Aphids and ants question

[Noonin NorCal]

I have noticed on some fan leaves i have aphids, Im growing in fabric pots,,,, I seem to have ants also, like they are chasing them up the main stalk of the plants

when i water the ants seem to come down to the soil,,,,,, my question is instead of spraying Neem Oil for the aphids, can i just sprinkle borax and diatomaceous earth around the base of the plant for ants? I will keep that part dry since it probably wouldn't work much if it gets wet?

I also noticed lady bug eggs and have LB larvae on the undersides of fan leaves. Id like to spray the plants with neem to get rid of aphids and as a preventitive for PM later on but i don't wanna kill off the lady bugs. What should i do lol

thanks

 

[Amynamous]

Most likely, the ants that you see running up and down and all around are farming/ranching the aphids and collecting it’s poop. Apparently, aphid poop is a lot like In and Out, but for ants. Anyways, aphid numbers can increase rapidly as a result. You’ll have to take out the ants before you can do anything meaningful to control the aphids.

 

[sacramental]

I have the same problem. A couple of mounds are infested with ants. Can’t work around the plant without them crawling up me lol. Amynamous has it right from my reading. The ants will harbor the aphids as a food source until you get a hold of your problem. I’ve noticed this is a particularly bad year for ants and spiders. I read diatomaceous earth works. Also I read a 50/50 mix of baking soda and powdered sugar will F them up as well. Anyone with experience with dealing with this problem? What works for you? I’ve just been spraying for the aphids but I think I have to get a grip on my ant colonies.

 

[Creeperpark]

You can knock the hell out of them with excess water or a spray down. Spray your plants down with water and that will wash the honeydew, ants, and aphids off. That goes for the ant bed too, by your plants. Flood the ants because they hate and I mean double hate water. Ants only make mounds where it's dry and never wet. Knock the top off the mound and start pouring water on top and soak it well. repeat a couple of times and they will move.