4 ways to protect trees from ants
In people not associated with gardening, ants are most often associated with hard work and order. This opinion is based not only on knowledge from children's fairy tales, because ants are really very organized insects that work tirelessly for the benefit of their colony. But, experienced gardeners and owners of summer cottages know how much trouble these little "hard workers" can bring.
Content
What is the danger of the appearance of ants on trees
The appearance of ants on fruit trees is an unkind sign. Despite their tiny size, these insects can cause serious harm not only to the future crop, but also to the plant itself as a whole. Having settled on the site, ants can cause problems such as:
- spoilage of ripe fruits;
- drying of fruit buds and inflorescences;
- severe infection of the tree with aphids;
- the appearance of fungal and viral diseases;
- a general decrease in immunity.
How to prevent ants from appearing on a tree
The consequences of ant activity on a tree can be very unpleasant, and even after the pest is finished, the plant will take time to recover. Therefore, gardeners prudently try to protect fruit trees with the help of various means.
Use of trap belts
This method is one of the simplest and most effective. Trapping belts are a piece of cloth or some other material wrapped around the trunk. The width of such a “belt” should be at least 15 cm. Before installing a barrier to pests, the bark on the trunk must be cleaned, disinfected and filled with all the cracks and holes with garden pitch.
For the best effect, trapping belts are treated with petroleum jelly, resin, grease or special glue for insects. As material most commonly used for belts:
- dense fabric;
- glass wool;
- foil;
- sintepon;
- polyethylene film;
- clothesline.
Trunk processing
Another effective method is to treat the surface of the trunk with various means. They do not harm the plant and become an obstacle to most crawling pests. Most often for processing trunks use:
- a paste made from the same amount of soot, table salt and linseed oil;
- weak bleach solution;
- minced garlic on a grater.
Installation of barriers on the ground
Such methods are best suited for young trees and seedlings, as they do not involve affecting the fragile plant stem. These species are the most popular barriers for ants.
Crown spraying and watering
Preventive treatment of trees, at least several times a season, helps a lot in pest control. To get the result, it is not necessary to use chemicals, it is enough to prepare an infusion, decoction or solution according to one of the proven folk recipes.
| Means | Recipe |
|---|---|
| Solution with the addition of kerosene and black soap | The composition includes 10 liters of water, 2 tbsp. l. carbolic acid, 400 g of black soap and 100 ml of kerosene. The resulting liquid can be used to spray the tree crown. |
| Soda solution with linseed oil | For cooking, you need 1 liter of water, 30 g of linseed oil and 5 g of soda. The solution can be used to treat the table and branches, and also be used for spraying. |
| Infusions of tobacco, hot pepper or garlic arrows | Any of the selected ingredients will be effective. It is enough to grind the raw materials, pour hot water and let it brew for 12 to 24 hours. The finished liquid can be filtered and used for watering the near-stem circle or spraying the crown. |
Conclusion
In order to prevent the appearance of ants in the garden, it is important not only to process trees, but also to keep the area clean. The presence of rotten stumps, construction debris or untimely cleaning of fallen leaves are excellent conditions for arranging anthills. It is for this reason that pests are much less likely to settle in clean and well-groomed garden plots.
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