What on earth is this so I can prevent it next year

For the 3rd year in the row, I failed at corn.

First year, didn't grow.

Second year, grew to 4 inches and fell over.

This year, this. Other than the black ants, what on earth is going on?

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Those are aphids. The ants are on there harvesting their excrement, which is extremely sweet, called honeydew.

Aphids are extremely difficult to prevent on a crop like corn, since corn has such high nutrient demands and aphids are attracted to plants with lush, lush growth. You can squish them, spray them off with a strong blast from a hose,use insecticidal soap...there are sprays too, but that's not something I get into.

Culturally, you need to encourage more natural predators by planting lots of flowers and native plant species. Also, discourage the ants. They actually protect the aphids from predators.

Country Thyme Farm wrote:Those are aphids.

Other than that, are you asking why you're having trouble growing corn?

I thought aphids were just the bright green things I remember from my Grandpa's prized roses!!! Gross! And only on the corn.

I figure the corn failing was equal parts me, this and the humid weather.

Aphids are super common. Just edited ky original post with more info since I noticed the ants in the picture and realised what you were talking about.

Sweetened wrote:

Country Thyme Farm wrote:Those are aphids.

Other than that, are you asking why you're having trouble growing corn?

I thought aphids were just the bright green things I remember from my Grandpa's prized roses!!! Gross! And only on the corn.

I figure the corn failing was equal parts me, this and the humid weather.

The trouble with corn in our provinces is that it has some pretty extreme heat unit needs, and has trouble dealing with our short season coupled with our cold night's. Try heritage harvest seed and prairie garden seed. They have some short season corns that we sometimes have success with.

We have a short season where we live in a mountain valley. The valley makes the day shorter. We have had some luck with short season varieties from William Damm Seeds in Ontario. The cobs are not big, but taste great. The cows loved our failed longer season crops.

My corn is taller than me and forming ears,but I doubt they will make it to maturity. We have had heat, but way too much rain and the garden was downright swampy at times. My many varieties of squash are finally doing well, and we have been feasting on yellow zucchini.

I always plant my corn in a square rather than a line, to aid in wind pollination.

I have used dish soap with success. I have never had aphids on my corn, but they did attack my peppers early on in the year. Try just a bit of soap and water in a sprayer. It is cheap, and can't hurt.

Bowker Acres wrote:I have used dish soap with success. I have never had aphids on my corn, but they did attack my peppers early on in the year. Try just a bit of soap and water in a sprayer. It is cheap, and can't hurt.

I used to get terrible aphids on my roses in Australia and I used dish soap as well. Works really good.
Wish I could grow corn up here. I almost got it done last year and tried again with some with a really short growing period, but the soil was cold for so long this spring up here it just never happened. I may try again next year.
Wish I could grow roses too.....or tomatoes, or cukes, or squash.....sigh.....guess nice potatoes will have to do.

Yich, I can't stand aphids, and they come in all colours, green, red, brown, black, they can destroy big time. And yes, ants will nurture and take care of aphids, in that they "farm" them for the excretion of honeydew, which Country Thyme talked about. They love aphids and they love the sweet poop called honeydew. We have black elderberry shrubs all over here. Those black aphids attack parts and completely smother the branches. Not all the branches, just certain areas. I just leave them alone. If you disturb them, then they travel to other parts of the bushes. If not disturbed, they stay in certain spots and then whatever happens to them, I don't know, but they all are gone in about 2 weeks. Weird. We have copious amounts of lady beetles around here. They help to eat aphids. AND...the baby lady bugs look like little orange and black alligators. Their appetite is voracious and they consume 50 times more for food than the adult lady beetle. If you EVEr see little orange and black, alligator looking bugs crawling around, never hurt them, they are the larvae which will grow up to be wonderful lady bugs which are a boon to any garden. Sometimes I have seen some aphids on the corn tips, but I take a garden hose and wash that particular part off, I hand wash them, in that I hold the stalk and treat each spot I see. As you can figure out, I don't have an over run of any aphids on corn stalks to be able to do that, just a few selections by these invaders. Can't stand them.

I also know that they have a horrible stain. Well, the black ones do. I remember one time I had grown aphids around my Father's little trailer when he was with witts and lived on our property in that for a short time. They were so beautiful and he loved the beautiful colours of all the nasturtium, so I grew lots. One day I went out to look after my Father's garden (this was back on the coast, about 10 years ago). I was horrified to see these black bugs all up and down the long stems of the plants. Horrified...cause I knew exactly what they were. Those black buggers!! I spent a long time taking each branch and gently squishing all the horrible black aphids (yes, not green, not red, not brown, but black as that ace of spades) and wiping my hands on my pants. yes, usually wipe my hands on my ol' blue jeans when they need wiping. I should always carry a little handkerchief in my pocket, all the time, smiling. Anyways, digression here.

I wiped my hands of the black crap on my pants, lots of black crap on my pants and on my hands too. After I was done with squishing black aphids, I went to wash my hands. Well, talk about stained, do you think that those black hands would come clean. Nope, took days for that to wear off. Coulda bleach watered I guess, but was probably just not into it. Farmer hands, that me. Anyways, those jeans went to the garbage. After several washes, even with the bleach wash, those pants were still so black stained. They were dyed. If you want a really good black die, go and squish black aphids. Surely your task will be accomplished. Black aphid day. Just lovely. And with that, let's all have that beautiful day, CynthiaM.

Oh ya, my corn began tasseling over a week ago, about 3 weeks til corn ready, think I'm going to make it, long time before frost kill yet, yay!!

I have a "recipe" that I use on aphids. It is half a can of beer (this fertilizes the infected plant), 2 tablespoons of dish soap (this breaks down the protective coating on the aphid to allow the water to get to it), and water (this is drown the aphids). I use a spray bottle (large one) and pour in the beer, then the water then add in the soap and shake. Just using water doesnt work because they have an oily coating on them that creates a miniature air pocket keeping them from drowing in the rain and allowing them to float. You do also have to be careful if you have alot of aphids as the honeydow they leave behind can cause a specific type of mold to form. So, the ants are atleast keeping that part at bay.

Everyone seems to have great ideas on how to get rid of them ...........but where are they coming from ? do they hibernate in the soil seeing as to how you have had such bad luck with the corn before ?? I bever have seen them anywhere near the garden ? and I put all my chicken manure into the garden ever year ( might explain my 4 foot sunflowers being 9 feet tall already ! ).Most of these bugs bury into the soil for the winter and I think that puts them right where they will want there young to start life next year ? .....just a thought