If you enjoyed this video, the biggest thanks you can give is to hit the LIKE button! Please share it to extend its reach and help as many people as possible!
The tape trick is the most effective thing I've used over the years and some 700+ trees. I don't know about the packing tape though. I'll have to give it a try. I always use painters tape and wrap it more so that the ants get stuck on the tape so its tight fitting and a large area maybe 8-10" wide. Also the painters tape easily breaks as the tree grows and won't suffocate the tree. Works amazing for catching and stopping aphid farming.
@@Mrbfgray it will kill the tree unless foil or some other protective barrier is first used under it. Very Best Regards, Tom Scott Author ● Speaker ● World's Leading Expert on the Corrupt U.S. Legal System _Our American Injustice System_ _Stack the Legal Odds in Your Favor_
Ants also 'Herd" Aphids! They will tickle them and the Aphids produce dew or some sort of juice/fluid. The Ants gather this for food! Essentially they use the Aphids like Cattle!
I live in Australia in a Small Country town , just out of Mudgee (NSW)..I recently planted a number of Citrus trees on our Property and not long after planting I started noticing my Mandarin and lemon trees were getting attacked by ants..they especially liked to move up the stems towards the younger smaller leaves at the top of these trees.. The ants were then somehow rolling these younger leaves into a tube and were living inside these rolled leaves by the thousands. I've tried many different ways of getting rid of these ants but they just continue to come back..but after reading and watching your video on this problem I am happy to say that I am now getting on top of my ant problem..I found using your idea of the packing tape wrapped around the tree's stems base was a very successful way of dealing with my ant problem
That is awesome! It's such a simple sounding thing, but for some reason, the ants just don't want to cross that barrier. It's almost unbelievable until you witness it with your own eyes. You may want to check your citrus trees for aphids. Aphids are soft-bodied, green insects that often hide underneath citrus leaves. They excrete a sweet sap and ants are very attractive to them. They're known to colonize around the aphids and protect them as a source of food. Treating with a natural insecticide like pyrethrin or spinosad will wipe them out after a couple of treatments. Make sure to spray at night, not during the day because sun can react with the oils in the pesticides and burn your trees.
I used the tape trick but the ants did make it onto the tape. The tape was sticky enough to stop them but only for a short while. Dust very quickly stuck to the tape and it lost its tackiness. I solved the problem by giving the tape a coating of Vaseline. (petroleum jelly) It traps what few ants try to cross it and is easy to reapply when necessary.
Yep...thats what i was going to suggest...i used masking tape before...went up one way ...turned it around and came back down facing the sticky side out and then smeared vaseline on it and it works for ages but it does go ugly(the tape)combine the cellotape and do reasonably tight and then go vaseline on top...because the tape wont stay sticky for long and it wont leave an ugly mess on the trunk...i think i will try to combine the two......if using a pot....u can put pot on pot feet.....ants will often go into dry mixes from below and put a light smear of vaseline around the edge of pot as well......that should keep them out....good luck.
Tanglefoot insect barrier. In early spring the ants will eat the fruit blossoms which means no fruit on your trees. I know this happens in the northwest with fire ants.
@@mikenewell9217 Hi Mike. Thanks for the idea. I used it but took it one step farther. I made a cone out of stiff clear plastic, flexible enough to make the cone but stiff enough not to collapse in the rain. I taped it to the tree trunk making sure I left no gaps for the ants to get through. Because it was plastic, I was able to spread petroleum jelly on the inside of the cone and do away with the tape entirely. Now the little buggers have to make it down the greasy sides of the cone before having to maneuver themselves to the outside of it. So far it's working just fine even though it is ugly. Next time, I'll try to find some opaque plastic. LOL
Hi. Hope your day is going well. Plant onions and garlic around all of your fruit trees. My family has done this for generations, and it helps tremendously with all kinds of insects including ants.
Diatomaceous earth is not crushed mineral dust. It is the glass-like fossil skeletons of ancient diatoms (one-celled aquatic organisms). Other than that, what you said about DE is correct. By the way, diatomaceous earth is a fine enough dust that it can be inhaled into your lungs and cause silicosis, so when you apply it, it’s best to wear a respirator, or at least a dust mask.
use ashes from a fire pit to get rid of ants. it works phenomenally well ants will straight up vacate the area nearly instantly and its far cheaper then coffee grounds or diatemacious earth, especially if you have a fire pit. then its free 😆, the ashes work for quite a long period of time as well i spread them early spring and they are still repelling ants nearly 4 months later
@@prasutifreislich6363 So my slugs and ants shouldn't be a problem this year. I thought the lack of rain and heat was the reason I hadn't seen slugs but it's been snowing ash here for weeks so perhaps that's part of it. Haven't seen a slug in over a month and the ants aren't very active either.
