Leaf cutter ants

[VictoriaLST]

Oct. 6. http://www.amcostarica.com has a column on leaf cutters, page 6

[Dazu]

Well-written, informative article. Thanks for sharing this, and for the subsequent link to the Arenal Gardeners page on Facebook.

[davidd]

[quote=”Dazu”]Well-written, informative article. Thanks for sharing this, and for the subsequent link to the Arenal Gardeners page on Facebook.[/quote]

I am up to my eyeballs with these little bastards showing up everywhere..

then I have these little birds that poop on the car all day.. and they like to have fights with themselves using the side mirrors..
its to the point

I am not interested in working with nature I just want solutions :evil::evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:

[costaricafinca]

At a friends home in Naranjo over the weekend, it was a sorry sight to see what the cutter ants have done, over the past few months, to their garden. All their many and long established croton shrubs have been ‘eliminated'(which up until now i have never seen targeted) plus many other ornamentals including various species of heliconias, bougainvillea etc. Their [i]Tico[/i] gardener has tried many suggested and proven solutions, that haven’t worked.

[orcas0606]

Here is a little trick you can try that I learned from the campesinos if all else fails. I know it is not an eco friendly solution but neither is Mirex or Zompex. Find the little buggers main entrance to the nest, pour in an appropriate amount of gasolina. (depending on the size of the condo) and pour a little trail away from the área, wait a couple of minutes and touch it off. You can hear the whoosh of the explosión and see little puffs of smoke from the back exits. That should fry all of them.
Problem solved.

[quote=”costaricafinca”]At a friends home in Naranjo over the weekend, it was a sorry sight to see what the cutter ants have done, over the past few months, to their garden. All their many and long established croton shrubs have been ‘eliminated'(which up until now i have never seen targeted) plus many other ornamentals including various species of heliconias, bougainvillea etc. Their [i]Tico[/i] gardener has tried many suggested and proven solutions, that haven’t worked.[/quote]

[costaricafinca]

This was one of the suggestions given to them, but the problems is finding the nest(s)entrance, in the neighboring coffee farms…. and it seems to be a ‘whole development’, rather than one unit…:lol: considering what damage has been done, while the neighboring home owners work together trying to eliminate those that originate in the ‘hood.
I also mentioned previously, that dynamite has been used on occasion..:roll:

[pharg]

[quote=”costaricafinca”]This was one of the suggestions given to them, but the problems is finding the nest(s)entrance, in the neighboring coffee farms…. and it seems to be a ‘whole development’, rather than one unit…:lol: considering what damage has been done, while the neighboring home owners work together trying to eliminate those that originate in the ‘hood.
I also mentioned previously, that dynamite has been used on occasion..:roll:[/quote]
My experience with leafcutter ants has been more positive. The first time I lived in C.R. [many years ago] we spent a weekend camping out out on the beach in Cahuita. [and BTW we never had any unpleasant human experiences there] I am taller than average, 6’2″, and my feet stuck out of the little tent. Just at dawn I had a tickling sensation in my ankles, which turned out to be a long procession of leafcutters heading home with their booty. My feet had lain on their scent trail. I watched fascinatedly for 15-20 minutes before the tickling became overwhelming; ever since, I have marveled at the doggedness and determinedness of these critters. I have always regretted not having a camera as they climbed over the twin peaks of my feet.

[Doug Ward]

[quote=”davidd”][quote=”Dazu”]Well-written, informative article. Thanks for sharing this, and for the subsequent link to the Arenal Gardeners page on Facebook.[/quote]

I am up to my eyeballs with these little bastards showing up everywhere..

then I have these little birds that poop on the car all day.. and they like to have fights with themselves using the side mirrors..
its to the point

I am not interested in working with nature I just want solutions :evil::evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:

[/quote]
I recommend Gary Indiana

[VictoriaLST]

Pharg, I loved reading about your experience (good thing it wasn’t fire ants).

I have recently used a mix of baby powder, hot pepper powder and some boric acid powder which seems to work. I spilled some near the entrance and returning ants would not cross it. If I find a big nest though, I am going to try that gasoline trick.

[pharg]

[quote=”VictoriaLST”]Pharg, I loved reading about your experience (good thing it wasn’t fire ants).
[/quote]
Mixed with something sweet, boric acid powder [probably sodium borate] is a good general purpose, very low toxicity treatment for most ants.
Where I currently live (FL) fire ants are a big problem, and when walking the dog [condo association rules: no unleashed dogs] I carry a can of fire ant dust. I am mostly an avid supporter of biodiversity except when it comes to parasitic and harmful insects (spiders, wasps & bees are mostly OK; Death to mosquitoes, biting flies, fire ants, bot flies) 😉

[Author]

Posts