Repelling Aphids (aka plant lice) Organically.

[Tropicalgrower89]

http://voices.yahoo.com/natural-aphid-pesticides-10-eco-friendly-ways-repel-1840538.html?cat=32

I'm going to start eating more bananas and growing garlic and onions around my trees. 

[Soren]

There are often a symbiotic relationship between ants and aphids, where the ants protects the aphids against predators for the return of food (honeydew). By disrupting this relationship, it is often possible to ensure the aphids get wiped out by parasitoids and  other predators. To do this, a rubberband or ducktape around the stem of the fruit tree will prevent the ants for moving further up, and thereby leave the aphids vulnerable.

[Future]

I am not seeing and ant deterred by duct tape or a rubber band.  ?

[Soren]

I am not seeing and ant deterred by duct tape or a rubber band.  ?

Ducktape is placed inside out, i.e. the sticky side out. The rubberband is something mentioned on the yahoo group, I have not tried this myself.

[nullzero]

You want something like tanglefoot;
http://www.pestcontrol-products.com/treeguard.htm

[Soren]

That would be the high-tech version 

[Soren]

Regarding "organic warfare", some entomologists from Aarhus University in Denmark (where I studied) started a project raising weaver ant colonies to help African farmers keeping other insects away from their fruit trees - written in Danish but translated by Google;
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=da&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=da&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fjp.dk%2Faarhus%2Fuddannelse%2Farticle2277488.ece

Not sure if you can order a colony by mail 

[Tropicalgrower89]

Regarding "organic warfare", some entomologists from Aarhus University in Denmark (where I studied) started a project raising weaver ant colonies to help African farmers keeping other insects away from their fruit trees - written in Danish but translated by Google;
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=da&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=da&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fjp.dk%2Faarhus%2Fuddannelse%2Farticle2277488.ece

Not sure if you can order a colony by mail 

If there's a swarm of ants all over my mail box, I'll know that my package has arrived. lol Anyways, I don't think the US, especially florida, will let in some sort of animal species that are not native to this area. Even though I don't think non native ants would hurt our ecosystem.

[Future]

I am not seeing and ant deterred by duct tape or a rubber band.  ?

Ducktape is placed inside out, i.e. the sticky side out. The rubberband is something mentioned on the yahoo group, I have not tried this myself.

Oh.  Makes sense.  By the way I have a friend in Uganda.  What local fruit (or vwgetble) seeds should I be asking her to maill to me?