bamboo pests

Thousand Oaks, CA

Anyone growing clumping bamboo? I have several species and the ants just love them, and bring all their nasty little 'friends' (most notably this weird purplish mealybug-like creatures that hide in the nooks and crannys slowly killing off the branches)... but I am having a hard time controlling the ants. Diazanon seems to be very temporary, and some of the bamboo (Bambusa multiplex) seem to be very sensitive to Diazonon, and other pesticides I've used on the ants and 'friends', like Dursban or Orthene, make the bamboo very sad (yellow, unhappy leaves). Any other anti-ant suggestions? I've considered a flame thrower, but I think it's against city codes.

Richmond Hill, GA(Zone 8b)

Bob, you could plant some mint, pennyoyal, and/or tansy which are all known to repel ants. I've also read that pepper repels ants although I've never actually tried it. Good Luck!

Richmond Hill, GA(Zone 8b)

BTW I forgot to mention that mints are _very_ invasive so you might keep that in mind if you should decide to plant some. I'd sink pots of it in the ground instead of just planting it directly in the soil.

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