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pls help! what are these back eggs and why ants all over them
mike155
Posts: 8
Hi, here is a photo of Arny. im not aure what plant it is but its growing like crazy but at the weekend after all the rain i found these black egg sacks and ants running up and down the stem. ive looked on the internet and moat advice says to leave ants as they are good for the garden, but im worried they are doing something bad to the plant.
Im a new gardener and would appreciate any help or advice? thanks in advance. Mike.
0
Posts
I bet it's black fly can you post a picture mike155? if it won't upload then make the pic smaller.
Ants harvest the honeydew from aphids, they farm them and protect them.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/controlling-aphids-and-ants.htm
The other thing it might be is scale. I had a clematis that was in a place that was too dry and too sunny for it so it began to fail. It got scale and the ants moved in to harvest something from the scale.
I would concentrate on making sure the plant is happy and let nature balance itself out. I moved the plant to a cooler place and it recovered.
thanks for the link and he is a photo. i suppose i just want to know if i should leave it or need to do anything to save the plant. also...if you know what plant this is it would be really helpfull as i bought a load and this one is my greatest achievement! its grown 3 feet in 1 month so i feel i have a huge duty of care to it :-) thanks again.
A nasty dose of blackfly. The ants are probably eating them but so many are not good for Arnie.
You can squish them with your fingers to kill zapp a hose on them. There are also chemical options.
this is the RHS advice.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=797
If it were me, I would blast that with a hose and also squish with my fingers (I'm not squeamish in this regard).
However, I'd first find out what it is - 3 feet in a month is a bit scary, it could be rampant so you need to know how to handle it.
One of the "what plant is this" experts will be along shortly no doubt. If not, repost this pic and ask for a plant id and you'll get one in minutes usually.
guys, thanks so much. have just been outside squishing like mad. think i have most if not all off. i will raise another post for which plant this is. thanks again all.
It's nothing to worry about. With everything growing so fast, black fly, green fly...it's that time of year. Blast them off with a jet setting on a spray bottle or wipe them off. Your plant is taken so close, I wonder if it is Valerian Officinalis. Nice looking plant by the way.