kill ants

[brelnday]

How do I kill ants in my orchids pots?

[jcec1]

I've killed them by submerging the entire plant in water, the ants will leave the pot and will either drown or can be scooped off and thrown outside.

[ilikeorchids]

I agree, you should soak the plant with water, or you can soak it in water too but with hydrogen peroxide 1:1 so that any ant nests in the pot will most likely be burned at least this is what I do, but I think soaking it in water only is ok

[disalover]

O I absolutely hate those tiny littel buggers climbing in everywhere. I usually spray a bit of doom and then water the plant from the top so that all the doom washes of.

[brelnday]

I want them dead, not moved to another plant.
ilikeorchids: does hydrogen peroxide really kill them? That would be a cheap, easy product to keep. Thanks!

[euplusia]

You can mix baking powder and powdered sugar and deposit it around your plants. Ants will bring it into their nest, and there the fungus they are living from is dying. So ants are scared away.

[Cym Ladye]

Ortho Ant-B-Gone powder available on line for a quick kill. Terra powder also available on line and at most US box and garden stores, but this latter tends to "hang around" much longer and will not dissolve in the pot. Both kill the ants dead!

With the Ortho, I put a piece of paper down outside, sprinkle some powder on it, place the plant on it and then sprinkle some powder in the pot. Bounce the pot up and down several times and walk away for 10 minutes. Repeat several more times and then leave it overnight. It also works with Terra but it is harder to get the Terra out of the top of the pot as it tends not to be water soluble.

Ortho makes another small pellet bait that kills slugs, snail and earwigs but also claims to get ants too. I use this primarily on my Cyms for the first three critters but find the specific ant powder more effective for ants.

[ilikeorchids]

Brelnday, I'm sorry I didn't reply, yes the hydrogen peroxide kills the ants I read it from this link
the confessions of a plus size girl: green way to kill ants : hydrogen peroxide
a year ago and have always tried and have always worked for me

[Fairorchids]

Powder might be fine for a localized ant problem, but not so hot in a 30' x45' greenhouse. If any solutions for larger spaces, I am all ears.

[Cym Ladye]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Powder might be fine for a localized ant problem, but not so hot in a 30' x 45' greenhouse. If any solutions for larger spaces, I am all ears.

I have over 2,500 Cyms. in a 20' x 50' shade house, a 16' x 20' foot greenhouse, another 4,000 sq ft of uncovered benches and yes, I use the Ortho powder for the individual pot cases when needed, but every few months I surround the outside foundation of the greenhouse and growing areas and in between the benches with Terro powder. I seem to have little problem with ants as a result.

I have also used Bayer concentrated Mite and Insect spray twice a year and, although I did not intend it to kill ants, it appeared to do so.