Great presentation, visuals, and audio! I am also careful to wash my hands after working with diatomaceous earth, and I wear a breathing mask and eye protection while working with diatomaceous earth if it is dusty.
Food grade d e ? Why are you so afraid, you can eat it or feed it to your dog. They use it in grain storage so the bugs don't eat the grain. Don't use the kind that's used for pool filters though, and don't throw it in the air and make a dust cloud. I've used it for over 20 years. Ants won't cross over it.
Here’s another good trick. Use the tape as with the sticky side towards the tree. Then smear petroleum jelly all over the surface of the tape. Stops them every time and you don’t need coffee grounds and diatomaceous earth (and it’s water proof). I should mention these are smaller brown ants. Have never lived where red ants are around.
I had an ant infestation in my house and did the Vaseline thing on the metal legs of my kitchen table. It kept them out of our food til I got rid of the ants ( Terro ant bait).
Thanks for sharing these valuable information. I also wish to add up that besides petroleum jelly, greasing the trunk of the tree plays the trick very well. And this prevents even bigger ants and other insects from climbing over to the fruiting branches.
I used Vaseline last year on the trunk and major branches of an apricot tree after the fire (Red) ants discovered the fruit. No additional ants came after that day. I sprinkled DE on the ants and branches they already were on.
Edit: My original advice comment, I have decided to delete. Although intended to be helpful, the method I suggested of using petroleum jelly on the bark surface is controversial and potentially problematic for the health of the tree, as evident in the response comments received. I will be unsubscribing to this comment thread due to the high volume of responses. I wish everyone the best success in their endeavors.
@@petersam4182 I am seeing some research online that says it can burn the bark in Summer, so maybe it is a bad idea to use it excessively. Many people do like to collar the base of their pots or trunks in Spring to prevent ants and slugs from crossing the barrier. It contains wax and purified hydrocarbons, safe for covering clean wounds on both skin and plant grafts. What are your reasons why you think it will kill a tree?
@@radrickdavis I did it ad overtime the bark got black and died, my trees started to wither and die. Yes in a cut it helps because we are not plants. I would advise using other methods.
@@petersam4182 Thanks for the response. One of my bonsai citrus died too. Very hard to grow in my climate without a greenhouse. Maybe the jelly is why it died. I think mine died because of winter stress when it has to adapt to indoors (less light, dry air, waterlogged and rootbound). Still learning. At least it kept the ants off.
I use orange oil based furniture polish as a repellant/scent mask. I had terrible problems with ants overwhelming my hummingbird feeders but a little spray on the support post stopped them completely! It also works sprayed on the trunk of a fruit tree and because it is oil-based it is resistant to rain. It does need reapplication occasionally as it will degrade with time and sunlight (I do it about once every month in summer).
That's interesting. I've heard similar results with peppermint oil and oil blended with cayenne pepper. It all comes down to the rain in your climate, though, as you mentioned. They can be washed away easily, and in climates like mine where it can rain every day in the summers, I'm pretty desperate to find tricks that last during and after rain.
Hi, I put tape around the truck of my tree at first it looked like it was working but after a few days I noticed pieces of grit/dirt spanning across the tape. Eventually the ants had built a bridge across the tape with it, which allowed access to rest of the tree. They are so amazingly clever and determined, wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen for myself.
Yes, i can imagine that happening. I try to protect one plant at home, placed it on an elevation inside a bowl of water with washing detergent, the ants are still getting in, probably sliding on the water, horrible
You explain things so well. I'm a new subscriber and I'm learning a ton. You mentioned you have to reapply the coffee grounds and diatomaceous earth if it rains, but how do you go about water the tree when you have applied these things?
Thanks! Generally, it rains so much where I live in the summer that I do not need to water any of my in-ground trees. If you live in a location where you have to water your in-ground trees, keep in mind the root zone sticks out several feet. You can place the coffee grounds and DE around the trunks in a 12 inch circle and run your drip lines 18 inches away from the tree. The roots will easily find the water.
