Very small ants all over orchid

[karebrow]

I have a terrible any problem on my orchids and I can't seem to get rid of them. I got some Neem but it isn't working. I may not have made a strong enough mixture. I have repotted with fresh medium and they only come back. I'm sure they are in the medium again now as well, but they are all over the leaves of the plant and only getting worse. Any suggestions on getting rid of these things for good would be greatly appreciated!

[Bud]

spray your plant with a mixture of:

10 drops dish soap
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract
2 cups tepid water

*make some more mix to soak your pot in a pail to kill and drown the ants inside the pot

make a water moat (pretty much like a humidity tray) but make sure the ants wont get to your plants anymore; they can carry virus and some fungi infestation with the dead insect /prey they bring to your pot

[plumania]

I found ants on new growth of my Cattleyas. These growth secrete tiny drops of sugary stuff that attracts ants. Solution you advise,did kill the ants that were on the plants. I did not have cinnamon extract handy so I just sprinkled ground cinnamon.

Questions-
Is it OK to use cinnamon powder ?
Is there any harm to the plant from soapy water even though there is not much soap ?

[Wynn Dee13]

Don't use cinnamon powder. It doesn't mix with water and it dries up the roots. You need to get the extract to use Bud's recipe.

[plumania]

Oohhh, now I understand.
Already sprinkles it with powder though. I will get cinnamon extract.
Hopefully not a lot of damage, will wash my plants tomorrow morning to get the powder off their roots. Too late to do that right now.
Thanks.

[james mickelso]

bayer 3 in 1 insect spray. and then follow their path back to the nest and use taro ant bait traps.you won't get rid of them unless you erradicate the nests. I use the bayer and it works very well. Won't hurt pets unless thay drink it. It's not like malathion or other stronger controls.

[plumania]

I do have Bayers and Taro at home. I can do that first thing tomorrow morning. That will eliminate nests if there are any in the pots.
Thanks.

[Bud]

Wynn Dee is right.....cinnamon powder will desicate the roots of your plants if applied directly to the plant and roots....I use cinnamon powder made into a paste to dab on cut stems or roots of orchids....add small amount of water to make a paste and dab on the wound

[WhiteRabbit]

you can make a cinnamon infusion from ground cinnamon
(from First Rays' Home Remedies)

Put 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cinnamon powder in a pint (500 ml) of isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Shake well and let stand overnight. Filter the solution to remove the sediment (coffee filters work well), and use the brown liquid as a spray. (While it's not a big problem for most orchid growers, I've heard that this is good for powdery mildew, as well.)
or


Put the cinnamon powder in hot water. Shake well and let stand for several days. Filter and use as above. (Some feel that the alcohol can be too desiccating when used on seedlings.)

There are also some home remedies for ants on the same page

[plumania]

OK, looked and looked for the Cinnamon extract.
Local grocery stores did not have it nor did Specialty stores. There were plenty of other extract-vanilla,almond, orange blossom, mint etc.

Can someone please post brand name and if
possible,where to get it?
Thanks a lot.