How can we control the ants ALL OVER our orange tree?? - Knowledgebase Question

Brentwood, CA
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Question by mhanberg
July 22, 2005
Ants......we have them in and all over our plants. Our orange tree is an ant haven. It it particularly covered in ants. I've tried ant stakes but they don't do the trick. Is there a pesticide that will work on the orange tree and the other plants around our yard? HELP!


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Answer from NGA
July 22, 2005
The ants are finding a source of food on your tree - some sugary sap of some kind. Check to make sure there are no aphids; ants 'herd' aphid colonies and milk them of honeydew, a sugary residue. Spray your tree with a strong stream of water to dislodge any aphids you find. To keep ants from climbing up your tree, place 'Tanglefoot' at the base of the trunk. Tanglefoot is an extremely sticky substance that traps insects if they fly or walk onto it. To protect the trunk of your tree, first wrap it with paper and apply the Tanglefoot to the paper. You may have to remove the paper coated Tanglefoot trap and replace it as it becomes filled with ants - if there are enough dead ants trapped, live ants will use them as a bridge and cross the Tanglefoot barrier!

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