zinnwick
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 2:49 pm
Location: Florida

Plumeria under attack?

Hi, this is probably a stupid question, but I am really new to gardening. I just bought a plumeria and I live in west/central florida. I have had the plant for about a week now and each time I walk out there are ants on it. I have looked through several forums and no one complains about ants damaging their plants, but it looks like they go after the blooms. Is this harmful? And if so, how do I get rid of the ants without hurting my plumeria?

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rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Are you seeing any actual damage to the plants/ flowers? In general ants are not plant eaters. You can check the plant closely. Sometimes if ants are coming to it, it is because there are aphids on it. The aphids secrete a sweet sticky substance called honeydew which the ants like.

If the ants aren't doing any damage, there's no reason to worry about them. If you really want to get rid of them, make a circle of some kind of powdery substance all the way around the plant at least 1/4" deep and maybe an inch wide - chalk, baking powder, talcum, etc. They can't walk over it, it clogs their spiracles.



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