They are a nuisance to many gardeners. We’ll show you how to keep ants away from fruit trees and explain why you shouldn’t be worried about them, but about a much bigger problem that they signal.
Many gardeners, when they notice dozens or even hundreds of ants wandering over one of their fruit trees, panic and try to get rid of them as quickly as possible. The catch is that ants are usually just a sign of another — more serious — problem that you should tackle as soon as possible.
Why have so many ants suddenly appeared on my fruit trees?
Ants are generally not harmful, and their activity around and on fruit trees is quite positive. However, if you really notice a lot of them on a tree, you probably have a more serious problem to deal with. In such a situation, you must take determined action if you want to preserve the health of your tree. Ants are however not the cause here, but the symptom. If they are very numerous, the tree has probably been attacked by aphids.
They are tiny insects that can cause enormous damage in a relatively short time. If you ignore them, forget about harvesting fruit from that tree later. Aphids have the particularity of producing nectar as a result of their activity, which attracts ants. The latter eat both this nectar and the aphids themselves. However, unfortunately, they probably won’t be able to completely clean the tree of pests. This is why you must take the appropriate measures yourself.
How to keep ants and aphids away from fruit trees
The best way to control aphids, and therefore ants, is to prevent them from appearing. For this, it is useful to prepare a simple and environmentally friendly mixture of baking soda and linseed oil. It won’t harm your trees in any way, but will protect them against many pests, including aphids and ants. Start by mixing one liter of water with five grams of baking soda and thirty milliliters of flaxseed oil. Then brush the bark of your trees with the resulting solution. And There you go ! Pests will stay away from your trees.