10 replies to this topic

[DDD101DDD]

So I tried to have these ants farm aphids yesterday, by putting a plant in a jar with a hole for it's stem and watering(watering would be conducted with a syringe). The hole was small enough ants couldn't get in it. The idea was that the plant would grow, and the ants would farm aphids that came with the plant. So, I took a weed that was growing in my yard and put it in the jar.

 

However, I seem to have over estimated my ability to keep plants alive. This plant didn't survive even a day in my care.

 

 

The idea of this was to see ants farming aphids in captivity without a full on vivarium. I feel like it could work, it's just I'm terrible at keeping plants. So does anyone have any feedback on this idea?

[OhNoNotAgain]

Most garden weeds require a lot of sunlight. You'd either need a full sun location or plenty of grow lights.

The soil needs to be reasonably moist because uprooting most plants shocks them badly and their roots will need a lot of care and support for a week or two.

To help the plant acclimate you can also put a plastic bag loosely over it (assuming it's in a temperature-controlled area) to retain humidity, and gradually remove the bag. Of course, if it's in full sun and the bag is on too tightly, you will steam your plant to death.

 

Here's someone's set-up for cultivating aphids:

 

http://www.tracyhicks.com/aphid.htm

 

Oh, also aphids are sometimes fairly plant-specific. So if you get a certain plant, make sure it already has aphids on it so you know you have the right variety.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, July 19 2020 - 2:59 PM.

[ANTdrew]

You probably damaged a taproot if it died so quickly. Smaller plants would be easier to move, but they may not thrive without a lot of sun.
Virginia creeper is a low-light vine that frequently has aphids on it; it could work short term.

[DDD101DDD]

Wow, thanks alot. The only thing I know is plant+dirt+water+sun=grow.

[ANTdrew]

Some houseplant books I’ve read mention aphids that afflict indoor plants. That would be ideal, and I feel like doing some research now into what specific houseplants host aphids.

[OhNoNotAgain]

You could also aim for scale insects. I've had plenty of houseplants afflicted with scale. WARNING: Do not attempt this anywhere near houseplants that family members care about.

 

You could also try an initial experiment with cuttings of unsprayed plants that have aphids on them. But this is tricky, too. Aphids are fairly picky about where on a big plant they gather - they especially love high-nutrient, soft areas of young, tender growth, such as right on or below flower buds. But once a plant has been cut and if the water and sugar draw isn't very good, the aphids rapidly abandon the cutting. (Yes, I was going around the neighborhood begging for aphid-covered bits of plants at one point ... for a ladybug larva, not ants.)

 

The page I linked to with seedlings sounds like a fun experiment.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, July 19 2020 - 6:12 PM.

[BitT]

I been thinking of doing this too! Though a bit hesitant since I also garden and don't have free windows right now.

You're probably better off just buying a small house plant from a store for like $3 or such and keeping the setup near a window that will give plenty of sun but won't cook the ants (morning sun seems best for most plants I have). If you do take a wild plant try and dig up the dirt around the plant without tearing up the roots, if you don't want to chance anything being in the "wild dirt" just use destilled water to rinse off the dirt before repotting it in planting soil. Hard tap water can kill some plants.Try picking one that's already in a shady or part shady spot since it's likely to be kept indoors. You will also need to know how much water the plant likes. Some plants need to be kept moist while others like to dry out before being watered again otherwise you can drown the plant. I debated on trying milkweed myself but they usually like full sun and I'm not sure if ants will keep milkweed aphids since milkweed is poison to a lot of creatures and is why the monarch butterfly caterpillars eat it as a defensive thing. Something I'll have to research later. Also remember aphids can kill plants too after sucking from them too much or long so you might have to add a new plant sooner or later especially if the plant is small and the aphid numbers are large. You wouldn't have to move the aphids because they're likely to move themselves or the ants should transport them.

 

Also, as a plant lover, PLEASE don't raise scale... aphids are a lot easier to get rid of but scale... those things are a monster to get rid of.

[ANTdrew]

Ants definitely do farm aphids on milkweed. There’s no way you could grow it inside, though.

[OhNoNotAgain]

I been thinking of doing this too! Though a bit hesitant since I also garden and don't have free windows right now.

You're probably better off just buying a small house plant from a store for like $3 or such and keeping the setup near a window that will give plenty of sun but won't cook the ants (morning sun seems best for most plants I have). If you do take a wild plant try and dig up the dirt around the plant without tearing up the roots, if you don't want to chance anything being in the "wild dirt" just use destilled water to rinse off the dirt before repotting it in planting soil. Hard tap water can kill some plants.Try picking one that's already in a shady or part shady spot since it's likely to be kept indoors. You will also need to know how much water the plant likes. Some plants need to be kept moist while others like to dry out before being watered again otherwise you can drown the plant. I debated on trying milkweed myself but they usually like full sun and I'm not sure if ants will keep milkweed aphids since milkweed is poison to a lot of creatures and is why the monarch butterfly caterpillars eat it as a defensive thing. Something I'll have to research later. Also remember aphids can kill plants too after sucking from them too much or long so you might have to add a new plant sooner or later especially if the plant is small and the aphid numbers are large. You wouldn't have to move the aphids because they're likely to move themselves or the ants should transport them.

 

Also, as a plant lover, PLEASE don't raise scale... aphids are a lot easier to get rid of but scale... those things are a monster to get rid of.

 

You said a lot of the stuff I was thinking of saying but didn't say lol.

Definitely be careful of the dirt, as you don't want a mite infestation in your formicarium (BTDT).

And yeah, scale SUCK in many ways. I wouldn't do them myself. I have houseplants. lol

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, July 19 2020 - 9:00 PM.

[SuperFrank]

so we have tons of aphids on various plants in our yard, garden, the other day just for the heck of it we took a twig from an orange tree that was covered in them and put it into a test tube with water and a rubber seal. I put it in one of my vivariums and while most of the aphids disappeared within a day, a small number stayed, I have since observed both the Nylanderia and Formica workers in the viv tending to the aphids on the twig.

 

Formica archboldi

 

 

Nylanderia cf. fasionensis

Edited by SuperFrank, July 24 2020 - 3:28 PM.

[AntsDakota]

Would a plant be able to survive growing in cotton? If so a test tube setup could be used. If not, is there any ant- safe nutrient that’s could be added to the water supply?