So what’s happening to this plant? The leaves are getting curled up and there are ants all over it. The leaves show no sign of anything like fiber or webbing holding them, they’re just curled up. Is this something I can and should fight? If so, how?
The first picture shows a wider view, including healthy leaves. The second picture is as tight as I could focus and includes a couple of the ants. The fly was apparently just hanging around.
Take it up the the fly, he appears to be running things.
Are there aphids on it? I’ve heard that ants sort of work aphids…they might be causing the damage.
Indeed, there are aphids! I had to put on my reading glasses, but there are tiny white specks moving slowly. I read that lacewings and ladybugs are natural predators for aphids and there are some around. I don’t mind some damage to the plant, as long as it isn’t killed. Is a wait-and-see strategy best here?
We’ll have to wait for a horticulturist to chime in, but I know they have sprays for aphids. I think the ants like to hang out with them because they secrete something yummy (correct me if I’m wrong someone).
Ah, mutualism…it’s really quite charming.
Are you trying to go the organic route or are you willing to zap the buggers?
I’ve also heard lady bugs will take care of them, but I’ve only seen one ACTUAL lady bug in the last 10 years. I see those fake lady bugs all the time. I’m not sure if they’ll eat aphids or not either.
Mmmm, honeydew, eh? Yummy aphid squeezings. Well, ants rule the world. As far as organic vs. chemical, I try to maintain a defensive perimeter around the house, but out in the yard, I tend to let things take their course. It generally works well; there’s a lot more stuff living here than there was when I moved in. But if it means that aphids will eat every green thing around, the war is on.
Aphids can be taken care of by mixing plain dishwashing liquid (not grease-cutting or any special formulations) with water at about 1 part soap to 4 parts water and spraying the whole plant, including under the leaves. The soap will dissolve the aphids’ cuticle and dry them out. I did this to our container roses when we had an ugly infestation and all the aphids were dead the next day.
You can also use a spray of water to dislodge the aphids from the plant, including undersides of leaves where they like to hide. Once they’re knocked off the plant, many will be too waterlogged and discouraged to climb back on.
Aphids reproduce at a phenomenal rate, so a small infestation one day can turn into a horror show rapidly.
Take care of the aphids, and the ants will be gone too.
Aphids not only can propagate by parthenogenesis (without a male), but some are born already pregnant! link
jayjay, **Jackmannii **- thanks for the advice. It’s pouring down rain at the moment, but when it stops I’ll go out and spray any that didn’t get washed away already.
Hosing the plant off with insecticidal soap should work, but I’ve also had success with just picking off the leaves with the aphids if there aren’t too many affected.
I half-expected to see pot plants in the pics. One of the early Cecil articles I remember was him explaining to somebody how to protect their plants from aphids without poisoning the product.
Now that I’m home and can actually see the photos (work blocks Photobucket), I want to tentatively change my answer. I need more information first.
What kind of plant is that? The damage looks more like some kind of leaf-roller insect or virus.
