Causes of Ants on Jasmine & How to Prevent & Get Rid of Them

Ants do not necessarily gnaw on jasmine, but they will affect the growth of jasmine. They multiply rapidly, so their number increases very fast before you even get the chance to search for a solution. Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but they do spread around the house quickly.

In addition, when ants appear in the jasmine tray, it may also cause the outbreak of other pests and harm the normal growth of the jasmine.

Since you landed on this article, it means you’re having an ant problem around your precious jasmine. In this article, I will introduce to you how to get rid of them and how to prevent them from ever coming near your plant.

Table of Content:

How Do Ants Harm Jasmine
Why Are There Ants in Your Jasmine
How to Get Rid of the Ants in Your Jasmine Plate
How to Prevent Ants on Jasmine

How do Ants harm jasmine

1. Ants Affect the Normal Growth of Jasmine Roots

Ants are creatures that can burrow. When they find any source of soil, they start to dig holes right away. It might seem like ants are harmless, but; they can cause great damage to any plant.

When they get to the root system of your jasmine, they will affect the normal absorption of nutrients and water. This will result in root necrosis. Additionally, ants are omnivorous species. Although they, generally, don’t nibble the roots of the jasmine, yet, they will nibble a few times when they are bored.

When the roots are scratched, they become very vulnerable and get infected by bacteria easily. Do you know what bacteria infection means? It means bigger problems where you might have to say goodbye to your precious jasmine.

2. Ants Reproduce rapidly and Crawl Everywhere

The environment the jasmine provides is suitable for ants to live in. When ants are comfortable, they start to reproduce quickly and expand all over the area. The larger the number of ants, the wider range of activity around your jasmine will be.

So, if your jasmine is grown indoors, expect the ants to spread all over your house, especially in the kitchen. And if your jasmine is grown outdoors, the ants will spread to other plants. They can be very annoying.

3. Ants Can Lead to Aphids Outbreaks

The presence of pests such as aphids, scale insects, and whiteflies can be an open invitation to ants to join the infestation party. That is because ants feed on them. Now, you might be thinking this is supposed to be a good thing, right? But no, that is not the case here.

Ants, while munching on pests, transport their larvae around and eat the honeydew they secrete causing an ever bigger outbreak of aphids.

You might have noticed once that whenever there is a presence of aphids on a flowering plant, there are ants around it as well.

4. Ants Increase the Risk of Getting Diseases

Ants are super active. They have a great carrying ability. When they are out foraging, they bring back all sorts of edible things to their nest which may carry various germs. These germs will cause the jasmine to get sick.

Why Are There Ants in Your Jasmine

1. The Use of Undecomposed organic fertilizers

Undecomposed organic fertilizers attract ants by nature as they are considered small bits of food. Therefore, when you apply an organic fertilizer to your jasmine, make sure that it is fully decomposed to prevent ants from coming and nesting in your plant.

2. Insects and Pests

As I mentioned above, ants eat the secretions of aphids and scale insects. The pests attract ants naturally. So, for that reason, it is important to check your jasmine once in a while for any kind of pests and treat them immediately. Or, you can use prevention methods to avoid both, ants and pests!

3. There are ants in the planting material used

Although the plant material for planting jasmine does not require thorough sterilization and insecticide, it is still necessary to expose it to the sun, otherwise, it is very easy to carry diseases and insect pests, which will bring great trouble to subsequent breeding.

How to get rid of the ants in your Jasmine plate

1. Immersion Basin

To eliminate the ants, prepare a bucket of water. Then, immerse the pot in it entirely for about 20 minutes. When you use this method, make sure that there is good ventilation and the weather is not too hot. Otherwise, the dipping water will get hot and damage the jasmine by rotting the roots.

2. Use Insecticide

Insecticide soap can be sufficient to get rid of the ants. This method is the easiest way and the fastest one.

3. Home Tricks

You can use tape and surround your plant with it. There are some special sweet-tasting tapes that can be used in this case to lure the ants. The ants will stick to the tape and won’t be able to move. This method is not effective 100% as it needs a lot of time and patience. It also depends on the amount of the ant gang.

4. Get some carnivorous plants

As this method can be interesting to experience, but it does not get rid of your ant problem immediately, it takes its sweet time to show any results.

Some plants like venus flytraps and pitcher plants are the most commonly used to get rid of ants.

5. Get rid of any insects or pests

Since some pests attract ants to invade plants, you will need to fight that issue first before handling the ants. Because pests are far way more dangerous than ants. Once you get rid of them, use one of the methods I mentioned above to keep your jasmine looking gorgeous.

Related article: How to Grow and Care for a Jasmine Plant

How to Prevent Ants on Jasmine

Use clean plant material and fully decomposed organic fertilizer.

Ants prefer moist environments rather than dry. So, ventilation and exposing your plant to the sun once in a while will keep your shiny jasmine safe.

If you notice ants anywhere, whether in your garden or in your house, get rid of them on time.

You can slice some onions or garlic and put them on your jasmine plate. Even though this method is not pleasant, it sure does keep the ants away since they don’t like their taste.

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