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Rose and leafcutter ants
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Posted by African_Violet_Lady z8b TX (My Page) on Sun, Feb 8, 04 at 22:03
Does anyone else on this forum have to deal with CutAnts?
Especially concerning growing roses?
My question is - have you used any plants/groundcovers around your roses that the CutAnts don't eat?
I have several roses and the only thing that keeps them from being eaten is using Orthene - terrible, stinky, poisonous stuff. I don't like using it, for lots of reasons.
I am hoping to find something, maybe an herb, that I could plant at the base of the roses that the CutAnts wouldn't like, thereby discouraging them frome eating my roses.
Any help would be appreciated!
Jeanette
Texas
zone 8b
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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Okay, let's let this thread die a natural death.
I am going to try a few different things this year to see if I can discourage them at the very least. Jeanette
Texas
zone 8b |
RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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| go and post this at the organic section. ummmmmm in the kitchen area. OR try the herbs or herbalism section. this area here seems to not be very busy. maybe like roses their sleeping:) |
RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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| Jeanette, the problem with your question is that it would almost take someone from Medina County to provide a solution. Leafcutter ants being a serious problem with roses is a rare occurrence, to my knowledge. On the other hand, if you're actually dealing with leafcutter bees and not ants, then there's nothing you should do. They don't cause any real damage to the roses. |
RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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Field,
Actually, leaf cutter ants are a world wide problem. And although they don't hurt the rose plant per se, the roses have to spend all their energy growing foliage. Hence, few or no blooms. Yes, we have leafcutter bees too. They are only a problem for a short time, so no concern there. Believe me there is a Big difference between what the bees and the ants do. The ants can strip an entire bed of roses in a few hours, not just one rose - a whole bed of roses.
Thanks for your response. Jeanette
Texas
zone 8b |
RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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| Though few people realize it, leaf-cutter ants are one of those species that helps maintain the health of the environment. They fertilize the soil, for one thing. They cut little semicircles out of plants and carry them underground to their colonies. There they chew the leaves and use them to grow a garden of fungus. The fungus, in turn, is food for the ants. The by-products of this process -- leaves, fungus, ant wastes -- adds fertilizer to the scant topsoil of the rain forest. All this happens underground: out of sight and unappreciated by most of the human race. |
RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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I just happened upon this thread today. I am wondering what finally worked? I have had a horrible infestation of these critters in the past weeks. A friend and I actually went outside at midnight to watch in a very Discovery Channel sort of way, they are interesting to watch. HOWEVER, these beasties have decimated both blossoms and foliage of my entire Cramoisi Superieur hedge (75 plants or so!) in a couple of weeks! Diatomaceous Earth did not do the trick, but it did seem to slow them down a bit. I am having guilty nightmares about hurting these ants, but something has got to give!!!!
Allison |
RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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RE: Rose and leafcutter ants
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bump bump!!!
I really would love a helpful answer to this problem, at this point, organic or NOT, I don't care!!! My hedge is fading fast!!!
If you dont wanna post here, and get flack for chemical advisement, email me garysmom1981@hotmail.com |
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