Ants eating my rosebuds

[Grannygeek]

Help! This has never happened before but this year, medium sized black ants are eating my rosebuds. They start in the center of the bud and hollow out a space and then hide in there while munching on the buds. There are no aphids present. I know ants and roses are supposed to get along, but these guys are going to kill all my blooms. What's going on and how do I defeat them?

[doccat5]

There is a product called Tanglefoot which may work to get them under control. Or you can try several of the ant bait produces that are available, just be careful where you put them if you have children or pets. You can also try sprinkling some cinnamon around the bases of the roses or across the ant trails if you can find them.