Are you watching ants on the tree? As long as the influx stays moderate, this isn't a problem. However, in certain circumstances you should react. Here's how to find out when this happens and how to get rid of ants.
What to do if there are ants on the tree?
Ants on the tree are usually harmless, but can become a nuisance when infested with aphids. Fight aphids with water jets and soft soap solutions, keep ants away with glue rings or unpleasant smells and encourage natural predators such as lacewings and ladybirds.
Are ants on the tree harmful?
Ants arebeneficial insects and are beneficial to your garden and the plants growing in it in many ways. The small animals clean up garden waste and organic remains that are found under the tree. Some types of ants even destroy caterpillars that eat tree leaves. The animals support the ecological balance. If there is a plague of ants that are constantly on the tree, you should react.
When do ants crawl on trees?
Many ant trails and sticky residue on the leaves are a sign of anaphid infestation The sticky residue is a lice excretion. This excretion is also known as honeydew and is often consumed by ants. Ants care for and protect aphids and specifically milk them. By cultivating the pests in this way, the infestation continues to spread without your intervention. If the leaves stick together more and more, this hinders photosynthesis and promotes fungal attack.
How to eliminate aphids and ants on the tree?
Treat the affected tree with a strongwater jetand with asoft soap solution For large trees, you probably won't be able to treat the entire tree. Young trees in particular should be treated as completely as possible with the soft soap solution and sprayed off all leaves with it. Use this method for about three weeks. Then the aphids disappear and with them the ants on the tree.
How do I keep ants away from the tree?
Attach glue rings to the trunk of the tree or spray home remedies with an unpleasantodor on it. The glue rings physically prevent ants from crawling up the tree. Spraying the following substances will keep the ants away from the tree by smelling them:
- Vinegar
- Cinnamon
- Tea tree oil
You can also empty out plant manure on site. This also keeps ants away from the tree due to their smell.
How do I cut off the path of ants to the tree?
Another means of combating this is algae lime. This strongly alkaline substance neutralizes formic acid and is therefore not crossed by ants. You can interrupt the usual ant trails with a line of algal lime. However, you should keep in mind that not every tree appreciates a basic pH value. Therefore, laying out algae lime does not make sense for all plants.
Tip
Natural predators offer help
While ants do not eat aphids, other animals can provide you with good support. Lacewings and ladybirds are among the aphid's natural predators.
