Q I purchased an orchid recently and when I got home and inspected the plant I found small ants all over the roots. I tapped the container lightly outside until I thought all the creatures had dropped off. No ants were on the leaves, just the roots. The ants were not in it when I purchased the plant. How do 1 make sure there are no more ants in my roots? Run water through the mix?

A  I will pass on a tip I recently heard in California that sounded like the answer to ant problems. Apparently there is a product called Orange Guard that is death to ants. It is often available at Ace Hardware, can be ordered directly from the manufacturer at 1 -888-659-3217 or they will give you a local supplier. When sprayed on ants, or in areas where they traverse, the active ingredient in Orange Guard (d-Limonen = orange peel extract) destroys the wax coating of the ants' respiratory systems and they suffocate. Orange Guard is 100 percent biodegradable and water soluble. I am reluctant to recommend something that I have not used myself, but the growers who told me about it are experienced and enthusiastic. One word of caution: Do not spray the flowers with the compound, but only the roots and foliage (which are not affected). If you have difficulty in locating Orange Guard, then I would half fill a bucket with water and add '/6 cup of dishwashing liquid. Immerse the plant completely for an hour, when all the ants should be well drowned. Remove, let drain and replace where it was growing. —Andy Easton.