Rita's Monthly Gardening Tips,  February 5, 2013

Ants are a part of nature, but it is rarely a pleasure to come upon them. Ants and their honeydew-producing insect partners are a well-known example of mutually beneficial behavior. Understanding more about the life cycles and feeding needs of both these insects will help us to come up with a plan for managing their potential destruction in our garden.

Ants’ primary food preferences are the sugars and proteins that come from plant or animal sources, while aphids, scale, mealy bugs, and whiteflies are all insects that suck the sugar-rich fluids from their host plants. Because these liquids are low in nitrogen, the aphids must consume large quantities of them to gain adequate nutrition. Continue reading →