BajaNomad

Ants

Marie-Rose - 11-3-2008 at 08:28 AM

Did a search and could not find any info on the board. Has anyone had any success with any products?? We have a Royal Palm that is crawling with the buggers... seems to be a huge nest that has our whole yard crawling:fire::fire:
I would be devastated to loose the tree... it is fabulous!

vandenberg - 11-3-2008 at 09:04 AM

Marie-Rose,
Usually when bushes or trees have ant trails going up, it means there is a food source somewhere in that plant. Don't believe ants actually ever live in trees. So, maybe spraying it with insecticide to get rid off whatever theants are after, may be the solution.:?:
This, of course will not get rid of the ants that usually burrow in your yard. Norbert didn't help any, as is the case after every significant rainfall. They're tough buggers and almost impossible to get rid off. Suerte !

Bruce R Leech - 11-3-2008 at 09:10 AM

you need to first id the type of ants. most of the time they are doing you more good than bad.

Bob and Susan - 11-3-2008 at 09:17 AM

ants seem to go where the termites have been...

Bruce R Leech - 11-3-2008 at 09:19 AM

are they the very small black ones?

I know some folks that killed the ants going up there tree and soon after the tree got very sick and died. when I checked it out it seem the ants were eating aphids that hat infested the tree. they killed the ants and the aphids won:light:

[Edited on 11-3-2008 by Bruce R Leech]

Pompano - 11-3-2008 at 09:23 AM

Marie-Rose, I use a little oil of mint mixed with water..as a REPELLANT...this is for inside use, too.

I cannot condone ant homocide.

p.s. How about using the old-fashioned 'Cal' . Mix this with water and brush on the trunk from ground level up a few feet.

[Edited on 11-3-2008 by Pompano]

CaboRon - 11-3-2008 at 03:48 PM

Over my head ....

What is 'Cal' ....?

CaboRon

bacquito - 11-3-2008 at 04:27 PM

Perhaps there are some scale or mealvbug type insects that are in the palms and they produce a sugar material that some ants use for food. A good way of controling the mealybug or scale is with the use of a vegetable oil, or a crop oil. The scale/mealy bug is difficult to control with conventional type insectide as the scale/mealybug has a surface that will not allow penetration of a pesticide but a crop oil sufficates the bothersomes insects.

Look around the trees and see if you have some small, round inmobile insects or some mealy looking insects. They don't move around . Also, follow the ants and see if they go to a location and determine whats there.

I had some ant problems wih our plumerias and treated the underside of the leaves with veg. oil and solved the ant problem-our problem was with scales.

ants

bacquito - 11-3-2008 at 04:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
are they the very small black ones?

I know some folks that killed the ants going up there tree and soon after the tree got very sick and died. when I checked it out it seem the ants were eating aphids that hat infested the tree. they killed the ants and the aphids won:light:

[Edited on 11-3-2008 by Bruce R Leech]


Added note to my reply. Good point, aphids are also a good source of honeydew.

Marie-Rose - 11-3-2008 at 05:32 PM

These guys are red... but they do not bite.

I have tried to follow the "paths" but there are so many of them thru out the yard... that the only place they all lead is to the Royal Palm.... I think:rolleyes: I have only found one other big nest.

I did notice one area that has those mealy looking bugs... we call them wood bugs in Canada... they roll into a ball when disturbed... lots of ants around there.

I don't know guys... I am very near calling the fumigator guy. Not usually my way of doing natural gardening but this has me totally freaked. Although there are few in the main house...(probably my fanatic floor and counter washing) but did get a few in bed last night:fire::yes:

Pompano... what is Cal???

Cypress - 11-3-2008 at 05:48 PM

Boric Acid will evict the ants!:yes:

longlegsinlapaz - 11-3-2008 at 06:02 PM

Try mixing boric acid in jam or honey & they'll carry it back to the nest. BUT you need to place it somewhere away from dogs & cats!:(

I believe Cal is also called Chinese chalk....it's an ant killing powder, but you need to be careful with it around pets, too.

