Dec 08, 2019
We have leaf cutter ants!
We woke up a few days ago to three of our four new bougainvillea plants, stripped of their leaves and blossoms. After much discussion it was decided that it was likely due to ants but we needed to check that at night. These two plants had only been planted 1 -2 days ago and were full of blooms and leaves but were gone in the blink of an eye.
Colin and the night watchman figured out that the ants were coming over the wall from the other side and that they lived in the cracks in the wall.
Can you see those two green leaves top left? Ants are moving those to their nest.
Marcus is following their path.
Sad to see my plants being brought to the nest for food.
We have no idea what Marcus was putting down on the ground but he claimed that the ants would bring the poison back to the nest.
The next afternoon, Ismael showed up ( we had contacted management earlier in the day ) with a spray insecticide pack on his back. He proceeded to spray every single crack and crevice on the other side of the wall. There are a lot of them. He also sprayed obvious nests next to the water tanks.
Since we have been sprayed we have seen no ants but of course that can change any night. We plan to check on a nightly basis. Needless to say that I have decided to not replace my plants at this time. But it is driving me nuts to see blank areas with no plants 🙁
The plants are all mine, at least those on this side of the wall. However the amount and strength of the ants is something we can’t deal with on our own. If we don’t stop them now at our site, they will likely invade the entire park and everyones plants.
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Wow those ants really did do a number on your plants. My hibiscus got hit with aphids this year but I managed to get rid of them and now they are blooming again.
Both aphids and iguanas love to eat hibiscus. So far my hibiscus are pest/critter free.
Used to have them regularly in the RV park. They had huge mound nests in the bush. Only took them a couple of days to defoliate a tree! I ringed it with ant powder and it would help for awhile but in the end they always won. The trees leaves grew back and the next year it started all over again. We’d see them out on the sidewalk marching along carrying leaves. Now the bush is gone and they have no home. Part of the cycle of life I guess but miserable when they ruin your plants..sorry.
Yes I expect that out battle is not over.
Will the plants not recover?
Perhaps bigger plants might be the trick, something without a tender green leaf but more mature, tougher leaf. They didn’t bother the plants on either side.
The plants will eventually recover but it many take a few months. Either way if the ants return they will eat the new leaves on those plants and if I buy new those will be eaten as well.
What a sorry mess they made of your plants – but they better move on as Colin and you are on to them and you will get them in the end…..well, maybe for this season. Hope the knee is feeling better each day and soon you will be back to beach walks. Be careful on the soft sand.
MY knew is doing much better. I am no longer using the dane and don’t need to be quite a careful doing the stairs re pain.
Too bad about the ants eating your beautiful plants. There must be some kind of spray or homemade remedy that you could spray on the foliage that the ants don’t like. Perhaps another type of plant they don’t eat. Can you put some artificial flowers with the bare stems in the meantime? Wishing you good success.
These ants like bougainvillea. Each insect here has its own preference. Based on past episodes I will soon have some bight yellow aphids to eat my Desert Rose. I just have to learn to roll with the bugs 🙂
I hate to deny any living thing the food it needs to survive but surely they could source it somewhere else! Although, we have been known to kill insects like wasps and mosquitoes so I can’t blame you for wanting these ants dead. I’ve been known to poison sugar ants in my kitchen.
We’ll if we don’t stop the ants they will invade the entire campground which is not a good idea. Plus these ants do bite humans.
David I moved your comment here as it was meant for this post and I don’t anyone to miss it.
I just asked my kitty-kat, he says thanks but he has enough around here….He’s out on guard duty now..
When he can’t find mouskies he goes after ants….I am not kidding..
For some strange reason we have an issue here I’ve never had in 15 yrs…
They show up in every area of the house so there’s no way to find out where they are getting in..Dang-it!!!..He also goes after spiders or anything moving, except me, thankfully…
Upriverdavid
How cute that you have an ant eating kitty. If he ever wants to come visit Mazatlan and the Isla we will be happy to pick him up. Strange about your ant invasion. Good luck.