Fighting ants on garden trees

Spring is the time when all living things awaken after a long winter. Unfortunately, insect pests are also active during this period, causing a lot of inconvenience for gardeners. At first glance, ants don't seem to cause any harm; on the contrary, they protect the garden from truly dangerous pests and form a valuable part of the food chain. But sometimes these insects become too numerous in a garden.

Types of ants and the reasons for their appearance on trees

Only one species of ant is beneficial to a garden plot: red wood ants. They are distinguished by their large size and powerful jaws, which allows them to hunt other insects. Damage to trees is caused by:

• garden ants,
• carpenter ants.

Garden ants are most active in spring and late summer. Trees attract the insects with the scent of fresh buds or ripe fruit. The kidneys suffer the most, since in the spring the anthill experiences the greatest food shortage. In this case, the gardener loses a large part of his harvest.

Ants aren't as dangerous as aphids, whose reproduction they facilitate. During their life cycle, aphids secrete sugar onto leaves, which the ants feed on. The ants protect the aphids from predators (such as ladybugs) and transfer them to other leaves. This attention causes the aphids to reproduce at an incredible rate, destroying more and more leaves.

An anthill may be located in a secluded place, but an abundance of aphids on trees can serve as a sign that a large number of ants live somewhere nearby.

During their life cycle, aphids secrete sugar onto leaves, the juice of which ants feed on.

Carpenter ants destroy wood. Moreover, they can damage not only garden trees but also wooden structures. This species of insect does not feed on wood, but rather creates holes in it to create their nests.

The carpenter ant makes holes in the tree for its home, thereby destroying it.

Methods of controlling ants and aphids

Ants should be dealt with very carefully, as their complete destruction can disrupt the food chain.

Chemicals

The following remedies have proven themselves to be effective at present:

• Exil is designed for effective control of large ant infestations in your garden. It's an insecticide developed using the latest technology in Germany and is available as a powder or solution. Wear rubber gloves when using the product. Application is simple: simply sprinkle the powder or pour the solution onto the ant infestation. However, it is important to understand that the active ingredient—2% chlorpyrifos—is a strong chemical, and therefore its use is prohibited within fifteen meters of wells and bodies of water. The price of the product varies between 200–300 rubles;
  

  Exil is developed using the latest German technology

• Medilis-Cyper can be used to control not only ants but also ticks, fleas, and cockroaches. The product is applied to the area and clothing. Do not use near children. Average price: 1,500 rubles.
  

  Medilis-cyper is a universal remedy for controlling many insect pests.

• Dr. Klaus is available in various formats—for indoor use and for outdoor use—as an aerosol and is a universal insect repellent for ants, ticks, cockroaches, and fleas. It can be used to eliminate swarms of insects, applied to the foundation to prevent them from entering, and is also effective when applied to anthills. The spray can reach up to three meters in calm conditions, making it especially effective for large anthills. The product is relatively safe and allows you to use the treated room within thirty minutes after ventilation. Suitable for bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways. Price: 200–300 rubles.
  

  Dr. Klaus' jet length can reach up to three meters.

Folk remedies and mechanical means

To reduce the number of ants, you should also get rid of the aphids that feed them. Installing a trapping belt will help protect the tree from both insects. It is attached to the base of a tree trunk with rope or strong thread. A special adhesive is applied to the trap's surface, which is resistant to rain and temperature fluctuations and is non-toxic to the tree or humans.

Using such a belt will avoid the use of potentially dangerous means, and most importantly, will be a good preventative measure against the destruction of buds on trees. As a rule, it is enough to attach the belt to the tree at the beginning of spring, but the procedure can be repeated at any time of the year. You can also experiment with different types of trapping belts. Currently, the following are used:

• dry trapping belts, which are divided into:
  • funnel belts where insects crawl from below and can no longer get out,
  • belts-gates that prevent insects from descending from the tree to the ground for wintering,
  • double-sided funnels that catch insects coming from both the top and bottom of the trunk;
• Poisonous ones, which consist of a piece of fabric soaked in insecticide and attached to the base of the trunk. This prevents the chemicals from penetrating the tree's root system or crown;
• sticky, in which insects are caught with the help of glue placed on tape or paper, belted around the trunk.

Photo gallery: types of tree traps

Video: Protecting Young Trees

The smells of plants

Ants, like many insects, do not like strong odors, so you can use decoctions of certain plants against them:

• wormwood,
• garlic,
• cinnamon,
• mint.

The decoction is applied to plants or the anthill. However, the latter method is less effective, as these odors don't kill the insects, but merely disturb them. After a while, particularly persistent ants will remove all the smelly debris from the anthill.

The decoction is applied to the plant or anthill.

Cereals

Often, cereals are used against ants:

• millet,
• semolina,
• corn.

Many people question the effectiveness of their use in insect control. This method must be used for quite a long time, and the positive result will last no more than a month. The anthill and places where insects frequently appear are covered with grain.

Preventing the appearance of ants and aphids

It is much easier to prevent the appearance of ants than to fight them:

• Don't let an anthill form—cultivate the soil regularly. Ants simply won't settle in these areas;
• Make a few beds of onions, ants really don't like their smell;
• Treat the leaves with a soap solution: dilute 300 grams of laundry soap in 10 liters of water (about one bucket).

Gardeners' reviews

I've been reluctant to try Dr. Klaus's "Insect Super" fly, wasp, and other insect repellent, concentrate, with an ejector, on my property for a long time. This year, we've had an insect infestation, despite the weather. Every square meter has several anthills, every tree is covered in aphids, and there are so many mites you wouldn't find in a forest—I don't know why. So, when all the fruit had set and Dad brought home another mite, we couldn't resist. We borrowed a 30-meter garden hose from our neighbors, connected it to our AL-KO HW 601 INOX watering station, and sprayed the area where the hose could reach. Our property is 16 acres (0.46 acres), and the watering station is in the middle, so the corners were left untreated. The bottle was enough, even a little bit left over. The result: not a single anthill. There haven't been any mosquitoes for two weeks now—such a contrast with the neighbors... Mosquitoes only appear when the wind blows, but in the morning and evening, when the wind dies down, you can sit outside on a bench with a glass of coffee.

Every spring, I wrap all the trees in my area with regular duct tape, creating a ring of tape, which I then coat with regular cockroach and mouse glue. The ants carry aphids to the trees and stick to them. I haven't gotten rid of them completely, but their numbers have dropped by 80 percent.

Garlic is a great help. Scatter some cloves along their paths—they won't go any further.

Ants hate cinnamon. Try sprinkling it in areas where they congregate.

When dealing with an ant infestation, it's important not to exterminate them completely, as is sometimes tempting. There are now numerous different ant control products available, many of which are safe for humans. However, prevention can be far more effective than dealing with the symptoms of an ant overgrowth.