popes@tellab1.UUCP (Jerry Pople) (07/25/84)
If you have ants in the garden, you probably also have aphids. Aphids secrete a sweet, stcky substance called honeydew. That's what attracts the ants. The ants themselves will probably not affect any of your plants. The ants eat the honeydew. So... check your plants for aphids. There are many sprays and powder substances available to kill both the aphids and the ants. Your local garden center can advise you which to use in your area. Jerry Pople ihnp4/tellab1/popes
holt@convex.UUCP (07/26/84)
#R:tellab1:-34200:convex:51300003:000:458
convex!holt Jul 26 10:40:00 1984
And if you do find that you have aphids, I'd recommend Malathion. My grape
vines were invested with aphids, and the ants were there just as the
previous note spoke of. I sprayed with a very light dosage of Malathion,
and they all vanished within a day. Malathion is supposed to degrade
rapidly, and thus is suitable for garden use (If not used too close to
harvest).
Dave Holt
Convex Computer Corp.
{allegra,ihnp4,uiucdcs,ctvax}!convex!holtsjh@CS-Mordred (Steve Holmes) (07/27/84)
We have successfully used mint to repel ants. We don't have a problem with ants in the garden, but have purged them from the kitchen at 3 different locations by planting mint around the kitchen windows and the back door. Mint can get a little out of hand though. We let ours seed and there is no problem with having too little. Mowed down (as around the garden) though, would probably keep it from spreading too much. Steve.