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Posted 2Y ago by @brittanysoasis

Ants

Hello all! I have recently gotten a golden barrel cactus and he’s outside on the ground in a new terracotta pot. I have located a few ants crawling around on him and in the soil. What should I do, if anything? I sprayed them with neem oil this evening. Should I just continue that until I don’t see them anymore? Or do ants not bother plants? Thank you!!! #HappyPlants #SucculentLove
Benny Plant
Benny Plant
Golden Barrel Cactus
8” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 years ago
@CourtlyKingfern
Evelyn
28192 XP
2Y ago
@CourtlyKingfern
Identify the ant species: Different ant species have different behaviors and potential to harm cacti. By identifying the ant species, you can determine if they are harmful or beneficial and choose the appropriate course of action.
@ThePinkCactus
Missy
696 XP
2Y ago
@ThePinkCactus
Neem oil will keep them away. They don’t like it. Ants themselves won’t harm your cactus but they will literally carry a pest to your cactus, paralyze the pest by biting it, attaching the pest to your plant (the pest will feed) and the ant will harvest the pests poop to feed its queen. Ant bites will paralyze pests. But the pest can still suck on your plant. A whole colony of ants will literally farm pests on a cactus. They’ll put the pests neatly in a row and harvest their poop all day. Google it. YouTube it. It’s quite interesting. But by all means, protect your baby from ants.
@ThePinkCactus
Missy
696 XP
2Y ago
@ThePinkCactus
I’d spray the neem oil all over the pot too. And the ground around the pot. Thats what I do
@ThePinkCactus
Missy
696 XP
2Y ago
@ThePinkCactus
I’m looking at your cute baby and it looks like a Notocactus Leninghausii, not a Echinocactus grusonii aka golden barrel. 💛