hello,
My cactus attract ants, is it good or bad?
gun4me
Cactus & Ants
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MichaelCactus
- Posts: 1062
- Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:52 am
- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
Other than just living in the soil, ants are after one thing. Sugar! Some cacti produce sugar in the form of nectar even when they aren't flower. Ferocactus are renowned for it, but others do to. Let the ants do their stuff, otherwise you will be left with a lot of mouldy nectar on your plants.
Ants can also be after sugar produced by pests like scale or mealies. They will protect the insects from predators, spread them around your collection, and milk them for honeydew. Don't let ants do this.
Ants can also be after sugar produced by pests like scale or mealies. They will protect the insects from predators, spread them around your collection, and milk them for honeydew. Don't let ants do this.
--ian
I have also noticed a good number of ants crawling around on my cacti. They can be good, because they may attack insect larvae in the soil, like grubs, cutworms, etc.. On the other hand, they do protect and move around insect pests like mealybugs and aphids, because these do exude a sweet liquid from their bodies. I have seen ants feeding on the cactus fruits, especially those of the Echinocereus spp.. So, if I ever get the fabled "strawberry pitahaya" (Echinocereus stramineus) plant established in my cactus bed I will be in a real war with these guys!
Overall, I actually see more negatives with the presence of ants than positives. I had even a cactus almost topple over, because the ants were having their colony directly underneath. One good thing about them though, is the attention they do draw to your plants. Whenever I do spot ants I check out what they are up to. They could be a good indicator of pest insects and warn the observant grower about the necessity of insecticidal treatment.
Harald
Overall, I actually see more negatives with the presence of ants than positives. I had even a cactus almost topple over, because the ants were having their colony directly underneath. One good thing about them though, is the attention they do draw to your plants. Whenever I do spot ants I check out what they are up to. They could be a good indicator of pest insects and warn the observant grower about the necessity of insecticidal treatment.
Harald
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Lewis_cacti
- Posts: 1711
- Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:00 am
Yes, i get rid of all of them. 'kill on Sight' method. they farm and protect mealybugs and other nasties. They also transport mealies from one plant to another. Their nest making habits have utter disregard for your prized cactus's roots, and they seem to prefer making nests on your slowest growing/rarest plants and can be a major setback. They also seem to love all cactus flowers and probably do some pollinating