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Ants? Good or bad?


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Hey guys just a question regarding ants now i have had them on and off my entire grow, are they honestly much to worry about? They havent seemed to have done any damage yet to my plants but i dont like them in the plants soil its annoying and i am worried they may loosen the soil around the roots or maybe eat roots im not to sure? They are tiny black ants and i beleive they are seeking shelter in the soil because they tend too more often show up after or just prior to it raining but any help would be great i dont want any bugs to cause problems though so any information would be great cheers guys
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identifying is the first thing to make sure of & working out what there doing there 

is something a grower has to workout , to many factors that only you know  

 

in general ants are good , no interest in plants & help the composting process 

 

however they will harvest aphid on a plant for the honey dew 

keeping the aphid going while they take the HD

 

ants & white ants (termites) don't like each other , poss if you have ants 

you won't have termites & termites will eat your plant 

 

if ants are in your pot , especially when you water they scatter with eggs on there backs 

out of your pot , it's poss your pot is a little to dry 

 

happens in peoples compost bin when not moist enough , ants will set up home 

 

there a bit of a sign around the house , if you see ants heading off somewheres with

eggs on there backs especially if heading vertical , your going to get rain 

 

BTW ,Don't ask where on a aphid's body dose honey dew come out of

will make you think a little diff about ants !

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Thanks for the answer i guess i will leave them be? See what happens i dont notice any bugs crawling on the plants though which is good only problem im having is grasshoppers really i even let spiders live on my plants, to try and keep the pest down i wish i found some ladybeetles around they would clear up any loose bugs for me
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Mmm, honey dew was a drink wasn't it ?

yeah i think there was , hope it wasn't a natural extraction though 

Honey Dew Butt Drink , direct from an aphid's arse to you ,  yummmmmmmm !

Thanks for the answer i guess i will leave them be? See what happens i dont notice any bugs crawling on the plants though which is good only problem im having is grasshoppers really i even let spiders live on my plants, to try and keep the pest down i wish i found some ladybeetles around they would clear up any loose bugs for me

put in plants to attract them to your yard 

you can buy a beneficial insect seed mixes , eden seeds , green harvest 

they say you should have between 5 & 10% beneficial plants in the backyard 

to attract benne insects , benne insects have small mouths that need small flowers 

 

do weekly sprays of neem in veg regardless if you see bugs or not , use 100% neem

& emulsify yourself ,

 

look at buying Neem Cake, crushed neem seed from oil making = ebay , use as a top dress on the pots 

protects & feeds soil life 

 

if your going to spray the plant with something make it worth it for the plant 

neem does nothing for the plant , could even hurt a plant if sprayed at the wrong time of day

 

in bottled neem on the shelf at bunnings they use a soap in the bottle to emulsify 

this also has no benefit to the plant 

 

we accept the neem for the protection but why not use a emulsifier that will benefit the plant 

like potassium silicate & aloe vera , both will add to plant health , get her healthy enough & she'll

fight her own battles 

 

either way look into having an IPM 

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Thanks for the answer i guess i will leave them be? See what happens i dont notice any bugs crawling on the plants though which is good only problem im having is grasshoppers really i even let spiders live on my plants, to try and keep the pest down i wish i found some ladybeetles around they would clear up any loose bugs for me

Honey dew is not the only stuff ants like. They also tend and harvest scale bugs. So I would also be looking for any white or black scale on the trunk of the plant. Scale is a big killer of many species of plants. They suck the goodness straight out of the plant until it is dead. Not hard to fine or see.

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wow, ok, so ages ago I super cropped the main stem of a plant, its been healed/knuckled for a long time, but today it was "floppy" had some heavy wind, so assumed it had re-broken the stem.

OK, BUT ants are coming OUT of the main stem, where the knuckle is, and a line going down from it to the soil.

 

little tiny black ants (very small)

 

plant itself is very healthy, had to tip it on a number of spots today as its getting too tall, and seems too grow fast each day (for its location/stealth)

 

anyway...

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need to identify which ant , poss garden ant ,

have you been using molasses in the garden ?

do a good check for bugs , the ants could be harvesting

 

one place to look 

http://www.rentokil.com.au/ants/species/ 

 

Garden Ant 

  • Foraging worker ants follow well–defined trails around food sources. Sweet foods are preferred but high protein foods will also be taken.
  • Swarming characteristics – mating between queens and fertile males takes place on the wing mid to late summer. Males perish after mating.
  • Nest locations – often outdoors in soil and below paving slabs on the sunny side of buildings.
  • Nest locations can be identified by the presence of finely powdered soil around nest exit holes.
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