I'm not sure about severing rose canes, but generally, ants are not good news if you are a pot gardener. I think I remember you had some roses in pots?

I haven't had any rose fatalities I can put down to them (so far), but the evil things got most of my potted tomatoes last year; once they get in, nasty things tend to happen.
If they are on your plants, its often because they're attracted to something, like the sweet stuff aphids put out,(bad enough) or they have taken up residence there, cos it was a nice stopover motel en route to a main colony, and once they start digging tunnels and making nests, the roots get disturbed and your plant starts being very unhappy.
So everything is going up on bricks this year!

Sorry, I know that didn't really help with your main question..but the warmer weather invasion is starting here :(

Ants usually do not sever rose canes...

Ants are on ALL your roses? Or just some?
Do you have Aphids on your roses?

Ants are attracted to rose bushes because of another pest that has already taken up residence in the garden, the aphid. Ants love to feed on the sticky, honeydew residue left on the plants by aphids. Ants protect aphids from predators and store aphid eggs in their nests over the winter.

Other than that I have no idea why ants are on your roses....

This post was edited by jim1961 on Fri, Sep 20, 13 at 19:14

Can you post clear pics of your severed rose canes andreark...???

Sometimes, ants nest in pots.

Drown 'em.
and/or, push sticks of cinnamon bark into the soil. It repels ants.

Jeri

Thanks for your answers. I get the picture. Jim the cane has now been pruned. Thanks curdle. And Jeri, I will try the cinnamon sticks.

Thanks again,

andrea

I guess the roses we were talking about were in pots?...

I had tons of ants under a couple of rose bushes (in the ground) this year but I was afraid to hurt earthworms by applying anything so I just left them go... They didn't hurt anything...

Wonder if cinnamon sticks would work for in the ground roses too?
I never thought of that...lol

Jim. Can't hurt. They REPEL ants -- so, nothing toxic going on there

Jeri

I'll give that a try next year... Thanks Jeri...

Terrible ant year in my zone! Will try the cinnamon sticks next spring. Do they attract any other creatures?

Susan, no. In my garden, cinnamon sticks don't attract anything. Nor, in my experience, have they done any harm.

Jeri

Good, thanks. Will try it next spring.