Content
- What do ants have to do with peonies?
- Sugar water, which attracts ants
- The ants do not harm the peony
- Sometimes ants spread fungal diseases
- In bucket culture, the problem remains
- Tips
Ants love peonies and do not harm them
What do ants have to do with peonies?
They walk up the stems and down. Mostly, they are stuck in masses on the still closed buds. Ants like to crawl wild when they meet a peony just before flowering. But what do you want from her?
Sugar water, which attracts ants
Tempting dripping just before the blossoming of the flowers of the peony a salty sugar juice from them. Ants are less attracted to the flower color. They are keen on the sugar juice. It rises from the sepals and has crystallized. It is separated from peonies on fine hairs and even before opening the flowers.
Sometimes the amount of sugar is so great that the plant sticks down. If you want to use the flowers as cut flowers, you are often surprised that the flowers do not open at all - they are too glued.
The whole thing is reminiscent of the well-known honeydew excretions of aphids, the ants also like to eat. But not only ants come rushing to the sugar to feed. Other insects like this sugar juice.
The ants do not harm the peony
Basically, the ants (no matter how many) do not harm the peony. They are not necessarily an indication of an aphid infestation as in other plants in the garden. Admittedly, it is not very pleasing to use the ants-colonized flowers for the vase cut ...
Sometimes ants spread fungal diseases
Here are some hints:
In bucket culture, the problem remains
If you decide to plant your peony in the tub, you will most likely find no ants on the flowers. The bucket forms a barrier. Also, such a bucket is usually on a balcony or terrace, where ants are rather rare.
Tips
The ants also like to spread the seeds of the peony and thus contribute to a natural multiplication in different locations.