*Great video and content. Thank you for sharing. Diatomaceous earth also supplies the plants some supplemental silica - which helps cell development, nutrient uptake, and vigor. Word is it makes plants less palatable to pests as well.*
Since it is made of sedimentary rock, I would assume it adds some kind of nutrient value. I certainly wouldn't consider it fertilizer, but it probably adds some value. Thanks for watching!
@@swannoir7949 *DE is natural occuring and derived from fossilized water plants etc. It is my underatanding that it will not harm beneficial microorganisms in the soil - especially when dusted onto onto plants or soil surface etc where these specific garden pests come in contact with it. I have seen no harm come to any of my plants and they Thriving. I use DE occasionally as needed. Once per year or every other year. Some utilize it much more frequently than myself. As with anything I would not recommend disbursing an excessive amount in any one area.*
@@freddypatterson8653 Bummer. It worked in my garden. Did you try increasing the concentration? If that does not work, I hear dry molasses works, but I never tried it.
@@scoop2591 Yeah, boiling water works, but it can be dangerous. Best to have one of those outdoor propane burners so you don't have to carry it too far.
Depends on which ants, Formica rufa, also known as the red wood ant, southern wood ant, or horse ant, is very key in controlling aphids on fruit farms. Natures balance.....make a point of studying a little more on the eco systems of these bugs and reduce dependency on deadly chemicals
The problem with the first 2 solutions is that it rains every 15 seconds in Florida in the summer--or so it seems. I've heard worm castings work well because ants *_hate_* it, so a thick layer around the base, which does not wash away like the grounds or DE, may be a good alternative. Very Best Regards, Tom Scott Author ● Speaker ● World's Leading Expert on the Corrupt U.S. Legal System _Our American Injustice System_ _Stack the Legal Odds in Your Favor_
I wonder if you could tell me how to keep birds off of my cherry trees? They eat almost all of them before their even ripe. I've hung the shiny tape n cd's n nothings worked. Thank you for any advice n knowledge.
Great topic as I notice ants are harvesting on my mango seedling trees .....good points......only concern is that the sticky tape will kill all small lizards as their feet get stuck ......lizards are great for natural bug control ......
Yes, lizards are great but won't eat an ant unless it has wings as we see fa few times a year. They seem to see the difference between an ant and another insect of the same size from half a meter distance. Wonderful to watch them ( Portugal)
Agreed. OSHA and NIOSH have both evaluated it, and recommend avoiding breathing it in and contact with eyes: www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0552.pdf
thats new to me. i dont see any ants on any of my banana (all variety). well the thing is, after you harvest them and put that whole bunch of bananas, then they swarm my bananas and they bite like a beach like fckng hell!!!
I would recommend fruit tree grease band. It serves the same purpose as the packing tape except it's more weatherproof and it has stronger glue. Another option is using something like Tanglefoot insect barrier.
I used something similar to tangle foot it came in a tub, the tangle foot comes in a tube for a caulking gun in my pat of the world. Red vinyl flagging tape with the sticky stuff painted on works it is super effective. U can even encircle the pot with it to keep them from setting up camp in soil.
Be really careful with tanglefoot! We removed the tape in early spring and the bark was badly damaged. Quite a bit of it fell off. We are praying that it does not kill the tree. It blossomed and has set a lot of fruit, but the leaves are blistering and look diseased. So incredibly disappointing!
What happens if my cat or dogs start digging the dirt around the tree and then later they will lick their paws and get the diatomaceous earth in their system.
I did that with ducktape( i also used double-sided tape) around my fig tree and it works,note check if the sticky on tape stay sticky otherwise replace the tape.But after a wile i notice that ants go on fig tree and i saw they walk on wall next to my fig tree because leaves from fig tree touch the wall.(little rascals)So check if the leaves dont touch ground or other plants,trees or walls......Also corn flower mixed with powder sugar (1 on 1) helps if you trow that next to nest of ants.they eat the sugar and also some corn flower,they cannot digest the corn flour and it will kill ants.In combo with your tips ,the ants will surrender,if they still can! 🤣
I've found that as well. They will crawl up leaves and branches touching the ground, they'll crawl up stakes and across string if you stake and tie your trees...you certainly need to cover all your bases!
so every time i water the tree i have to reapply the coffee grounds and the D.E? is there a trick to watering a new tree so i dont have to reapply everyday? Im in phoenix so its quiet hot here and we need to water everyday it seems like.
