Ants may be useful in the garden. However, the small animals quickly cause problems in orchids. Here you can find out how to get rid of ants in orchids and which remedies have proven effective for controlling ants.
How to remove ants from orchids?
To get rid of ants in orchids, treat the plant with soft soap solution or rubbing alcohol to remove aphids and honeydew. Prevent future ant infestations by using deterrent smells such as lavender, cinnamon, thyme or lemon.
Why do ants show up in orchids?
Aphid infestations on orchids in particular quickly attract ants. The aphid excretes honeydew, which you can use to identify an aphid infestation. This is a sticky substance that has a sweet taste to ants and is at the top of the animals' diet. Ants nurture and care for aphids. They protect the pest from natural enemies and even specifically milk the animals. This causes the infestation to spread and weaken the orchid.
How do I remove ants in orchids?
Treat the orchid with asoft soap solutionor withspirits These two home remedies eliminate the louse and honeydew. Then ants will also leave orchids. Apply alcohol to a cloth. Wipe the leaves with it. For houseplants, you should do the cleaning outdoors. This way you don't carry the smell into living rooms. Use the soft soap solution as follows:
- Dissolve soft soap in water and add some neem oil
- Fill the solution into a spray bottle and treat the orchid with it.
How can I prevent future ant infestation?
Use targetedodors to deter ants. There are many plants and substances whose smell has a deterrent effect on ants. These include, for example:
- Lavender
- Cinnamon
- Thyme
- Lemon
You can spread the appropriate substances on the surface under the orchid. You prevent the ants from working their way into your orchids. It's best to sprinkle some of the substance over the ant trails. Along these paths, ants spread a scent trail that serves as orientation for trailing ants. You should remove this trace of scent.
Where do the ants in orchids come from?
Ants crawl through the smallestcracks and joints. You don't just move through an open patio door when the opportunity arises. Especially in old houses, ants often find access to living spaces in other ways. If your orchids are left outdoors during the warm season, the animals have an easy time of it. You can close and seal cracks to block these entrances. During the winter this is usually no longer necessary. Then the animals are in a state of cold paralysis.
Tip
Use baking soda for destruction
A cheap and effective alternative to destroying ants in orchids is baking soda. When the animals eat it, the baking soda expands in their bodies and kills the ants. However, with baking soda you only ever catch the ants that are currently active on site. The rear guard doesn't keep the drug away.