How Do Ants Affect Roses?
WouterThose of you who grow roses are probably wondering how ants affect roses. Ants are known to eat roses, but they are not usually harmful to roses. They can protect your rose from sap-feeding pests such as aphids, and they may even help keep your roses blooming. However, large colonies of ants can lead to significant damage to your rose bushes.
Ants are often attracted to the sweet nectar of rose flowers and the sugary secretions of aphids. These insects have piercing-sucking mouth parts that allow them to feed on the sap of rose plants. Ants feed on aphids by collecting honeydew, which is excreted by the aphids. Ants may also collect honeydew from sap-feeding pests.
Ants also have a significant role in pollination of plants. Pollen is a protein-rich food source for plants. They will carry pollen between plants, and they can help reduce the amount of pollen collected by bees. However, they can also carry diseases that can harm plants.
Insecticides are an effective way to control ants. However, the use of chemical treatments has a greater environmental impact than nontoxic methods. Using an insecticidal soap or spray containing neem oil is a nontoxic alternative to killing ants.
Diatomaceous earth is another natural, environmentally-friendly way to control ants. Diatomaceous earth is made from algae fossils, and it rips apart the exoskeletons of insects.
Japanese beetles are a sap-feeding pest. They can feed on roses and other plants. The adult Japanese beetles are about half an inch long, and they have coppery-brown wing covers.
