FlyTrapCare Forums

hey guys, I got these tiny tiny ants, about 1mm in size pestering my flytraps, I think they eating the secretion off the traps. what would you recommend to keep them away, any ideas?

An anteater as a pet!

Seriously though. Where are your plants? Out in the open, or under some cover like a covered porch?

More capensis. Definitely more capensis.

@ChefDean, I keep my plants outside all year, I made a special table for them where I can give them shade cloth in the heat of summer and plastic to shelter them from the rains.

They get full sun most of the day. this is last year, I made a few modifications since then....

These ants are super small. I have a lot of Capes on the way, still small plants at the moment but I just planted a hell lot of more seed as I've found them to be just awesome companion plants for everything just as a fungus nat / white fly killer. I put a few under my grow lights as soon as I saw some fungus nats.... and nats are gone...lol

@Panman, I have a few on the way, most are smaller than a quarter coin for you Americans.. and I just planted a load more seed from last year. Brilliant plant for Fungus nats man, every house should have some!

Neps! I occasionally have ant issues in my greenhouse and the few neps that are hardy enough to withstand it there devour them. No joke, I've seen 100+ ants in an adult sanguinea pitcher. I'm sure a ventrata or two on that table would do the trick.

@Nepenthes0260, I haves neps but not on my VFT table as it would get too hot and burn them

Dr GreenThumb wrote:@Nepenthes0260, I haves neps but not on my VFT table as it would get too hot and burn them

You may be surprised how hardy Ventrata is, it can grow anywhere my Dionaea can in the summer.

Dr GreenThumb wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 6:17 pm @ChefDean, I keep my plants outside all year, I made a special table for them where I can give them shade cloth in the heat of summer and plastic to shelter them from the rains.

Take a piece of chalk, normal, everyday schoolhouse chalk, and draw a nice thick line around each of the legs just under the base of the platform. Ants won't cross chalk, and, if it's up high enough, it might be protected from the elements and only need to be reapplied once a year.

@Nepenthes0260, You may be surprised how hardy Ventrata is, it can grow anywhere my Dionaea can in the summer.

What's your summer like? ours are brutal, even my vfts suffer if I don't shade them on the extreme days. It gets well past 40c some days. I'll look into Ventrata, I'm about to order a new nep from Christian Klien, I got my eye on a Ventricosa x Mira seed grown, also trying to get a dcxl they have. My Ventricosa x Lowii red does very well but I never tested him out in full prolonged sun, just moring sun then indirect bright light. so far though they still chilling under my grow lights.

@ChefDean, draw a nice thick line around each of the legs just under the base of the platform. Ants won't cross chalk,

That's an idea, cheers. hopefully they are coming from the ground and not nested in one of the pots, these ants are so small it would not surprise me if a whole nest could be found in a pot.

Dr GreenThumb wrote:most are smaller than a quarter coin for you Americans.

But they grow quickly! I started some from seed 6 months ago that are about 7cm across now

Dr GreenThumb wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 7:25 pm

@ChefDean, draw a nice thick line around each of the legs just under the base of the platform. Ants won't cross chalk,

That's an idea, cheers. hopefully they are coming from the ground and not nested in one of the pots, these ants are so small it would not surprise me if a whole nest could be found in a pot.

The pots are probably too wet for a nest, but, if they are living there, hit them with some Bioadvanced 3 in 1 once a week for a few weeks. Lightly on dews, heavier on others, and that'll take care of them.

@Panman, yeah they do. the Capes I have are all from some seed "I accidentally collected" years ago... lol

get a stick of talc based chalk make a ring around each leg, ants don't like to cross a line of talc.