Hello, I have 4 quite large swan plants. I have seen many butterflies lay eggs on these, but I am struggling to find any caterpillars. I have noticed, however, an abundance of ants on all the plants. Are the ants responsible for the loss of eggs, and little caterpillars?
They could well be, Jay. Many people have reported ants taking eggs. Try vaseline around the base of the plant, a thick layer, if you can.
Jacqui
Aahaah, a good idea, i'll try that, thanks Jacqui :-)
Thanks Jacqui for that info, I wasnt sure about this and hoped someone would comment.
Cheers
Swansong
Hi all,
The ants sure do take the eggs I sprinkle cornflour around the base of the plant and the ants take this away to the nest and it binds them up. I had ants around my nettles and sprinkled the flour and I haven't seen the ants back. Worth a try.
Cheers Margie
Wow I shall give this a try with mine when I see them around the plants again.
Thanks for the tip Margie.
Cheers
Charlotte
Thanks for that Margie - I will try that one too. Great to hear.
J.
Me too ...Thanks Margie
Swansong
I have also used diatomaceous earth and it works well on the ants. Sprinkle around the base, just as with the cornflower suggestion. Though I might pull back on use when your caterpillars get to the 'walkabout' stage... this product is abrasive and may not be good for them to crawl over.
It is becoming available at Kings and other garden centres, as well as trademe, and works wonders on snails and slugs too. Great, nontoxic (some grades are even food safe) product widely used overseas by organic gardeners.
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