Ants on the tree indicate pest infestation
Ants are not interested in the tree itself, even if they sometimes take a fallen leaf with them as food or nibble on sweet fruit. Instead, the animals have discovered aphids, which they keep in colonies and milk their sweet excretions - the so-called “honeydew”. This in turn is a valuable source of carbohydrates for ants, which is why the animals are very keen to protect and protect the aphids. These are protected from predators and can then reproduce even better - which in turn is actually harmful to the tree.
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Fight aphids - drive away ants
Now it is quite easy to drive both the aphids and the ants out of the tree. You don't even need chemical agents for this, instead you only need to sharpen the affected tree regularly and every few days with self-made nettle manure. This not only drives away the unwanted visitors, but also serves the tree as fertilizer. You can make nettle manure as follows:
- Cut about a kilogram of fresh nettles.
- Coarsely chop this up.
- Pour cold water over them, about 10 liters per kilogram.
- Put the container in a cool and dark place.
- Let the liquid manure there for at least a week.
- Stir daily.
- The brew is ready when it stinks.
Incidentally, to counteract the unpleasant smell, stir in some rock flour (€ 14.95 at Amazon *). The broth is only used diluted in the ratio 1 part liquid manure - 10 parts water.
What else you can do about the ant plague - and when it is necessary
Sometimes, however, there are no aphids behind the numerous ants, but other causes. The animals like to settle in dead or diseased parts of the tree - for example, because a tree fungus causes the tissue there to die. You can keep the animals from visiting the trees with sleeves and glue rings that are attached around the trunk.
Tips
If ants build their nests in the roots of the tree, this can have bad consequences, depending on the size of the state. Although the animals do not eat the tree, they loosen the soil - which, especially in very young trees, can cause it to lose its hold.
