There must be a food source...what do ants eat?
Ants were the first bugs I noticed in my new raised beds too.
What do ants eat? This question is on the minds of many people who have faced an ant infestation. When they find out the answer to what do ants eat, they figure they can clean their kitchens of the offending items.
Adult ants can only digest liquid foods. They prefer plant nectars and honeydew from plant-sucking insects. Ants are also satisfied with natural oil and protein food sources which come from seeds, plants or dead insects.
What do ants eat? Sweets! Sweets give energy to worker ants, and the protein from other insects helps to build up the ant’s body. One type of ant, the Dalmatie, actually cooks its food by chewing it into patties and baking them in the sun.
Another kind of ant, the Harvester, collects and stores seeds.
The Leaf-cutter ant grows fungus for food.
Then there are the ants that actually “herd” other small insects (aphids) and then “milk” the aphids by using their antennas to make them secrete honeydew.
But, most ants are perfectly content to scavenge through your kitchen and eat your food. What do ants eat? Sweets are their favorite item, but any kind of carbohydrate is satisfactory.
A common kindergarten science experiment answers the question what do ants eat. The children introduce three food items such as a raisin, a piece of bread, and a Cheeto to a colony of ants and observe which one gets swarmed. In almost every case, the raisin is the most popular food item followed by the bread, and in last place, the Cheeto.
It’s interesting to note that the abdomen of the worker ant contains two stomachs. One stomach holds the food for the worker ant and the second stomach is for food to be shared with other ants. What do ants eat - the non-worker ants eat the vomit of the worker ants!
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Do-Ants-Eat?—Sweets!&id=1315199
LOL, sorry.
We are trying to figure out why we new gardeners have so many ants. I figure there must be a food source.
I have a usual number in my old beds, along with other bugs, but only ants, and quite a few of them in the 2 new raised beds.
Really? What is ungodly? 93f with hunidity making it feel like 111f? Oh, oh. Will the tomatoes already set ever turn red?
Next time I run into my extension agent, I'll ask why zukes and squash have so many ants.
What is an “extension agent” ?
Back in the day you went into their office, and browsed. Now, the number of offices have been reduced, but the info is accessible on line.
Garden shows, master gardening classes, classes on growing blueberries for cash crop etc are good places to run into our current agent. She is a master gardener, in addition to her college ag classes.
Wisconsin and Minnesota also have pretty good extension web sites too, if memory serves (it often fails these days).
Happy to hear your beans are doing so well. lol. You will be very busy soon!
Some of mine appear to be about finished. I think I will try replanting, as someone on this thread (I think) said they can still be planted now, and I had planted so few just experimenting, as I had never tried them before. They do grow fast!
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