I've notice lots of ants on both my vignas, caracalla and phaseolus. After careful inspection I did not notice any aphids. I took some extreme closeups of caracalla in bud and noticed nodules on the bud cluster which exudes some kind of fluid that the ants are eating/harvesting.
X
This message was edited Aug 10, 2007 1:19 PM
Do the ants help polinate?
Apparently they do. Nature is amazing in the ways it manages to propagate itself.
X
Great pictures. Very interesting.
Wouldn't ants on the Vigna be the same concept as ants on a passie?
I noticed yrs ago that ants were helping my passie buds ripen.
They did the same for my Peony and Vigna.
Jackie
Edited to change blooms to buds
This message was edited Aug 12, 2007 12:49 PM
Love the Close up pictures. I have heard that ants do help pollinate.
They definitely do help with pollination. Great photo.
Ha ha - well maybe that's why mine arent blooming! Lol ... I've killed all the ants!! :)
Amanda, the 1st yr my Peony had buds, I noticed the ants all over the buds.
Went and got my bug spray and killed them. My buds just dried up and fell
off. I was heartsick. I believe it was my m-i-l who explained to me there is
a beneficial relationship between the ants and the Peony flowers.
Armed with this new info I had beautiful blooms the next yr. We live
and learn, thank goodness.
Jackie
By the way, I just spotted these on my Vigna Caracalla this afternoon ... are these flower buds? If so, about how long until they bloom? Any ideas?
About the ants - I won't be spraying them off but I did put Over and Out all over the grass in my yard so ... ? I might get them coming in from the nrighbor's side though - that should help pollinate these, I would hope.
Yes those are buds .. you're a couple of weeks away from bloom.
X
WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! THANKS! These are my first blooms on these vines. :)
Anne-X - Interesting photo of the ants feeding at the extrafloral nectaries(EFN)...re:The extrafloral nectaries of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.). I. Morphology, anatomy and fine structure. Planta 166: 15-27
Plants that have EFN's are less likely to be eaten by herbivorous insects than those plants without EFN's...ants and other Hymenoptera tend to defend the plant from herbivores...
EFN's are active both night and day...EFN's surrounding the base of the external flower e.g., on sepals/subtending bracts may deter nectar robbers...
Here's a few related links
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:aZuXpDynXiAJ:edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN175+ants+EFN+OR+nectaries+%22Vigna%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&lr=lang_en
extrafloral nectaries(EFN) and ants
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:XHaxct6FSBcJ:www.ice.mpg.de/usrpers/chko2261/Arimura_et_al_2005_Biochimica_et_Biophysica_ActaB.pdf+ants+EFN+OR+nectaries+%22Vigna%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=47&gl=us&lr=lang_en
extrafloral nectaries attract 26 different types of wasps
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:lySa1SPmtDYJ:www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/CCrop.exe/show_crop_15+ants+EFN+OR+nectaries+%22Vigna%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=41&gl=us&lr=lang_en
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:9i6b25V4apkJ:www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/GreenManureCrops/cowpea.pdf+ants+EFN+OR+nectaries+%22Vigna%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=32&gl=us&lr=lang_en
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:692AJqO5iCAJ:https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/1385/1/V04N05_103.pdf+ants+EFN+OR+nectaries+%22Vigna%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=28&gl=us&lr=lang_en
TTY,...
Ron
This message was edited Aug 29, 2007 4:56 AM
Great links! Now I know what to call them. I have also noticed the ants bringing dirt up and mounding it on the plant next to the buds and flowers .. I've been knocking it off .. I guess I'll stop doing that now.
Thanks
X
Interesting pic - do these love bugs pollinate the buds at all? They're surely all over this vine, much more than any other thing in my yard.
And here's pic #2 ...
I can attest to ants defending the buds. Mine Vigna had a pretty good aphid colony going and when the buds came up they were gone almost overnight.
Caren
Here are some of my buds with the dirt smut on them.
Aaaaah!! My first buds are growing so well. :)
And another ... I'm excited!!
Looking good .. don't know why the ants want to carry dirt up there.
X
Jan - Hmmm...better double check again and take a closer look because the shape of dark and smaller green 'objects' in the photo here
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/budgielover_1188567053_28.jpg
sure look exactly like aphids(!)...
TTY,...
Ron
I was thinking that was some perfectly rounded-looking dirt for ants!
Hi Ron,
I did stick my finger up there before taking the picture to see if they were ants. I brushed it a bit and there was no movement but I will go out again and collect some in a dish for a closer look. If they are, guess I'll have to relocated some of my lady bugs. LOL
Well shame on me for not taking my other set of "eyes" with me. You got a microscope on that computer Ron? Fortunately it was the only bloom affected and they and the bloom have met their demise. LOL
What is up with these Love Bugs?!?! They're mating all over my buds ... is that normal? It's like they're drawn to them. No ants though ...
Even my ants are gone with all these *&&!!%&# lovebugs!! Im hopeing they serve some purpose and at least pollinate my plants!
They are even choking my Sweet almond verbina
They'll be gone in a few weeks .. love bugs are attracted to carbon monoxide, that's why you find so many near a highway. They feed on nectar as well. The eggs are laid in the soil where the larvae eat dead plant material .. so they are actually beneficial .. just a nuisance. They won't sting, bite or harm any plants.
X
Very interesting information on this thread.
I also have many buds waiting to bloom on the corkscrew.There are ants but not many.Last year I had 1 seed pod.Two years ago many DGers were trying to hand pollinate the flowers and some were successful.
Lets see if we can get pods and if not try to hand pollinate. It was fun.
I'm sure we will get more ants when the flowers open and release their heavenly scent.
How do you hand pollinate these?
If you cant wait until tomorrow afternoon, I will probably have pictures.
X
