Question
QUESTION: I have a Fragrant Plum grandiflora that is about 10 years old.  A few days ago I noticed black ants eating my buds.  They seem to be eating it from the outside towards the inside.  Yesterday I noticed one of the main canes was lying sideways, but still attached to the crown.  I cut it off and brought into the house.  This morning I have another main caine "wobbly", like something is eating it from the bottom by the crown and all the buds were wilted over like they needed water, on these buds were black ants again but they had not started to eat any of the buds yet.  I have a smaller cane that the ants had started to eat the buds.  I do not have any aphids on the rose and I cannot see any ant activity towards the ground and around the crown.  I have cut the 2 canes that seem to have been damaged from the bottom.  Is there anything I can do to get rid of the ants without killing my rose?  I also have another rose bush (Outta the Blue-shrub rose) about 2 feet away and I don't want the ants to decide to start in on this one.  Can you give any advice to help me with this problem?  I'd sure appreciate it!

Thank you-Kathy

ANSWER: Usually ants don't touch roses only collect what the aphids excrete because it is sugary. However I have heard that in the PNW there is an ant that is black with a red head which collects bits and pieces of roses and adds them to the ant hill. Because of that information, it is very possible that ants are eating your roses even though it is very rare. It appears that
some ants do eat roses, maybe to wound them so they exude syrup. Or they might be taking advantage of a wound made by a beetle or worm. If you spray a residual ant  killer around the base and on the barky canes that will get rid of them.  Just  try not to get too much on the green canes. Lysol and water discourages them and icing sugar and borax is also good as they will take it back to their nest. Some gardeners recommend Sevin, but that is very toxic to bees and will kill them. Just make sure it is one for the inside of the house as that won't harm anything else.

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QUESTION: I don't live in the PNW...I am in South Dakota-the ants do not have red heads...they are all black.  I also do not have any aphids on any of the buds or canes.  I will try your suggestions.  Is there a specific "recipe" for the powdered sugar/borax solution?  Also a recipe for the lysol/water solution-is this one sprayed on the canes only?  Or can it be sprayed on the leaves?  Also-is the sugar/borax solution just put on the ground?  Or on cotton balls?  Thanks again for your help...Kathy

Answer
Thanks for the information, I just mentioned about those other ants as it has been reported that in rare cases ants do eat roses. The Borax and sugar is half of Borax and half icing sugar and I see no reason not to also use ordinary sugar.  I was told that you just water down the Lysol by about half to make a spray and use it only around the base of the rose bush no too.