I’ve got ants on my pear tree. Going to apply the coffee grounds and diatomaceous earth. The tape stopped them for a day or two but now they just walk over it happily. Great tips.
Great advice, thank you! This year (in UK) many of my flower and vegetable plants, especially the leaves and growing ends are infested with black ants. It will be tricky to wrap with packing tape. I am attracted to using DIATOMACEOUS earth (will have to search where to find it). Please advise if it safe to use on tender end of vegetable and flower plants.
Hi Shuja, I am not sure if you get a notice if someone replies to your comment. Just in case you do I am rewriting my comment to this video. Mix sugar syrup with boracic powder and apply this wherever you see a trail of ants. Because it is so sweet they will take it to their queen. It will sterilize her. After a couple of days your ant problem will be solved.
Yes I was waiting for you to come to at that’s is what I was going to tell you to do is using tape because that’s what I did with all of out fruit trees Puerto Rico
Borax and honey and brown sugar and put in a plastic bottle and they will take it back to there mount to the queen and know more colony the same way our government is doing us. God Bless we need more of prayers and believing in the bible love our Lord Jesus Christ.
if you have hants on your tree ,they're searching for sweet honeydew left behind by other insects, or they're making themselves at home inside trees with cavities and rotten wood. Generally, ants themselves don't damage a tree. Instead, they provide a warning sign that our tree is in trouble, which can help us act fast to treat it. treatring the ants is not the best move imo, when we talk about trees at least
Ady Lee I would imagine that could work, but we get a lot of rain here in the southeast. I was trying to find a solution that I don’t have to reapply every rainstorm. So far, this has held up to the rain.
My guava fruits are protected by the big brown ants who have nested in the tree. One hot year the tree was devoid of ants. That year all the guavas were infested by insects that make the fruits dry up brown before even they mature. I live in Sri Lanka and the guava I talk of is the pink variety.
Excellent video and tips thank you. One thing I do is put little dishes of honey and yeast around the garden. The ants take it back to the nest and the yeast makes the larvae burst, thus destroying the nest future. Quite effective at reducing ant numbers and harmless to other creatures.
Interesting. I found a great ant bait product from Andro, but it's quite toxic. It does work well, though...ants where I live are relentless because my yard is basically on top of beach sand.
Love your 3 steps to rid ants. I was already using diamacious earth but didn't know abt pkg'ing tape or coffee. I will definitely try that around my blueberry bush. Thank you. Have a blessed day 🌈🙏🌈
No. That's an entirely different strategy. You can kill all the ant colonies you want, but ants outnumber humans 1 million to one. You should be trying to keep your yard as ant-free as possible, but that isn't going to stop scout ants from trying to locate new food sources. If they find your fruit trees, they'll just build new ant hills nearby and the cycle will never end. These methods prevent the ants from ever locating a food source, which prevents ants from taking up residence in your yard.
I take painters tape wrap around the base of the tree, then take sticky fly traps cut them into strips and with gloves wrap the fly strips around the painters tape. Very durable and very sticky! Very messy without gloves on application. I use on my apple and fig trees!
Great tips! Yes that make sense. I am excited to try that. I love to listen to your speech. It’s always very clear and organized! Nothing more nothing less is needed in your talk. You are a natural born teacher . Question: when you put your dog tree from pot to ground, what size of hole do you dig? What kind stuff (soil mulch fertilizer?) will you put in the hole alone with your potted soil? And do you put in at first year or wait for them grow in pot for few years? Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. When I dig a hole for my trees, I dig them 3-4 times larger than what is needed, maybe even more, to break up the soil around the area, then backfill it to the necessary size. IF you have time, I have a detailed video on planting fig trees here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-V7PJ0u1EDeE.html You can apply this method to almost any tree.
I've been doing the coffee ground s because my grandma always did, but even with many grounds around my lime tree, I've seen no reduction in the ant traffic. Yesterday I laid down a sugar borax trap and, WOW! Action to the traps right away. Monitoring now.
I used polyfill wrapped around the truck and after that, I noticed a massive drop in the number of ants getting onto the trees...I wrapped about 10 to 15 cms in height of it.
