North Texans are you planting out this weekend?

[Gardeneer]

Ants do not do any harm to plants of any kind. They can be just annoying sometimes.
About ants farming aphids conspiracy, I do not believe in that. A lot of house plants get aphids with no ants around. Just My Opinion.

[Dewayne mater]

I know that sounds crazy and I'd never encountered it before last year. However, it is a real thing.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1009212548.htm

This article says they keep the aphids subdued. Perhaps, but not so subdued that they aren't munching on your tomatoes. I found they I could get rid of them with spraying water hard on the leaves, need oil and other means. However, they inevitably came back quickly, until such time as I found the ant bed and get rid of them. It was in my neighbors yard, but they didn't mind me getting rid of the ants, fortunately.

DM

[ChristinaJo]

Can't plant anything because my garden is full of mud! It's raining g again.......I will plant in cups inside the house to get me through,

[OzoneNY]

Originally Posted by ChristinaJo

Can't plant anything because my garden is full of mud! It's raining g again.......I will plant in cups inside the house to get me through,

Ya, its been soggy. I covered mine just to protect them from the assault of heavy rain drops on the still somewhat delicate plants.

More consistent sun in the forecast starting on munday

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Ants do not do any harm to plants of any kind. They can be just annoying sometimes.
About ants farming aphids conspiracy, I do not believe in that. A lot of house plants get aphids with no ants around. Just My Opinion.

Here in Texas, we have an ant named "Texas Leaf Cutter Ant". They devastated my pepper plants one year. They would completely strip the leafs from a large plant in one day. They cut the leaves into small pieces on the plant or cut the leaf off and let it fall and then cut it up with their mandibles. They don't sting but can deliver a painful cut with the mandibles. They store the leaf parts in special chambers in their dens and live off the fungus which grows on the moist leaf parts stored in the food chambers.

I found their den because it was easy to track the leaf parts carried back to their den. I felt like a drone observing highway traffic from above. I could easily have killed the den, but I allowed them to strip all my pepper plants because they were so interesting to watch. They didn't touch anything in the garden except the pepper plants.

Imported red and black fire ants include some vegetative material in their diet and can be harmful to some garden plants. They prefer protein like insects, earth worms, grass hoppers, and lizards.

Ted

[AlittleSalt]

Dewayne, Ants farm aphids on okra pods and blossoms too. I've seen this every year since 2010. Between the two, if you let them be, they ruin the okra.

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

The problem with several species of ants is they will farm aphids on your tomato plants. They have some symbiosis with the ants where they eat the aphid poo/honey dew. Maybe good for the ants, but, you definitely won't want all of those aphids around. I've learned that the ants will quickly replenish a huge colony of aphids that you wiped out with neem, chemicals, whatever your choice is. So, if you figure out that you have this type of ant, you will need to follow the ants back to their mound and use whatever means you are comfortable with to try to kill the mound and queen. If you can't accomplish that, you will have a battle that is ongoing for the entire growing season. Good luck!

DM

[Dewayne mater]

A little salt - what do you use to control this type of ant?

[OzoneNY]

Anyone in the north DFW area use Texas Tomato Food and have any idea where I can get it? (Besides amazon)

[charley]

ok i got every thing in the ground now even the flowers i put in the last fox glove and black hollyhocks,and right after all the purple martins showed up what a awesome day

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

A little salt - what do you use to control this type of ant?

I missed your reply Dewayne, I've used washing them off, 7 dust, and even malathion. Nothing has really worked well though.

[decherdt]

I get ants farming aphids on cucumbers. I use tangle foot glue low on the vines and trellis t-posts, then strong soap with forceful rinse to remove the ones that get through.

[Worth1]

Fire ants can totally ruin okra.

Worth

Your right Worth!

I don't grow okra, but I have friends who try to grow okra. Fire ant's destroy the plants before they even get a chance to bloom. I don't know why they are so attracted to okra plants.

Fire ants are destructive to a lot of things from shorting out electrical boxes (they like to build nests in outlet boxes) to killing wild animals shortly after birth. It is the only insect I would use a nuclear bomb on if I had one.

Ted

[charley]

every year before i plant i pour a big pot of boiling water on all ant mounds.no chemicals and it cooks the ants

[charley]

back to the drawing board.the wind got me this time .last year it was hail.but i leared from last year i have spare this time and man it feals good