My Orchid growing friend has an ant infestation. Seems there are ants in most of her Orchids.
Repotting some is nearly impossible as the roots have enveloped the containers they are in.
She has used NEEM but the ants are still there.
I suggested she use some Diantnaceous Earth.
Any suggestions????
HELP - Ants have invaded
The good news is ants don't harm orchids. The bad news is they can be a sign of something amiss. They usually are after one of three things:
1. They are farming aphids or scale which produce a sweet sticky subatance called honeydew. They will move these sucking insects around on the plant and that is a problem. Kill the aphids and the ants go away.
2. The orchid is producing a sweet sap, usually from a bloom or an injury. Remove the sap and the ants go away.
3. It's dry outside and the ants are after moisture down in the potting mix. Seriously flush the pot to wash them out. If that doesn't work, you will have to pull the orchid, toss the old medium, rinse the roots well and repot. You can also build a moat around the plant by setting it atop a few pebbles in the center of a drain pan filled with soapy water.
Other methods that come to mind is to put ant traps around the affected plants. Then there is always the nuke option where you grab a bottle of Bayer 3 in 1.
Jim
Sprinkle some cinnimon on top of the pot.
Lavina
Red ants or black? Some ants have a symbiotic relationship with orchids.
Submerge all but the top inch of the pot in a bucket of water and make bridges from the pot to the bucket for the ants to evacuate into the great outdoors. Gather up some kids to watch and make popcorn...it's fun. lol