My most effective ant repellant is 50-50 borax and sugar. There are many channels describing this for ant control in the house so I also use it in the garden. I save plastic containers (hummus containers are my favorite :) punch a few small holes around the sides about 1/2'" inch above the floor, put about 1/4 cup (any measurement depending on how often you need to refill it with fresh) in the container and put the lid on. Set a container at the base of each tree in first week of April (spring in zone 7b) BEFORE they've invaded the yard and you'll have no ants on the trees. My other pest problem is wasps that devour the fruit, but they wait for it to be fully ripe so I harvest every day, selecting the ones that are the ripe color and have JUST drooped on their little stem which is still green. Let them sit on the windowsill for a day before eating. Birds are the 3rd raiders but my 10 yr old trees are so large that I'm happy to let them have the high fruit and there's plenty for me 7 ft and below :0
Borax and sugar isn't an ant repellent. It is an ant bait. It is designed to attract ants to the area, and then the ants carry the food back to their colony where the whole colony feeds and kills them. What you are describing is an offensive strategy to reduce overall population, and it is an effective method of destroying ant colonies, but it will not keep ants off your fruit trees. Keeping ants off your trees requires defensive strategies. You can kill every ant colony in your yard, but there will still be thousands of scouts searching for a food source. It's important to incorporate both offensive strategies that reduce or eliminate ant hills in your property, but also defensive strategies that make it difficult for ants to find your fruits. If they find fruits, they'll just keep building new colonies in your yard over and over again.
@@TheMillennialGardener You're right - my use of the word 'repellant' was careless and inaccurate. All I can say is that for 4 yrs of trying all the "defense" mechanisms and still had ants devouring the fruit before I could get to it, I've had NO ants on the trees since I started using borax. I put the bait directly under the trees this last 2 yrs and it is my belief that they are taking the bait BEFORE they climb up the tree and discover the fruit. But now that this experiment has proven itself, I'm going to try using the bait in a wider perimeter to keep them out of the garden and trees entirely. Sort of the same as using trap crops for flying insects.
birds eat my blueberries, even after I made a box out of pvc pipes covered with bird netting. Always find a way to get in. My yard is a warzone me against nature, the rabbits, the racoons, ground hocks and so many more
In theory, yes, but they would have to walk all over the ground to come into contact with it, and that is not topical bee behavior. I've used DE to dust the leaves of many plants that attract bees to their flowers with no apparent ill-effect to my neighbor's hives.
The tape works great. Sticky side out. Wipe tree tanglefoot on the tape when tape is not sticky. Don't use double sided tape. It will rip the bark off.
Here are some additional strategies. To kill the little buggers, get some Opti-guard ant gel. I swear by it, put a bunch around where they are, they carry it back to the nest and 2 days later, bye bye ants. Also, white vinegar is another pheromone disruptor to ants, I use it along with essential oils such as lemon or peppermint. For rats, you can also put small jars with long wicks with potent peppermint essential oil. You have to put it early in the season and the rats will avoid the area, if they already know there's food, then its worthless. Also, I've put olive oil around the trunk like you've done with the tape, same strategy. Its worked for me. One last thing that works on every critter out there is taking the hottest pepper you have, boiling it for a few minutes along with garlic. Put the water in a spray bottle or spray tank along with a little bit of soap, which acts as a binding agent, and spray it around. Just like you're suggestions MG, rain and time does away with it. Effective against everything from ants to deer. My uncle lived in the woods and used that to keep everything away, he used habaneros and garlic. You just want potent stuff. You can also use spray oil as your binding agent, works a tad bit better IMHO. Another good video MG, thanks. I gave it a thumbs up. I'm flying out to Wilmington next week to check things out and make sure I can take the heat and humidity if I end up moving out there.
It's extremely hot right now. Peak heat and humidity. Dew point has consistently been between 76-81, highs between 91-95. It's steamy. Thanks for watching.
The problem with peppers is that as a spray it is dangerous as it will come back at you when you spray it so better ware full protective gear. If it lands on your skin or eyes it burns, even handling it is dangerous so better were disposable gloves. I gave up on peppers for this reason just too easy to get it on you.
how about distracting the ants by giving them expired fruit jams to eat on a different location and then exterminating them or keep them away from the plants by giving them a different feeding group
The problem is, you'll probably just be drawing even more ants onto your property. What you want to do is make your property appear like a barren food desert. Giving them more things to eat will just bring more pests into your area.
