Help! There are ants in my apple plant

Watch Reply
More
Mark unread Print Skip to new
sweet_destiny_2 Montego Bay, Jamaica Mar 18, 2013

hi everyone, i trust that everyone had a great wknd. today is my meditation day, i usually go out in the garden for meditation, But i found ants in my apple plant, what is the best natural way to get rid of them without destroying my plant?

Post #9453539
Quote
gasrocks Portage, WI(Zone 5a) Mar 18, 2013

It might help if you could figure out why they are there.

Post #9453724
Quote
vitrsna Colima, Mexico(Zone 11) Mar 21, 2013

Hi sweet...personally, i use soapy water to spray on the ants. Ideally, you want to spray the ants on the tree trunk as they are traveling up or down. This will not harm your tree. I used to use a spray of soapy water (dish washing liquid soap) plus a few drops of cinnamon oil but came to realize that the soapy water is enough to kill them. also take a look down the posts on this forum to NancynurseZ637, last post Feb 20, 2013, subject "aphid control". There is a formula here for making an ant trap. Good luck!!!

Post #9456899
Quote
Diana_K Contra Costa County, CA(Zone 9b) Mar 21, 2013

Ants may be taking care of aphids or other pests that are sucking the sugary fluid out of the tree.

You can spray to kill the aphids, scale or other pests.

If the apple tree is not touching anything else, only the trunk touches the ground, then look for a sticky barrier sort of product. I do not know what is available in Jamaica. In USA one such product is called Tanglefoot. Google that and see if there is anything like it available to you.
This won't work if the ants can find another path into the tree.

Post #9457552
Quote
vitrsna Colima, Mexico(Zone 11) Mar 21, 2013

The soapy water solution will kill the ants and also kill the aphids. First check to see if there are lady beetles on the tree, because if there are enough of them, they will eat the aphids and if there are not very many, believe they will multiply. You will want to encourage the lady beetles in your garden so you won't want to spray them with soapy water and wipe out the lady beetles' food supply. The lady beetles eat quite a lot of aphids both as adults and larva. If you do a search of "lady beetles" you will find photos of the larva so you can identify them and not kill them as well as the ants.

Post #9457689
Quote
sweet_destiny_2 Montego Bay, Jamaica Apr 08, 2013

Thankx everyone, i googled natural insecticide, i used used coffee grounds and orange peel, it worked.

Post #9476100
Quote
vitrsna Colima, Mexico(Zone 11) Apr 08, 2013

Thanks for letting us know sd2. Very interesting, coffee grounds and orange peel. I would love to know how you used them...as a spray with a water base on the ants and aphids? or did you put the coffee grounds and orange peel mix dry around the base of the tree or what? and how many treatments did it take or is it a periodic process?

Post #9476410
Quote

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
Back to Forum Homepage

More Garden Pests and Diseases Threads

Go to all Garden Pests and Diseases threads
BACK TO TOP