Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Steveharford on May 17, 2013, 06:59
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I picked some radishes for mum yesterday (she adores them) and noticed a few we're nibbled so I intended putting some slug pellets down yesterday evening. Firstly I pulled a few for us and then noticed it was ants causing the damage. That's a new one on me. Has anyone else come across this? And how best to deal with them as I don't really want powder on my radi.
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Steve, ants don't eat radishes so I think your first response that it was slugs is likely to be correct. There are very small ones hat live in the soil, so a few pellets will 'cure' them :)
The ants were coincidental. If there is a nest nearby, digging it a bit will re-firm the soil
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Yesterday I too noticed ants crawling over a radish that had damage consistent with slugs. I wonder if there is something in the radish that they want and can get where there is a wound. Ants never do anything without a purpose.
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Will the ants attack the radish once a hole has been created by another critter?
This happens with rhubarb....
I dont think they actively go after these things, but get attracted to them, when they can smell the sugary insides.....
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Sorry to bring this up again but can't find the original thread. Anyway I have just pulled a few more radi and found a couple of these grubs so wondering if they are the culprit. I should say that I recently posted re the same problem and most people thought it is slugs but I don't think so.
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Found the original thread and merged it here for you, Steve :)
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It almost looks like a cutworm, but it isn't. Nor is it a cabbage maggot, but similar. Not sure what you have but next season you'll have to make sure you grow radishes elsewhere for a few years so this pest can't multiply.
And Salmo is right - ants tend to investigate existing damage and will harvest anything useful that they can access. The lowly radish has iron, sugar, calcium, protein, and lots of vitamin C and all of these are very useful for them.
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Sorry to bring this up again but can't find the original thread. Anyway I have just pulled a few more radi and found a couple of these grubs so wondering if they are the culprit. I should say that I recently posted re the same problem and most people thought it is slugs but I don't think so.
snap ... same problem here , leather jacket grubs are on mass here this year , they are doing my head in !!!!
looks like thats what your grub may be , some of mine have been that colour to as well as the usual grey , squidge them or feed to chooks and savour the moment of their demise , troublesome little critters
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Many thanks yorkie
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Looks like you might be right Barley. http://ladybirdplantcare.co.uk/leatherjacket.html. They are apparently commonly found under turf and my radi are planted at the end of the bed adjacent to the lawn so I will cut the edge well back tomorrow to see if that has any effect. As the larvae of the daddy long legs it is even more strange that I noticed loads of the adults flying about today. Surely that is exceptionally early?
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Iam surrounded by feilds here so theirs no escape for me , it was like this about 5 years ago so thankfully its not every year
I think the seasons are so up the swannie this year plants and insects alike are all confused :wacko: