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 they’re pointing out.
Many gardeners, when they see dozens or even hundreds of ants crawling around one of their fruit trees, panic and try to get rid of them as quickly as possible. The problem is that ants are often just a sign of another (more serious) problem that you need to combat as quickly as possible.
Why did so many ants suddenly appear 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 should know that you probably have a more serious problem to deal with. In such a situation, it is necessary to take decisive measures if you want to preserve the health of your tree. Ants, however, are not the cause, 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 period of time. If you ignore them, you can forget about harvesting fruit from that tree later on. Aphids have the particularity of producing nectar after their activity, which attracts ants. The latter eat both this nectar and the aphids themselves. Unfortunately, however, they will probably not be able to completely rid the tree of pests. That is why you must take appropriate measures yourself.
How to keep ants and aphids away from fruit trees
The best way to fight aphids, and therefore ants, is to prevent their appearance. To do this, it is a good idea to prepare a simple and ecological mixture of baking soda and linseed oil. This will not harm your trees in any way, but it will protect them from many pests, including aphids and ants. Start by mixing one litre of water with five grams of baking soda and thirty millilitres of linseed oil. Then, brush the bark of your trees with the resulting solution. And there you have it! The pests will stay away from your trees.
