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need help with new bog

Okay, this probably sounds ridiculous and pretty noobish. Anywho, i made a bog for a few of my plants and right now ants are swarming all over them. I don't know if i'm being paranoid or not, but either way, i'm afraid the ants might be a problem. Should i get a pesticide to deal with them and if so, what kind? or should i just leave them as is.

Thanks!
 
you should make sure the bog stays fairly wet, ants dont like being in drenched soil. you could use pesticides but usually a good week of hard watering should do the trick.

~billy
 
I have never had ants in the boggy CPs. Neps, yes, but not Sarrs and kin. They don't like the wet soil.

Orchids, on the other hand...........
 
If its a bog, like they have said. Flood it! :) They need to come out of the hide out. Ofcourse don't keep your bog flooded forever. :)
 
Maybe I am missing something here, and if I am I apologize, but unless the ants are gnawing on the plants and doing damage (I don't know what kind of plants you are growing), but the plants may be attracting the ants with their scent and nectar, and isn't the whole idea for the plants to attract their own food?

I am not sure, but I don't see where this in itself is a problem, unless like I say, if the ants are actually doing damage. Can someone explain it to me? ???

I think it is pretty nice to have a food source right there for the plants!
 
I am not sure, but I don't see where this in itself is a problem, unless like I say, if the ants are actually doing damage. Can someone explain it to me? ???

I think it is pretty nice to have a food source right there for the plants!

Some species of ants will farm aphids or other pests from what I've read in the past. Ants don't tend to stick around wet bogs, I read it as a sign that the bog is dryer than it should be. That's been my experience in the past. I'm sure someone else with ant knowledge can throw out some specific names.???

I agree that its nice to have a food source close by, at the same time I hate not being able to get dead matter off the plants or work with the plants without disturbing the ants.:cuss:

~billy
 
Actually ants can destroy Sarracenia rhizomes. Trust me... my entire collection of alatas feel victim to this. They would send out new growth that would start wilting despite very wet conditions. Finally I dug one of the rhizomes up only to find a a freaggin hatchery IN the rhizome! So yes, I would definitely try to keep the ant population down.
 
sorry to tell u guys, three of the plants are sarracenias, one is a drosera
 
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