Hi, I have just been setting up my first grow room in my attic and whilst cleaning, I seem to have disturbed a few ants ... I am looking into methods of elimination but I was just curious .... How harmful are ants to pot plants ? Given the are pretty large and in the attic I am presuming they are carpenter ants but I am no expert. Any advice would be greatly welcomed. Also, while we are on the subject of bugs? I am a little concerned that my attic isnt necessarily the cleanest place in my house (although I have disinfected the area I am using thouroughly) - are their any other bug problems that I may encounter and if so how should I prepare for this? Cheers folks
I wouldnt really want them in my grow room. I would lay down a sticky ant trap to deal with them. To kill the other bugs in attic, I suggest a Hot Shot No Pest Strip or two. I've found they work great. Best of luck and welcome to the city! You should check out the grow log section and maybe start your own.
Ty - I have just declared Jihad on the little buggers!! I am just glad they showed their ugly faces before I really got started so shoudl have the situation under control ... Also spoke to mum (gotta love mothers that grow and she said to build a mote of water around the plants and the ants will not cross. I also no from an ant problem we had in seattle that they hate vinegar, pepper, cinnamon and onions .....
sticky traps, bombs, and insecticides are all good. I wouldnt worry to much about them until they get into your plants. I'm pretty sure carpenter ants wont go into soil or eat live plant matter. I'm no bug expert though.
Yeah I am no expert on the different types of ants and what they are likely to do .... but I have read that ants in general can get into the roots and destroy them ... and another big problem they can cause if is you are unfortunate and have aphids... some ants can actually breed them on your plants to eat ... either way I just dont want them anywhere near my babies I have sprayed the area they are favouring and laid traps ... leaving the area over night .... I only started germinating today so hopefully I can get it under control before my babies need their own room I was also advised that with regards to any other bugs I my have or dirt issues given it is in my attic, I can use 95% bleach with 5% water in a spray bottle and just spray the whole area. And apparently this can be done throughout the growth process?