Bright, lush and insanely fragrant peonies have long been an absolutely ordinary phenomenon in our front gardens. Today, to surprise someone with this plant is possible only on the condition that it was possible to grow some rare variety of unusual coloring or increased terry. And only ants absolutely do not care what kind of pions grows on your site - they are equally eager to settle on both ordinary peonies, and on terry, and tree-like. How to get rid of the ants that appeared on pions, we'll talk today.
Are the ants harmful to peonies?
To begin with, let's see what the peonies are so attractive to the ants and do they harm the plants? As is known, ants are by nature sweet, and the juice of peonies contains a huge amount of sugars. Therefore, insects use the tender pulp of buds as food for themselves and their larvae. In an attempt to eat delicious, ants gnaw buds from the inside, as a result of which they are deformed or not at all dissolve. In addition, these insects carry and pathogens of various fungal diseases. Therefore, if ants settled on the still not blossoming peonies, the fight with them must begin without delay. But the ant attack that began during the flowering period can be left without attention - it will not cause any special harm to the plant.
Means from ants on peonies
To get rid of ants in the colors of pions, you can use one of the following methods:
- Spray the plant with mineral water. The method can not be called cheap, but it is good because it does not harm either the environment or the plant, and does not affect its decorativeness - the flowers after spraying look all the same beautiful. To fix the effect, the treatment with mineral water can be repeated periodically.
- Pollinate the plant with wood ash. This method is cheaper than the previous one and is also safe for the environment. But here on the appearance of the buds, it will not affect the best way.
- Spray the plant with infusion of garlic. It has long been noted that ants do not like the sharp garlic smell. Therefore, the periodic processing of buds, leaves and stems with infusion of garlic will contribute to the fact that ants will bypass your flowers the tenth way. Of course, the aroma of flowers after the treatment will acquire a light garlic note, but their decorativeness will be preserved to the fullest. In addition, chopped garlic can be spread on the surface of the soil around the bush.
- Use chemical insecticides . This way of fighting can be called one of the fastest - almost immediately after processing on pions there will not be a single living ant. But it has several significant drawbacks. So, insecticides will destroy not only the ants, but also other bees that have come under the distribution of insects, for example, bees. In addition, if used improperly, you can harm yourself and your pet. Therefore, to use chemical weapons to save pions, we recommend only in the most desperate situations. For processing, you can use "Carbophos", "Inta-Vir", "Anteater", diluting them strictly according to instructions and not forgetting the protective clothing and gloves.
- Use traps. With this method, you can not only distract the ants from pions, but also significantly reduce their number in the flower garden. Traps can be self-made and purchased. With ready-made shopping traps, the situation is quite simple: they must be removed from the package and disposed in the places where the insects are most concentrated. Homemade traps can be made from ordinary bottles, filling them with sweet compote and laying on a bed.