How to Keep Ants Out of Garden Trees: Advice for Summer Residents

When summer comes, many gardeners are faced with the problem of ants that begin to appear on their trees.

Ants can cause crop destruction and damage the tree's root system.

To get rid of them and protect your garden trees, you can use several simple but effective methods. For example, you can sprinkle chalk or clay around the tree trunk, as ants do not jump over white lines.

You can also use special ant traps that attract ants so that they do not appear on trees. Or you can use a natural method of biological control, for example, ask your neighbors or buy special insects that will eat ants on trees.

In any case, it is necessary to take measures to protect your garden trees from ants in order to preserve the harvest and the health of the plants.

Why do ants appear on garden trees

Before you begin to deal with ants, it is important to understand why they appear on garden trees.

Usually, ants are attracted to the sweet sap that the tree secretes. But that is not the only reason.

Ants may also be attracted to other insects such as aphids, which suck the juices from leaves and flowers, which can lead to poor tree health.

Additionally, ants may create a "farm" of aphids on the tree, which will produce sweet sap for the ants in exchange for protection from predators. This may lead to even more insects on the tree.

As you can see, there can be a variety of reasons why ants appear on garden trees, and before you deal with them, it is important to understand what attracts them to your tree and what other insects may be associated with their presence.

Ways to Control Ants on Garden Trees

Physical barriers

One simple and effective way to prevent ants from appearing on garden trees is to install physical barriers.

Typically, ants enter the tree trunk from the ground, so installing barriers on the ground can significantly reduce the number of ants on trees.

To do this, you can use pieces of metal or plastic wrapped around the trunk, or sticky tape, which will keep the ants away from the tree. You can also use special ant traps that attract and kill them.

It is important to remember that physical barriers should be regularly checked and maintained to ensure they do not lose their effectiveness.

Removing the power supply

Another important point when dealing with ants on garden trees is to remove the food source.

Ants are usually attracted to the sweet sap that the tree secretes. However, this is not the only reason for their appearance.

Ants may also be attracted to other insects such as aphids, which suck the juices from leaves and flowers, which can lead to poor tree health.

In addition, ants can create a "farm" of aphids on the tree, which will produce sweet juice for the ants in exchange for protection from predators.

Therefore, it is necessary to remove all food remains, including pieces of fruit and berries that may remain on the ground. It is also necessary to regularly remove weeds and debris to prevent the appearance of other insects.

It is also important to provide enough moisture for the plants, as ants will not search for food in the tree if there is enough moisture in the soil.

Using natural repellents

There are a number of plants that can repel ants. For example, garlic, mint, rosemary and lavender can be used as repellents.

They can be planted around a tree or used to make infusions and solutions.

You can also use aromatic oils that ants cannot stand, such as peppermint or lemon oil.

It is important to remember that natural repellents may be less effective than other control methods.

Use of chemicals

If other methods of control do not work, you can use chemicals. There are sprays and gels that contain poison that kills ants.

However, care must be taken when using chemicals as they can damage the tree and other plants in the garden.

When using chemicals, follow the instructions on the packaging and take precautions, such as wearing protective gloves and a mask.

Conclusion

Ants present on your garden trees can be a serious problem for their health and growth.

They can attract other insects, such as leaf rollers, which can damage the leaves and fruit of the trees.

In addition, ants can cause fungal diseases in the roots of trees, which will negatively affect their health.

To solve this problem, it is necessary to determine the reasons for the appearance of ants and use appropriate control methods.

This may include using specific insect repellents, using natural insect control methods such as insect predators, or removing their nests and holes.

Earlier we talked about turning clay soil into fertile black soil .