Insects - Ants
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  (May) An elderly neighbor who reads a lot recently told me that our native ant is the only natural predator the fire ant has. He says if one arbitrarily poisons anthills, they may be killing the good guys. He says if you disturb an anthill and they come streaming forth in an aggressive manner, that it is fire ants. But if you disturb a native anthill, they will exit the mound in a more complacent and peaceful manner. He also claims that you can tell the good guys from the bad guys by the color of the mound. The good guys colony is reddish brown in color, while the bad guys are much lighter in color, almost white. Is he full of beans or knowledge?

  I checked with our fire ant specialists, and this is her response: Some of the information was correct -- it isn't good to just arbitrarily kill an ant colony, and fire ants are very aggressive when the mound is disturbed. (If you have ever gone near a fire ant mound, it is pretty impressive to see how they almost boil out, ready to attack!) However, the other statements are only half-truths. In the United States until recently, the only enemy of the fire ant was ants, however, in the last 5 to 7 years entomologist have worked to establish populations of natural enemies of the fire ant -- the phorid fly and natural ant diseases like Thelohania. The color of the mound is a reflection of the soil the ants are moving around in, not the type of ant it is. However, if a mound has a central 'volcano-type' opening it is probably NOT a fire ant mound -- they have a more extensive tunnel system than that, and generally do not have a central opening.

  (August) I have a large oak in my front yard that has a carpenter ant infestation. The tree has a large wound that is close to the base that is pretty old but does show signs of rot or "ant sawdust". The previous owner of our house tried to cover the wound with tar. To make matters worse, the automatic sprinkler waters the wound every time it is on. I have seen them swarm around the wound so I know they are nesting in the tree. How do I rid my tree of them? I am concerned that the tree may be in danger even though it shows not signs of stress.

  If you can see insects, you can kill them. Try using any general insecticide such as Diazinon, Dursban or the like. Spray into the damaged area and around the trunk. You may want to repeat this. Insects that construct tunnels such as termites and borers, are hard to kill unless you can see them. Carpenter ants too can burrow in, but if you see lots of activity, spray the opening. You may want to repeat this a few times. Then, clean out the wound, removing the decayed area. Tree paints or wound dressings do nothing to help, but if possible, try to redirect your sprinkler system to avoid extra water on the wound, which could help to spread the decay.

  (October) HELP!!! I have ants in my plants! And in the yard! They are all over my yard, front and back, a huge colony of itty bitty black ants that just will not go away. I have tried the Grants ant stakes and the Terro ant drops, but they just pack up their little ant suitcases, tuck a brat under one arm and move somewhere else! I need something to use in the yard to kill them once and for all. I also have a problem with them getting into my outside houseplants that will soon be brought into the house. They really like my ferns and my Christmas cactus. Last February, I went to water my X Mess cactus and ants just poured out. My plant had been in the house since October. Is there anything I can use to kill the ants inside without harming my plants?

  Two different solutions. For the yard find a broad spectrum granular insecticide and broadcast it. Permethrin is the most common active ingredient and there are various trade names. You don't want to treat individual ant mounds, since you may not get them all and they will set up housekeeping elsewhere. For your houseplants, use a water soluble insecticide and after a good drink with plain water, water the pots with the insecticide. Insecticidal soap, permethrin or houseplant insecticide should work. Read and follow the label directions. Not all plants will be listed, so you may want to do a test before dousing all your plants. Ferns in particular can be susceptible to insecticides. Cleaning the pots and spraying down the outside of the pots as well as the drainage dishes can also help. You can also immerse the pots in water for a few seconds and then let them drain-this often flushes out the ants.

  (November) Following is a tip I want to share from a reader. A few weeks ago we talked about getting rid of ants in houseplants. Here is what a reader wrote: Thought you might be interested in a safe and easy way to rid ants from container plants. This also works around the home. Ants do not like the scent of bay leaves or mint. We have used bay leaves in the doorways and around the kitchen for years; we seldom, if ever, have ant problems there. This summer, I was preparing a potted plant for shipping in which ants had established a nest. A leaf or two of fresh mint was pushed down into the soil. The ants had vacated the pot by the next morning. I now place a few leaves around our potting bench and other areas as a preventative measure. These remedies do not kill the ants but take care of the problem quickly and safely.

If you try this, share your experiences! J

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