last year, our hibiscus plant had lots of ants. we found that these ants were feeding on black mites/lice which were everywhere including inside the flower buds. thus, buds did not blossom. this year, these tiny black insects (mites? lice?) are back again (see photo). our friend gardener told us to spray the plant with water&soap solution. so we did. however, we saw that there were lots of ladybugs in the hibiscus - and they seem to be feeding on the black insects (am i right to conclude that the ladybugs are actually feeding on the small insects?). my problem: we want to get rid of the black insects but save the friendly ladybugs. what should we do? will appreciate your advice.
does it mean i should not continue spraying with the soap/water solution? will this spray kill the ladybugs?
soapy water is not good for the ladybugs but if there is too many aphids it may be the most reasonable solution.
Wouldn't it be better to let nature take its course? Assuming the ants aren't around to protect the aphids I would expect the ladybug population to increase and eventually overcome the aphids. With regards to insecticidal soap I think it would be relatively much more detrimental to the aphids than to the ladybugs because of their soft bodies.
junglekeeper. leaving it alone could be the better treatment, it would depend on the acceptable levels of infestation. to a homeowner sometimes one aphid is too many, to some folks, letting nature take its course and leaving it alone completely is their favoured course of action. On a Hibiscus, I would check for ladybugs and if there werent many visible I would probably give a soap product treatment, in my own garden anyways.
The problem is that the ants are there to protect the aphids. They "farm" them for their excrement which is commonly called honeydew. You need to prevent the ants from protecting the aphids by applying a barrier of "Tanglefoot" or something similar on the lower part of the plant so the ants can not reach the aphids, then the ladybugs can and will do their job of killing the infestation
I agree with Shirley that the ants are there to herd the aphids, much like ranchers tending their stock. The lady bugs are eating the aphids which are eating your plants. The Lady Bugs are usually of a nice enough size that you can spend a few minutes to pick them off and put in a pot with some greenery. Use an insecticidle soap or a good spray of water to get rid of the aphids. Place the Lady bugs somewhere near by and they will return to eat aphids, if required. The tanglefoot will keep the ants off the plants, catch a few Lady Bugs but not deter the aphids which are higher and feeding.
we are based in the netherlands, i have to check whether we have the tanglefoot or similar products here. thanks for all your help.
i put some vegetable oil in with my soap and seems to work well with my aphid probs on my sago palms.
i was able to find a sticky insect trap. i hope this will prevent the ants from climbing up and hope they don't get any wiser.
About 70 (yes 70) years ago I learned that aphids were also called 'ant cows'. Be pleased that, if you have aphids, you also have ants. The ants are collecting the clear, sweet output of the aphids, commonly called 'honeydew'. Were it not for the ants , the honeydew would cover the surface of the leaves and it, in turn, is the host medium for sooty mold, that black,soot-like covering the leaves will get when you DON'T have copious ants to collect the stuff. The sooty-mold has no deleterious effect on the plant unless it gets so thick as to block sunlight from reaching the surface of the leaves, in which case, photosynthesis stops and the chlorophyll no longer provides food for the plant. The sooty-mold will usually wash off in the rain, after a while, when the ants control the aphid honeydew production,OR, you spray the aphids with a soap and oil solution. Aphids don't breathe through nostrils as we do, but breathe through tiny holes in the sides of their bodies. The soap(detergent,customarily) act as a 'spreader-sticker' to help disperse the oil which plugs the breathing holes and "kills them little rascals". Don't worry about the ants, for they aren't harming the plant. Do worry about WHY the ants are there. And vegetable oil is a preferred oil to use.
