Re: Ants

Kurt wrote:

>Does anyone have a "cure" for aphids and ants?  I have a
plague of aphids
>(being "farmed" by ants) on my plum trees every year. 

I know the feeling, but in my case it was ants farming scale
on a young citrus plant.  They chased away the ladybugs and
other natural predators, and as a result the scale built up
so heavily that the stems were completely covered and new
growth was stunted.

I tried pesticides and oil sprays to no avail.  In time the
scale started to spread out onto the leaves, and things
looked grim for the tree.

Then I read something about Tanglefoot.  It's a sticky goo
that you spread in a ring on the trunk of the tree.  The
ants can't cross it.  Within a couple of days the ants gave
up and went away.  Meanwhile, the tree was now covered with
ladybugs and (for some reason) wasps.  Up to a dozen of each
at a time.  The scale is well under control, and the tree
looks happy.

I was lucky that the tree didn't touch any other plants, so
the ants couldn't find an alternate route to the top.  But
for a larger tree under attack it'd be worthwhile to prune
it back to block the ants.  I once had a large cherry tree
devastated by ants farming aphids which twisted the foliage,
leading to mildew that defoliated whole branches. 
Tanglefoot plus pruning would have caused less harm -- wish
I'd tried it.

Those black Argentine ants are not part of the natural
environment here in California.  Until someone finds a
natural parasite for them, I don't think you should feel
obligated to give up and live with them.

My two cents, I know others' views will differ.

Mike
San Jose, CA (zone 9, min temp 20F)

PS:  If you want to try Tanglefoot, it's available at
Orchard Supply (that's a local hardware store chain, for
those of you who aren't in northern California).
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