Marie-Rose - 11-3-2008 at 06:33 PM

I've been using a liquid that I brought from home... borax and something sweet. They are taking it up like crazy... how long til it kills the nest?:?::?:

erregé - 11-3-2008 at 07:13 PM

Quote:
..."Cal" usually means lime, as in the chemical (not the fruit).

Kate


lime (or quicklime, when "alive") is efectively what we, here in Mexico, call that powdery chemical used commonly to paint trees and palms to get rid of any crawling creature.

Saludos

BigWooo - 11-3-2008 at 08:01 PM

We used this stuff to keep the ants off our papaya trees. Only problem is it's not a permanent solution. Has to be re-applied regularly or they return.

http://www.tanglefoot.com/products/barrier.htm

We got it at a local nursery in So Cal.

fishingmako - 11-3-2008 at 09:02 PM

The only way to rid ants is find the source, the source is the nesting areas , they can be nesting in the tree, take and spray the tree with IVORY LIQUID DETERGENT SOAP (CLEAR ONLY) It does not have a oil base, If you use a oil base you more than likely split the colony or colonies and you now have several more nest to deal with, after this dries use the BORIC ACID it does work well
If these are FIRE ANTS RED ONES the only way is DIESEL FUEL pour on them.
Good Luck

Bob and Susan - 11-4-2008 at 05:51 AM

what about just plain "sevin dust":light:

http://www.gardentech.com/pests_trees.asp

they sell it here...
and
it's used on just about every food grown:light:

[Edited on 11-4-2008 by Bob and Susan]

bag_sevin.jpg - 14kB

postholedigger - 11-4-2008 at 08:15 AM

They're probably Argentine Ants. There's been an infestation in the SoCal area in the past few years. Now they're clever little things. Aphids feast on plants and secrete a sweet fluid. The ants like the sweet fluid and will protect and propagate the aphids to obtain the fluid. They've been known to kill off their natural predators and transport the aphids from plant to plant.

Phil S - 11-4-2008 at 09:43 AM

I was having a problem with my two citrus trees, and bought locally (Loreto) some chaulk like sticks, and circled the trunk with it, and in about a couple more days, no more ants. ?????????

bacquito - 11-4-2008 at 01:21 PM

One other thing to think of- if it is true that the ants are climbing the tree to feed on a honeyew secreted from a pest such as aphid or scales then removing the ants might allow for sooty mold development. I don't think ants are your problem. Something is in your tree that the ants like.

Marie-Rose - 11-4-2008 at 02:25 PM

Well... I sure would like to think I don't have an ant problem but they seem to be "everywhere"!!!! I broke down and used and ant killer spray this am and at least the tree is not "alive" with the buggers:o. Maybe now I can talk the marido into climbing the tree with a pail of soapy water and wipe down the area that may be attracting them.
Thanks so much for the advice. From what our mexican caretakers are saying, they are also having a terrible time.

Cypress - 11-4-2008 at 02:40 PM

Don't sweat the ants, unless they're Fire Ants. Regular ants might be aggravating, but they're easy to deal with and don't go into attack mode at the drop of a hat.:)

vandenberg - 11-4-2008 at 03:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Don't sweat the ants, unless they're Fire Ants. Regular ants might be aggravating, but they're easy to deal with and don't go into attack mode at the drop of a hat.:)


Easy for you to say. Wait till you see the dog's food bowl slowly moving towards the petdoor, carried by an army of peeants.:no::no::biggrin::biggrin:

oladulce - 11-4-2008 at 07:09 PM

If you run out of other ideas and can't find any Tanglefoot to put around the base of your tree Marie-Rose, another option may be to wrap a strip of duct tape around the truck of the palm and slather a thick ribbon of Vaseline on the tape. (I use this sucessfully on the hangers of my hummingbird feeders to keep the ants out of the nectar). The tape has to be snug enough that the buggers can't crawl under the tape and you'll have to augment the vaseline every few days to maintain a good barrier that they can't walk across to get up your tree.

Vaseline isn't as thick as Tanglefoot but it does work in a pinch and ants can not walk through it.

This summer was the worst we've seen for ants and I about lost my marbles. They ate through silicone caulking and came in at the jct of the wall and floor, they got in to sealed Rubbermaid containers and chewed holes in to foil and plastic packages. I feel for you!