Hello, I hope someone can help me. I'm on the Kapiti Coast and we have a bit of an ant problem. I planted avocados last weekend, and I now have ants trailing their way up the young trees. Can you suggest any way for me to keep the ants off.
The other issue is I have an old lemon tree - it's probably 30 years old or older. It has anys that appear to be nesting in it. There are holes in the bark and if you push the damaged bark off there are larvae and possibly eggs in there. Is there any way I can treat the tree and not have to strip the lemons from it? It has a few green lemons on it now, and a heap of blossom, so it would be a shame to have to dump all the fruit! Thanks for the help.
mojo49,
Oct 29, 7:51pm
I would use the "No more Ants" bait. Put small dabs of it along the ant trails. Don't disturb the ants. They will find the bait, take it back to their nests and will feed it to their young and you will get a good kill over about 10 days. Then keep a watch for them and repeat as needed. You will win in the end but it requires vigilance.
deered,
Oct 30, 9:52pm
Thanks - that was what I thought I should do. A bit more research tells me I have sooty mold on the lemon tree, so off to the garden centre I go to get an insecticide to spray all the wee buggers on then lemon tree. I'd better make sure I warn the neighbours - it overhangs the fence and when we asked if they wanted it cut back they asked for us to leave it (We'd already told them to help themselves to lemons!
lain,
Nov 8, 8:29am
Spray any areas where ants are with apple cider vinegar. It works and they hate strong smells.
lythande1,
Nov 8, 2:41pm
The issue is scale. They suck the sap from the tree, this encourages mold growth. The ants don't care about the mold, they farm the scale. as they are extracting the sweet sap. Fly spray works.
harm_less,
Nov 8, 4:20pm
Correct in terms of the problem being scale insects but fly spray won't have any effect on the scale, just on the ants which are a secondary symptom. Kill the scale and the ants will no longer have any reason to be there.
Scale are pretty much impervious to contact poisons but they are easily suffocated by spraying with oil such as 'Conqueror Oil'. Spraying oil is pretty much harmless to us but if you are concerned just wash the fruit before eating it. Check out the avo as it probably also has scale so will also need a spray.
maclad,
Nov 8, 7:21pm
Totally agree with this, good advice, but it may take several sprays with oil to combat the scale. Oil blocks the breathing pores in their outer covering therefore suffocating scale and other insects, but needs to be repeated to kill all the young that are living under the adults protective hard cover.
speeedy1,
Nov 14, 8:55pm
A trick taught to me by an older gardener I knew. Spray or paint "Rip Cord" on the trunk of trees you wish to keep clear of ants and other insects that access from ground level. Using Rip cord in this manner will not affect the buds, leaves or fruit and can be applied at anytime.
harm_less,
Feb 12, 7:09pm
*face palm* Why would you put a synthetic pyrethroid on a food producing plant, especially to address a problem that is far easier to address by using a low toxicity product (spraying oil) to deal directly with the root cause? The SP (Ripcord) will also nuke any beneficial insects that are helping to address the problem.
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