greenbean
|
Ants on me beansHello everyone,
I've got lots of ants climbing up my broad beans, I think they are eating some of the leaves. I don't want to use chemicals. Does anyone have some top tips on getting rid of them?
|
Behemoth
|
Track them back tthe source and the old boiling water trick? They're eating your food - be ruthless. 
|
greenbean
|
Gosh that was quick. OK, thanks, I'll try that. I don't mind being ruthless sometimes.
|
nettie
|
Have you got blackfly on the beans? I've just discovered, thanks to Cab, that the ants are "farming" the blackfly on my cherry tree for their honeydew.
|
cab
|
Certainly a possibility; if certain species of ant such as wood ants find aphids, they'll quickly end up farming them. I've seen it on roses, cherries and other trees and shrubs, but I've never seen it on beans. Can't immediately think of any reason this wouldn't happen, though.
Is it a blackfly problem on the beans? If so, you're not going to be shot of it by getting rid of the ants, blackfly on broadbean seems to be controllable (or so I'm currently finding) by regularly pulling off as many blackfly as you can and feeding them to the frogs in the pond...
|
Lozzie
|
I heard once it was possible to distract the ants with a saucerful of jam at the base of the plant being infested, but I suspect that would attract ALL SORTS of other undesirables
|
tahir
|
| Lozzie wrote: | | I suspect that would attract ALL SORTS of other undesirables |
Paddington Bear for one, or is that marmalade?
|
sean
|
| tahir wrote: | | Lozzie wrote: | | I suspect that would attract ALL SORTS of other undesirables |
Paddington Bear for one, or is that marmalade? |
Marmalade, or cocoa, or buns. For PB that is.
|
Guest
|
Hello all, thanks for all your posts. No blackfly on my beans just ants. I have another question however, I have read on this site and my gardening books that 'pinching out the tips' can prevent blackfly, sorry to be so stupid but what exactly do I remove? The top middle growth of the broad bean plant?
|
greenbean
|
Sorry, that last guest was me, greenbean struggling with technology
|
Lozzie
|
Yes: "Pinching out tips" is literally pinching off the last half inch or so of the growth on the tips of the plant. This can also be done to make something leggy bush out.
Please don't take that the wrong way, will you now. 
Oh and Paddington was very particular - it had to be either STICKY or CREAM buns, I think.
|
greenbean
|
Hello Lozzie, Thank you for that. I'm gonna run out now and pinch out my tips......ouch!
|
