Predators of any kind indicate a "sick" organism.
Rather than trying to get rid of the ants, look to how you can boost the vitality of the desired crop. Is there changes of soil, different history etc. that could account for differences between areas of the property? Are all the plants of like age and quality? Get down on your knees and have a good look at the soil. Smell it, taste it, feel it, what visible signs of life are there?
Gil
Henry Karczynski wrote:
Dear list serve,
I am having problems with ants eating the pre-florescence vanilla buds on my farm in Costa Rica. This problem reduces the amount of flowers that can be hand pollinated. I have identified at least six different ant types (there are more) which colonize the plants through pruning cuts on the host trees. Interestingly this phenomenon is occuring only in certain lots of the farms.
