Question
Hey Nick - 2 questions.  I live in Louisiana.  Since H. Katrina my huge white B of P are loaded with black ants.  The plants blooms constantly but is full of ants.  What can I use that won't harm the 100s of lizards that live there too?  Also how do I get rid of slugs and night feeding caterpillars on my Bougainvillea without harming the bees and lizards?  There chewing my plant to pieces.

Answer
Hi Donna, Ants are very difficult to control, they have obviously nested either in the BOP or close to it; the only control for this type of ant (sugar eater..) is to bait them with any of the many products out there that are specifically for them , Terro syrup is one good one; obviously spraying them with an insecticide will defeat the purpose of not harming the Aneoles (lizards). The Caterpillars can be controlled with a systemic insecticide that is administered directly into the soil, the only problem is if you kill them this way, the Aneoles may eat the caterpillars as they are dying, and I don't know how this will effect the lizards themselves; the slugs can be controlled with slug bait, but again, I am not sure if the lizards will eat the slugs and how they will be effected. The Bees do not visit Bougainvillea, so they are not a factor. I would check with the insect expert here to determine if the killing of the caterpillars will threaten the lizards (whether the lizards will eat them or not and if so, will the poison in the insects and slugs harm them.)..Nick