Ants invasion under the mulching of lychee and avocado

[eez0]

I have several trees in my backyard, but I have detected that specifically under the mulching of two trees (an avocado and a lychee), there are thousands of ants.

Every time I water those trees, they start to move everywhere, including climbing the tree.

What can I do to deal with them in a natural way? I don't want to use chemical products as we are talking about fruit trees.

[spaugh]

are they hurting the trees?

[CarolinaZone]

are they hurting the trees?

You're a nice guy. I kill first as ask questions later. Every time I have ants I end up with scale infestation in the winter. I would sugar and boric acid the hell out of them.

[Epicatt2]

I have several trees in my backyard, but I have detected that specifically under the mulching of two trees (an avocado and a lychee), there are thousands of ants.

Every time I water those trees, they start to move everywhere, including climbing the tree.

What can I do to deal with them in a natural way? [ snip ]

The boric acid powder + sugar or syrup made into a thick paste that someone suggested earlier could work but you'd need a lot of it with that many ants.  (This concoction works n cockroaches, too, BTW...)

Ants hate tansy (Tanacetum vulgare = common tansy) so you could plant some of that around the base of the affected trees as an ant repellent.

A couple years ago I had a severe pest ant species (Pheidole megacephala = big-headed ant = BHA) in my yard in Tampa that just walked thru any pesticides that I treated the area with.  Nothing affected them and they were farming aphids and scales on my fruit trees.  Finally in frustration I tried broadcasting Imidacloprid  around the affected trees and watering it in well.  This worked on the scales and aphids, killing them and preventing them from reproducing. This caused the BHAs to move away to farm untreated plants/trees in my yard.  So I treated those trees with Imidacloprid, too, and the ants left those alone, as well.  Eventually the BHAs gave up and moved out of my yard.

One of these ideas may be an option for you try to curb your ant infestation. 

Good Luck!

Paul M.
==

[eez0]

I'm returning to this topic because things are getting worse on the lychee.

They are all over the tree now.

I have tried potassium soap, sticky adhesive around the trunk, commercial ants insecticides... nothing seems to work.

I have read that citric juice like lemon juice could work because they don't like it, but also that it's a risk because it reduces the pH of the soil. However, as lychees like acid soils, maybe could that work?

[cotter pin]

 Diluted orange oil works well. I heat up a solution of warm water mix in orange oil and pour on the mound and have had no issues with any of the trees we pour this solution by.

[Vegan Potato Man]

I'm returning to this topic because things are getting worse on the lychee.

They are all over the tree now.

I have tried potassium soap, sticky adhesive around the trunk, commercial ants insecticides... nothing seems to work.

I have read that citric juice like lemon juice could work because they don't like it, but also that it's a risk because it reduces the pH of the soil. However, as lychees like acid soils, maybe could that work?

try a 1% boric acid sugar solution in a bait station

If the BA is too concentrated then the foragers wont make it back to the nest to feed the queen.

[Galatians522]

Go buy LIQUID Bifenthrin and a pump sprayer. Apply it according to the label. I have had very poor success with the granules. The liquid always works.

[Seanny]

Trees with trash underneath have ants and soft scales.
Remove the trash then add pavers.

[Vegan Potato Man]

Trees with trash underneath have ants and soft scales.
Remove the trash then add pavers.

Thats a funny way to spell mulch.

Pretty sure ants are able to live under pavers 

[K-Rimes]

Look for the ants point of ingress. It may not be the trunk. I had a lot of issues with ants nests in pots, in the hillside behind my greenhouse and the only thing that worked was tanglefoot AND pulling the trees away from each other or pruning to remove their ability to get to their target.

In my case they were so obsessed with certain trees they would set up bridges of ants holding arms if the gap were a half inch or less!

[MadysonBarr]

I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on dealing with those creatures. Dealing with them naturally is the way to go, especially since we're discussing fruit trees here. One thing you could try is using diatomaceous earth, which is a natural and non-toxic substance. Sprinkle it around the base of the trees, and it should help keep those ants away. Another option is using citrus peels as a deterrent, since ants usually hate the smell. But if all that doesn't help, it's better to find a reliable service to help you get rid of them.