Need remedy....Ants are eating my eyes

hubble · Post by **hubble** » Mar 31, 2007 10:18 pm

No kidding. It's ants, not other slugs or thugs! On one hosta, the eye was eaten down to the nubs.

On Gold Standard, the ants were eating 6 inch tall unfurled leaves.

Has anyone ever experienced this, and what would you recommend? Thanks!

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 01, 2007 12:08 pm

I had something similar with a Francee last year - but the ants weren't actually eating the leaves. The ant mound was basically in the same spot as the hosta. I dug out the hosta & had a can of Raid ant & flying insect killer. I sprayed any ant that moved or tried to escape from the hill. You gotta have that can shaken & ready to go cuz they'll be moving fast once you've dug down into the hill. I think I flooded the hole with water several times too after I was finished spraying. Not the most environmentally friendly way to do it, but I didn't have a vat of boiling water to use... I replanted later in that spot. No sign of any any new ant hills there so far.

Ginger · Post by **Ginger** » Apr 03, 2007 1:50 pm

I have some big problems with carpenter ants here in OK. You may be dealing with another type of ant though.If you don't mind chemicals, use some Seven dust. It will get rid of them and anything other bug around.

Ginger

hubble · Post by **hubble** » Apr 05, 2007 2:12 pm

Thanks Renaldo and Ginger for taking the time to respond. They are sugar ants and I literally watched them eat the center out of one eye the other day.

Since then I have found them in more hostas in different parts of the garden. They are mentioned on the hosta library or was it hosta org

as a pest that can carry diseases, but there were no solutions.

I did try the Sevin, but it might have been too old. And now it doesn't matter. Everything is mush.

Most of my hostas were completely unfurled here when the cold hit in eastern KS two nights ago.

Now I have a kamakazi robin trying to bust into the kitchen. He's been bashing his head against the window for almost 2 days now.

I've actually padded the windows with packing foam to try and deter him (and protect the windows). Life is never dull with Mother Nature!

thehostagourmet · Post by **thehostagourmet** » Apr 05, 2007 2:25 pm

Diazinon will take care of the ants. You may want to lift the Hosta first, and put it in a bucket of water. Eventually the residual ants will drown. Pour a watering can full of Diazinon mixture (takes about 1T per gallon, if my memory serves, but check the label.)

I've never tried Sevin on ants; didn't know the label said it was effective for them. Does a great job on Japanese Beetles, though.

George

Hank Zumach · Post by **Hank Zumach** » Apr 05, 2007 7:33 pm

What I do for ants is mix 90% sugar with 10% Borax (the laundry soap). I put it in a plastic bottle cap, add a little water, and set it where I have seen ants, either outside or inside the house. In no time there will be a trail of ants to the mixture. They carry it back to the ant hill and all the ants in the colony die within a day. The borax is the active ingredient in several ant baits.

thy · Post by **thy** » Apr 05, 2007 9:07 pm

Hank I was just going to find the chemical formel for Borax, didn't know it was the same name

Here I have used 25%Borax and 75% sugar and just left it under a plate upside down. ... but it is more or less the same old recipe

Here in EU Borax is now forbitten

I asked the commision why and was told it had to do with ants going sterile, so in protection of humans...

I have searched and searched for info and not found anything.

Asked a biologist and got this explanation : Bayer, the chemical Compagny lobbyed it trough... heck it is the chemical in their small expencive boxes and when this old cheap advise came on TV in all states, they lobbyed it

So please be silent...and send me a bag

Pia