Reply To: Ants

[Leif]

My blackcurrants have in the past been covered with ants. One year all of the branches and the deformed leaf buds were covered in a layer of sandy soil such that the plant was invisible. I assume that was done by ants although I cannot find any mention online of such behaviour. In later years the plants were covered in aphids, presumably farmed by the ants, and the fruits were thickly covered in stickiness. Anyway, I lay down Pyrethrum powder in a ring around the base of the plants every few weeks. It degrades in sunlight. It is toxic to all insects including pollinators. I think it is organic but best avoided unless nothing else works. I have found no alternative. Incidentally it is made from flowers, which are a big money earner for an African country, Kenya I think.