Ants on peonies: how to get rid of
Content:
Briefly about peonies
Peonies are a perennial, herbaceous, deciduous and shrub culture. From the peony family. These are quite luxurious and attractive plants. All flower lovers, every year, look forward to the moment of their flowering. But they are very often attacked by ants, this can adversely affect their flowering, because the bud may not even bloom. Many people think that ants are beneficial insects. However, this is a misconception. Ants on peonies can do them. Ants carry diseases and infections, and can also add aphids, because they are very fond of its sweet honeydew. And aphids, in their own way, are also a dangerous carrier.
Ants appeared on the peonies. What to do and why are there ants on peonies?
The diet of this insect mainly consists of carbohydrates, and they also feed on honeydew and nutritious sap of crops. Peonies attract ants because of their pleasant scent. However, if ants appear already on those flowers that have blossomed, this is not scary, but if on the buds, then you need to take action.
Due to the fact that the buds exude much more aroma than flowers, insects can simply gnaw right through it in search of sweet nectar. That is why the bud may not bloom, or if it blooms, the petals will be deformed, with torn edges and holes.
Ants on peonies: how to get rid of and how to treat
Just shaking the ants off the plant won't work. There are far more effective methods. If you decide to fight ants with the support of a chemical agent in the form of an aerosol, then you should know that you will only be able to free yourself from the attacks of ants for a while. After all, the remedy will simply kill them, but new ones will come to replace the old ones.
If you use gel in the fight, then the effect will be more productive. After all, it affects the digestive system and if one individual becomes infected, then later it will infect the whole family. But if there is one significant drawback, pollinating insects can be poisoned with such a bait.
Ants on peonies: what to do? The most popular effective drugs
There are several of them, we will give an example of the most famous. It is important to remember that you cannot store the solution for a long time. It must be used immediately for its intended purpose.
Anteater - a remedy for ants on peonies
This drug can be purchased in powder or liquid form. The working substance in its composition is diazion. It is a very strong poison that affects the intestinal system of an insect. Stir one ampoule of this product in a bucket of water, and then spray the peonies from the ants and simultaneously process the anthill.
Ant and muracid
These drugs are almost the same as the anteater. The principle of their action completely converges.
Expel
Expel will tell you how to remove ants from peonies. This is a German powder. Its active element is two percent chlorpyrophis. It can be purchased both in powder and liquid form. But when using it, it is very important to follow all the rules, because if you do not adhere to them, then you will harm yourself and your domestic animals.
Ants on peonies: physical control
These are methods with scarers and traps. It's not easy to scare off the ants just like that, and the trap will be productive only with bait. All traps transmit a virus that can destroy the entire ant colony. But they do not pose a danger to beneficial insects, because the holes in them are made very small, just the size of an ant.
Ants on peonies: remedies with traps
These positions are considered the most popular and effective.
Ants on Peonies: Combat
When you buy one piece, you get four copies of ant traps at once.
Ants on Peonies: Raptor
The set of this preparation contains six copies of the traps at once. Also, their distinguishing feature is the content of chlorpyrifos.
How to treat peonies from ants with folk remedies?
The fight against ants on peonies can be carried out by simple means that do not require large expenses and special skills. They will not be able to harm humans, animals and soil. Let's consider the most popular ones.
How to save peonies from ants with Boric acid and sweetness
A bait made from boric acid and some kind of sweets, such as jam or honey, will help from ants on peonies. Stir the sweet part in water with a ratio of one to two. Then add boric acid in the amount of one tablespoon. Then you can place it under a peony bush, or very close to the anthill.
How to protect peonies from ants with Lavrushka
Ants don't like this plant. A decoction must be prepared from the bay leaf, and then the plant must be completely processed. This is done for a more successful outcome.
Ants on the buds of peonies: decoctions of herbs
An effective broth can be prepared not only from lavrushka. Other plants can also help with ants on peony flowers. For instance:
- Sagebrush;
- Anise;
- Tansy;
- Parsley;
- Mint;
- Lavender.
It is necessary to process the whole plant with herbal decoction.
Garlic
This is also a fairly effective remedy. But you will have to try, because you will need to rub it with a garlic wedge, the whole plant by hand.
Kerosene
A rag soaked in kerosene can be placed near a peony bush. Ants will not like such a neighborhood.
How to get rid of peonies from ants by loosening
It is necessary to carefully loosen the space around the plant and the place where the ant's nest was. Also, in place of the anthill, you need to pour a mixture of: baking soda, wood ash and lime.
Treatment of peonies from ants with Tobacco
For this remedy, gobies from cigarettes are useful. They need to be filled with water and insisted for eight to ten hours. After sprinkling the flower buds. By the same principle, you can use vinegar and ammonia.
Ants on peony flowers: prevention
In order not to search for suitable methods in a hurry, you can do prevention in advance. The most effective preventive measures:
- From time to time, carefully inspect the culture and the area around it for the presence of ants and anthills. If you notice a pest, then immediately apply measures. And next year, one more treatment will need to be done in order to surely overcome the pest;
- Monitor the entire garden that ants do not penetrate;
- When transplanting crops, add wood ash to the planting pit. Ash will be both a fertilizer for the plant and a protective barrier against insects;
- Near peonies, you can plant crops that ants do not like.
Conclusion
Prevention is very important. After all, it is much easier to apply it than to fight insects later. Indeed, in order to completely destroy the anthill, you will have to spend a lot of energy.