I'm not far from you, Ally. Seem to have ants crawling every square inch of the garden this year. We have all been bitten to bits.
I know đ @WhereAreMySecateurs !!  As careful as I am out there, you blink and in no time at all, theyâre crawling up your arm and legs.  I can only assume itâs the lack of watering in the pots.  Thankfully theyâre not in the house âŠ.yet!!  Letâs hope that if, and when, we get some rain like @Obelixx says, a drenching (either by rain or watering can) theyâll be gone! đ€đ»
They are bad here too Ally, marching in the house to try and get cool, I think - the air is so hot and dry.
I do keep my roses in pots and the ground well soaked but they are still crawling about them - have you checked under leaves to see if there are any critter eggs there? They do seem to be swarming over something aphid-like on your photo if you blow it up⊠maybe a good soaking squirt with soapy water would dislodge them. Then a grease band around the pot might deter them in future if they are just coming in from the outside and not actually nesting in it. Â
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
They are bad here too Ally, marching in the house to try and get cool, I think - the air is so hot and dry.
I do keep my roses in pots and the ground well soaked but they are still crawling about them - have you checked under leaves to see if there are any critter eggs there? They do seem to be swarming over something aphid-like on your photo if you blow it up⊠maybe a good soaking squirt with soapy water would dislodge them. Then a grease band around the pot might deter them in future if they are just coming in from the outside and not actually nesting in it. Â
Youâre right @Nollie.  Thereâs definitely an aphid of some description there.  Iâd failed to notice them earlier.  What soapy stuff should I use and what ratio to water.  The worst rose affected is my âEyes for Youâ which has just come into its second bloom and Iâd hate to harm it đÂ
@Allyblueeyes - rain alone will not drench a pot as the leaf canopy of the plant will prevent it penetrating to the soil. It is entirely reliant on your for feeding and watering!
Hence the advice to water daily and give it a saucer in summer so it can soak some back up instead of having it just run straight thru.
Just a quick squirt of horticultural soap such as Dr. Bonners (I like the lavender one) or liquid potassium soap mixed in a spray bottle of water or even an eco washing-up liquid. Sorry canât remember the exact ratio but you really donât need much. Not harmful to bees etc. If you add any oil such as neem or peppermint, make sure itâs going to be cloudy for a good few days afterwards as oil + hot sun = crispy, burnt rose leaves!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Rain isn't enough to flood out an ants' nest in the ground either. You need to pour on bucketsful as quickly as it will soak in to flood their tunnels, wash soil down into the spaces and encourage them to move elsewhere. We have loads but I leave them be if they're under the paths or grass, or trees/shrubs that have big enough root systems to cope or just part of larger clumps/groups of perennials. If they're disturbing the roots of container plants, or smaller perennials that I don't have much of, they get a soaking.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@Allyblueeyes - rain alone will not drench a pot as the leaf canopy of the plant will prevent it penetrating to the soil. It is entirely reliant on your for feeding and watering!
Hence the advice to water daily and give it a saucer in summer so it can soak some back up instead of having it just run straight thru.
Thanks Obelixx, I always use a watering can at least once a day when watering my roses in pots. Â I guess where the ants are concerned, I just need to use bucketfuls! Â I have around 10 roses in pots in the back garden which are thriving. Â Iâll give the ant infested ones another good dose tonight. Â Thanks again!Â
Posts
I do keep my roses in pots and the ground well soaked but they are still crawling about them - have you checked under leaves to see if there are any critter eggs there? They do seem to be swarming over something aphid-like on your photo if you blow it up⊠maybe a good soaking squirt with soapy water would dislodge them. Then a grease band around the pot might deter them in future if they are just coming in from the outside and not actually nesting in it.
Hence the advice to water daily and give it a saucer in summer so it can soak some back up instead of having it just run straight thru.