ants
Roy Herold (Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:33:45 PDT)

The first time I visited the conservatory at Kirstenbosch (2002?), they
were dealing with a terrible infestation of ants. The most visible
damage was to succulents with the softer sorts of leaves--great hunks
had been eaten from them. I don't know if there was any damage
underground, however.

Kirstenbosch keeps the bulk if its bulb collection in a separate,
non-public greenhouse that may have had better controls.

My own anti-ant experience has been limited to dealing with nests in
pots or in the root systems of in-ground plants. They are good at
excavating massive quantities of soil from around the roots, sometimes
leading to dessication or death. Or they just pile the dirt on top of
the plant, suffocating it.

As an aside, in my previous garden I had a sand bed that was wonderful
for growing some of the fussier alpines. Ants were never a problem, but
burrowing wasps loved it. There were at least three different kinds that
excavated long tunnels, often under plants. Fill then in, they come
right back. Losses were minor, however, and they were fun to watch.

--Roy
NW of Boston