As a gardener, finding ants crawling all over your prized Alice du Pont mandevilla vine can be incredibly frustrating. While ants themselves don’t damage plants, they protect and spread aphids which suck the sap and cause real damage. Getting rid of ants on mandevilla vines takes patience and persistence, but it can be done! This comprehensive guide will walk you through the most effective strategies for ant removal and prevention.
Understanding Ants and Their Relationship with Aphids
Ants have a symbiotic relationship with aphids tiny soft-bodied insects that feed on plant sap. Ants protect the aphids from predators and move them around to the most nutritious plant parts in exchange for the honeydew that aphids secrete. This mutually beneficial relationship means ants have a vested interest in protecting and spreading aphid populations.
Aphids can weaken and damage mandevilla vines by extracting large amounts of sap when they feed Their sugary excretions also promote sooty mold growth which coats leaves and reduces photosynthesis Getting rid of ants is key to controlling aphids and protecting your mandevilla vine.
Start with Preventative Measures
Before trying to remove ants from your mandevilla vine, focus on prevention:
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Keep the area around the vine free of debris like dead leaves and mulch that ants can use as nesting sites.
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Eliminate standing water which ants drink from.
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Apply sticky barriers like Tanglefoot around the base of the vine to prevent ants from climbing up.
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Prune any branches touching structures, fences or other plants that ants could use as bridges.
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Consider planting aromatic herbs like mint near your vine as ants dislike strong scents.
Starting with prevention makes your vine less hospitable to ants. However, if you already have an infestation, here are some removal methods.
Physical and Mechanical Removal
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Blast ants off the vine with a strong spray of water and capture them on sticky traps placed underneath. This works best for light infestations.
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Use a soft paintbrush to gently sweep ants off leaves and stems. Avoid damaging the vine.
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Apply a sticky paste of petroleum jelly and baking soda around the vine base to trap ants. The soda irritates them so they avoid it.
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Place shallow dishes of wine, juice or sugar water near vines; ants will drown while drinking. Just be sure pets can’t access them!
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Vacuum up trail lines or clusters of ants early in the morning using a handheld vacuum. This removes pheromone trails.
Homemade Sprays and Repellents
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Make a peppermint repellent spray by boiling 5 cups of water with 1 cup of fresh peppermint leaves. Let cool, strain and spray onto infested areas.
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Mix 5 tablespoons of liquid dish soap with 2 cups of water for an effective ant spray. Avoid plant foliage to prevent leaf burn.
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Combine 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water for a natural spray. The acidity kills and repels ants.
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Sprinkle diatomaceous earth, a powder made of crushed fossils, around the vine base. It abrades ants’ exoskeletons causing dehydration.
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Use neem oil sprays as both a repellent and insecticide for ants and aphids. It’s available at most garden centers.
Chemical Pesticides
If you’ve tried the above methods with no success, chemical pesticides and baits may be necessary as a last resort:
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Insecticide sprays like fipronil, bifenthrin and pyrethrins can control heavy ant infestations but should be applied with extreme care to limit vine and pollinator damage. Read labels thoroughly and follow all directions.
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Borax powder mixes will kill ants when ingested. Mix with sugar water or syrup and place out of reach of pets and children.
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Commercial ant baits containing slow-acting toxins are safer than sprays. Worker ants take the bait back to the colony and infect the queen. Look for protein, oil or sugar-based baits.
Stay Vigilant in Prevention
Getting rid of ants on your Alice du Pont mandevilla vine takes patience and persistence. Employ a combination of methods like debris cleanup, barriers, plant removal, natural home remedies, and chemical pesticides if all else fails. The key is staying vigilant with preventative measures to avoid recurring or heavy infestations. With your diligent efforts, you can outsmart those pesky ants and enjoy an ant-free, thriving mandevilla vine.
Nonstop blooms make Mandevilla unbeatable
By Norman Winter MSU Horticulturist Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center
My neighbor down the street already has everyone gawking with a spectacular Mandevilla on her mailbox. Its been that way for a few weeks, yielding dozens of blooms every day.
Many gardeners shop for plants that will bloom all summer and right up until fall. Thats a pretty tall order to fill considering our extreme summer climate, but at the top of that list has to be the hybrid Mandevilla Alice du Pont.
The Mandevilla is from Brazil, but at the garden center you will get the feeling it is one of the locals. It is related to the Allamanda vine with yellow, bell-shaped flowers and to plumeria, the flowers that Hawaiian leis are made of.
Alice du Pont has large, pink, bell-shaped flowers produced on a vigorous vine. The dark, glossy leaves have a leathery feeling.
As with almost every other plant I write about, it needs well-drained soil to survive. For best flowering, you will want your Mandevilla to receive at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day. Full sunlight is better.
Since it is such a vigorous vine and flower producer, it needs small doses of fertilizer every two to three weeks. Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer. Be sure to maintain moisture during the hot, dry times of the summer. A prolonged period without water may prove fatal to the plant.
I have even seen Mandevilla planted in a large basket hanging on a long chain at least two stories high. The Mandevilla was growing up the 6- or 7-foot-long chain, and you really couldnt see the chain for the leaves and the flowers. A tri-color ornamental sweet potato flowing out of the basket in all directions helped set off the Mandevilla. One of the three colors was the same pink as the Mandevilla.
A couple of years ago I saw a giant, iridescent blue-flowered clematis right next to the Mandevilla. This mixture of Southern perennial and Brazilian tropical was bold and spectacular.
If you have lattice structures around the house, the Mandevilla is one plant that is a must. Its ability to climb and bloom until fall makes it a winner. Because it is a tropical from Brazil, gardeners on the Coast — probably south of I-10 — can get it to establish permanently. The rest of us will have to either treat it as an annual or give it winter protection.
Before bringing it indoors, cut off all growth to make it the desired shape. It will not bloom indoors unless it is in a sunroom. Our goal is simply to hold the plant until the next planting season.
Another method, and probably the easiest for most of us, is to cut it back to about 6 inches and provide as bright a light as possible and minimal water. Do not fertilize during this time. As the plant grows, keep it pinched back to leaf axis so it will develop a bushy habit.
In the spring, re-pot or plant in the landscape and resume a fertilization program. The Mandevilla is a hot buy right now, so take advantage of the season.
Tips For Growing Mandevilla Vine
FAQ
What can I spray on mandevilla?
How to get rid of bugs on mandevilla?
How to get rid of ants from potted plants?
What kills aphids on mandevilla?
Are there Bugs on Mandevilla vines?
Bugs on mandevilla vine are easy to treat if they’re caught early, but you’ll have to keep a close eye out for them since these insects often remain well-hidden. Mealybugs leave small piles of waxy debris on the branch crotches of mandevilla vines, feeding nearby or on the undersides of leaves.
Is Allamanda a Mandevilla?
This vine is sometimes referred to as pink allamanda. There is also a popular white-flowering variety (Mandevilla boliviensis) as well as other color choices. The most common yellow-flowering variety is actually not a mandevilla at all (Urechites lutea or Pentilinon luteum) – and a common name for this vine is Wild Allamanda.
Why are my Mandevilla leaves sticky?
Mealybugs leave small piles of waxy debris on the branch crotches of mandevilla vines, feeding nearby or on the undersides of leaves. These pests produce copious amounts of honeydew as the pests feed on plant juices, causing leaves below feeding sites to appear sticky or shiny.
How do you repot a Mandevilla?
Mandevillas grow quickly, so you’ll probably need to repot them every spring. Use just one pot size larger when doing so. Carefully remove the root ball from the old container, place it in the new container, and fill the space around it with fresh potting mix, and water well.