Ants on New Plants: Effective Baiting Without Harming Butterflies

I recently bought petunias, a dahlia, and a potato plant. A butterfly feeder with sugar water and cantaloupe attracted ants, which are now all over the flowers, causing them to droop and die. How do I eliminate the ants while still attracting butterflies?

Why Ants Are on Your Plants

Ants aren't eating your flowers—they're farming honeydew-producing insects (aphids, mealybugs, scale, whiteflies) or feeding on the sugar water from your feeder. The plant decline suggests the ants are protecting sap-suckers that are damaging the foliage.

Best Solution: Ant Baits

Baits are the gold standard for ant control because:

• Foraging workers carry toxic bait back to the colony, killing the queen and nest
• Low toxicity to humans, pets, and non-target insects like butterflies
• Long-lasting control (colony elimination vs. temporary repellent)

Critical Baiting Rules

1. NO insecticide sprays—they kill foragers before they can share bait
2. Place baits near ant trails, not directly on plants
3. Be patient—colony elimination takes 1–3 weeks
4. Match bait to ant preference (sugar vs. protein)

Recommended Baits (Check Local Availability)

Product	Form	Active Ingredient	Best For
Terro	Liquid/gel	Borax/sugar	Sugar-feeding ants (most common)
Drax Ant Kil Gel	Gel	Borax/sugar/apple/mint	Sugar-feeding ants
Drax FP	Gel	Borax/peanut butter/oil	Protein/grease-feeding ants
Maxforce	Gel/granules	Hydramethylnon	Broad spectrum

Butterfly Feeder Management

• Move feeder away from vulnerable plants
• Use ant moats (water-filled cups) on feeder hangers
• Clean and refresh sugar water daily to prevent fermentation
• Consider commercial ant-proof hummingbird/butterfly feeders

Once the ant colony is controlled, the sap-sucking insects they were protecting will be exposed to natural predators, and your plants should recover.