Paper tape first. The ants can sometimes get underneath tape like that. Paper tape/masking tape and horticultural glue is good for ants and other pests (like codling moth, ugh).
I have found that mixing borax and sugar equal amounts in water then soaking cotton balls and placing them in a container with small holes ,then placing the containers around the area I want to protect, works. I've been told that they suck up the water and take it back to their nest, which can kill the entire colony. Works for me
This is what I would consider an "offensive" strategy against ants. As gardeners, we should be trying to kill ant colonies. I spread bifenthrin granules every other month on my lawn and that generally keeps my ant colony problem to a minimum. However, there are always rogue ants searching for new food sources. If they find your trees, they'll call in their friends to build new colonies. This is where you want a "defensive" approach like in this video so the ants never find your trees. The best strategy is to include both an offensive and defensive stragey.
Home grower smiles and conspiratorially grabs roll of tape from drawer while grinning mischievously. 😈 *Que Mission Impossible theme song en route to the great outdoors to use garden tip, wraps base of plants fruiting plants/trees, cackles to self, and waits for it😎🤪😝😂🤣 🐜 Ants that arrive at fruit tree destination and see clear tape barrier at base : 😱😱😭😭😫 "NOOOO!!!" *Stomps all its feet and wails *Drops to ground to flail, kick, and effectively have Ant-sized fit. 😎🥳🥳🥳
Darn…doesn’t look like this will be the best method for me: 1. We could never consume enough coffee to accumulate the volume necessary to treat all our trees. And there are tons of ants of various species on our wooded acreage. 2. I love D.E. and use it often, but not the best option for me bc we get so much rain, I’m constantly having to reapply. I will definitely try the tape trick though… in conjunction with borax, sugar and water (which has worked well here)… and DE whenever it’s dry enough. This is likely my best option for controlling these annoying pests. Thanks for the ideas😘
My problem is not ants but earwigs that bore into peaches. I wrap a piece of plastic wrap or plastic produce bag around the trunk, keep it in place with some tape, and smear on a bit of Tanglefoot. After the fruit is picked I take off the plastic and discard it. I don't find a lot of dead insects in the sticky Tanglefoot. After listening to this video I suspect I've eliminated the ability to create an odor trail so there hasn't been many attempts to climb the trunk.
The Ants are OCD and also tote the Acid coffee grounds I still get those tiny picnic ants.....I pile the D-earth in Y joints as well.. Ants will even bore into trunks.... I also trim any branch touching to another tree because they will seek another bridge to reach up.. Even wind blowing a branch over,they will await the wind to move branch to reach into another tree...Ants are bastards!!!!!
Mix some ant bait with a tablespoon of jam or jelly.. let them take that back to the colony. I have done the same thing with boric acid. It kills the colony FAST!
I can’t wait to start this next year!! THANK YOU! Would these 3 things work to get them off if they have already started enjoying your fruit trees(peach for me)?
Thank you! We have to get a new bed because the UV light from the sun eventually cooked the top and the winter storms shredded it. He loves his shade in the summertime!
im also one of the 299 thumbs down , dont get me wrong its not that i dont like ( hate) its just that i dont agree on his second method, they are just ants dont need to be so cruel, sorry
All this talk of DE needing to be reapplied after watering has Never made sense to me.... as DE is composed of Minerals that do not degrade with moisture & are perfectly effective when wet or dry. The DE is abrasive is why it works to cut up the bodies of ants, insects, internal parasites, etc. Can you please address this long held question? Thank You!
Sharing is caring. I'll let the ants have some food too. Give them something else to eat like leftovers chicken, bread. They will leave your trees alone.
Orange oil will kill an entire mound, if you know where it is. I like to wait until it's almost dark outside and the ants are all tucked in and ready for bed. ~ Lisa P.S. I'll bet your hand and arm were super dry after handling that DE without gloves. Be careful! 😄
Ant wars help too. Introducing one colony to another, via shovel. One idea is with the collar... You know bandage ace wraps? The kind for sprained ankles, etc.? It stretches. So if you place it on the trunk and place the tape on it, without overlapping the tape, it will add protection, without girdling the trees. To keep a consistent ring, place two rings (one on top of the other).
