Ants on my hibiscus....

cbressler1976

14 years ago

I recently just got a hibiscus plant and it is doing really well, with lots of flowers.....but I noticed ants....I looked for other bugs...but I couldn't find any... Is there a natural way to get rid of the ants? ...thanks!...

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PRO

Bag of Bees

14 years ago

Well, since nobody is responding I figured I would go over the things that I had done.

I read that spraying a combination of Dawn dish soap and water onto the plants would help, but this did nothing. I think this may be because this particular solution works against aphids and not against ants. The people that suggest this method are assuming that the ants have arrived because of an aphid problem, which doesn't seem to be the case with either of us.

Cinnamon did nothing for me, though I'd heard ants dislike it.

My most recent attempt to control the ants was with peppermint, and so far I think this might do the trick. Ants don't seem to be fans of the smell, so I took some Dr. Bronner's pepper mint and rubbed it around the pavement and the areas where I saw the ants wandering around. The next morning when I checked I didn't see any ants on the plant. I still saw a few on the concrete in the area, but they didn't seem to want to cross my little minty barrier.

I imagine I'll have to reapply the soap fairly regularly for it to continue working. I'll know more about it's effectiveness as I keep watch on the hibiscus over the next several days :)

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Comments (7)

PRO
Bag of Bees
14 years ago
I just wanted to pop my head in this thread as well, rather than starting my own. I'm having the same issue. While I'm new to this whole gardening thing, I did some research and saw to search for aphids. I see no aphids or other insects on my hibiscus plant - the ants seem to be showing up for the all-you-can-eat nectar buffet. I prefer to get rid of these things without the use of pesticides as I have some kitties that roam around now and then. I went outside and took a picture of one to see if it might help anyone identify a solution.
wally_1936
14 years ago
I don't know why the ants didn't die from you spraying them with soapy water as all I sprayed it removed their waxy coating and they died as soon as I hit them with the spray. As for aphids you can blow them off with a good blast of your garden hose. Thanks for the reminder of using the mint leaves
Diana195011
5 years ago
Hibiscus woes! Ants have set up residence in huge numbers! I spray Neem on them everyday!! Every day! Kills existing but is not a deterrent I’ve found. The plant rests against my brick home and the wall is crawling everyday with these pests! I’ll try the peppermint spray and see how it goes. Never had this problem up north in MI. Florida is a whole new world of constant pests!
User
5 years ago
I use this.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TERRO-8-Count-Outdoor-Liquid-Ant-Bait-Stakes/50085990
Diana195011
5 years ago
Thank you! Neem has not worked at all.
User
5 years ago
You don't have to actually put in the pot, you can put in ground around it. It has borax in it, so don't let pets get it.