Question
My 20 foot white bird of paradise has a two-fold problem: white-footed ants and aphids.  Some stalks are all brown, and I just don't know how to thin it out / kill the pests without damaging the plant.  It's a huge and overall healthy plant that towers over the pool screen. Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Roxy, First thing to get rid of is the aphids, by using either Horticultural Oil or Insecticidal Soap, this will reduce the ant problem significantly, because the are attracted to the honey dew substance that the aphids give off as they feed. The ants can be addressed directly by putting down some Terro ant syrup , this will work quite nicely on them. Prune the brown stalks off by cutting them at the base, not halfway up the stem; this way you are removing the entire stalk and leaf, and will in no way hurt the plant as a whole. Birds are very resilient, and I encourage heavy pruning on them to reduce the size and stimulate new growth. Nick