I have a sickly apricot tree in the corner of my yard. It looks normal from a dis, but up close you can see that it’s bark looks diseased and has bumps of what looks like oozed sap. I don’t know what to do with it. Should I have it cut down? I don’t know how to get it healthy. I’m disabled, so I can’t be crawling around it. :/ Do you have any suggestions?
Did not work. Australian ants walked over the very sticky packing tape barrier and some simply jumped off the tree trunk above the tape line. What next?
Hi. U noticed that u don't I introduce yourself. Whst is ur name. I luv ur videos. I just use double-sided tape on our apricot tree it works perfect. I make more than one collar & on the lower branches. This fruit tree has low branches. U introduced ur dog Dale but not yourself...
Hello I have a huge problem with spiders 🕷 on my grapevines. Not spider mites, but actual spiders? Do you have experience or thoughts on how to force them to leave or kill them?
Cucumber work well for weeks. Use all of the green part. Place the skins @ the base of the plants . Might want to see if it works around fruit tree. Like you said not one ant on my flowering plant the next day. PS any old or part of cucumber.
2023 and this video save my delicious figs, I have a random NC fig tree and a NJ native fig tree in East Tennessee, zone 7. Do you have fig plants for sale sir?
We in India apply Black Tar by melting it first in atin & apply a ring about one foot in height around The tree. You may do two rings from the base and after another 3 feet the second one. The stickiness of the tower TAR stops the ants from climbing up to the fruits and if they succeed in the first ring the second ring takes care of their further progress. Hope it works for you in theory it is exactly like your duck tape reverse application in.
Ok so I really hope you see this comment. I'm in now way calling you a liar or being negative when I say this. I planted 2 peach trees last year. This year both got what I call silk worms. One also had a colony of red ants that nested in the wood chips around the bottom of the tree. Both peach trees have wood chips surrounding them. One didn't have ants, one did. The one with the ants is still beautiful and has lots of foliage the other tree without the ants looks dead and has no foliage on it. Those ants in my observation were mining the silk worms and any other pest that tried to bother the peach tree. I could have just sprayed both trees with clay and maybe solved and prevented any outbreaks or issues. I wanted to see what would happen so I let nature do it's thing. The ants are still on the one tree and have made it a home. The tree is healthy and growing great. The other not so much after wave of wave of pests. I did this little experiment because, let's say in the future I can't just go online or local store and buy prevention plans??. Now I see your post of your trees had fruit sets and very nice fruit growing on your trees. Mine did not. Mine are still young and haven't started production yet. A big difference between yours and mine, I realize that. But are ants really bad in an orchard? Are ants a home defense system? Are ants a pest best dealt with by death to all ants? Do ants have a place and time in the orchard/garden and is that a good thing or a bad thing? With so many misinformation out there it's sometimes hard to discern fact from fear fiction. My observation is I love these ants iny peach tree and garden. They love eating aphids and silk worms and flea beetles. I'm sure it's all according to circumstances and individual situations that determine personal choice. I found it and interesting observation at my house. As I thought ants were bad. I love what your doing as I've said before. Jeoff Lawton said as we grow the garden it's not us growing the garden. The garden is actually growing us.
Thanks you ,I was going to give you on one of my fruit tree too much ants in the fruits and it turn black then from full as they ripens,you've been a great help.
I have a fig and peach tree, so, since I have all the materials necessary, I'll get started tomorrow!!! BTW: how often do you water your trees if it doesn't rain for a week? jkd sifu mike goldberg USAF Veteran
The overwhelming majority of ants consume fats or sugars. The ants that are crawling up your fruit trees are sugar-eaters, so they're not eating pests. They're more than likely doing one of two things: consuming the sugars directly from the fruits, or farming (protecting) aphids and eating their honeydew. Most ants are not your friends in the garden.
I am more than happy to sacrifice some produce to birds , squirrels , insects etc , we all have to live in harmony , but one year I almost lost my whole crop of artichokes to black ants/aphids ... Those ants just had to go !!
Get youself some " tree guard" glue in a 500gram tub. Apply a smeared ring to tap wrapped around trunk, incredibly strong glue and when done simply remove the tape and hands can be cleaned with veg oil.
Very interesting video. Ants in the soil have destroyed a pepper and a tomato plants in my greenhouse. Congratulation for your great channel (funny too with your dog testing tomatoes :-). Impressed by all your fig trees. Greetings from Europe (Belgium)
