# Okra and Ants!!!



## alh942 (Feb 4, 2006)

Does anyone have a good method of running these biting SOB's off my Okra?


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## Tate (Aug 25, 2005)

Are you sure you don't have aphids on your okra? The aphids secrete a sweet, sticky substance that the ants are attracted too. If you have aphids you can try spraying them off with a jet of water or using insecticidal soap. I had the same problem with my okra last year. 

Tate


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## alh942 (Feb 4, 2006)

I will check and see if its aphids causing the problem. Thanks for the information.


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

Or buy you a batch of ladybugs at a local organic nursery..... they love aphids!


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## JPO (Oct 15, 2005)

the ants will actually herd the aphids onto the okra crop to harvest the sweet secretion mentioned above. they wont affect your okra harvest and it will keep the aphids off of your other plants. dont really matter what you do, the ants will bring em back


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## Tate (Aug 25, 2005)

seattleman1969 said:


> Or buy you a batch of ladybugs at a local organic nursery..... they love aphids!


I tried that once. The ladybugs stayed around for a couple of days and then I noticed them flying away. Not sure why. There were still plenty of aphids to eat.


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## JPO (Oct 15, 2005)

when you buy the ladybugs they are coming out of hibernation and they instinctivly do whats natural for them when they wake up when you open the lid......fly away! waste of money


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## alh942 (Feb 4, 2006)

Well i broke down today and sprayed some malathon on the okra. The new growth is covered with some kind of gray looking stuff and under the leaves also, I guess those are aphids. Some of the ants are actually boring into the okra pods like they own the garden of something. I remeber a few years back those same bugs destroyed my whole crop. I dont know why I have so many problems with something so easy to grow as okra. Hope you all have a GREAT 4TH JULY


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