If you were going to kill some ants...

[Paul G]

Not sure if non-beginners are allowed to post about Carmonas, but I'm going to toss out my line anyway and see if I get any bites.

-swish.....plunk!-

So I have this hefty Fukien that I DIDN'T get at either the mall or at Wall-Mart, and before you ask, YES, it has the requisite big ol', tacky-ass S-curve that I'll some day hack just above a likely branch.

But I have a soft spot for it, what can I tell you.

Anyway, I've been able to fend off the usual pests, but lately a colony of ting light-brown ants has discovered it and they just laugh at whatever I spray in their direction.

Now my wife has OCD when it comes to bugs, so I'm a veteran ant-fighter from way back, but I suspect that all the heavy artillery I keep below the sink will turn my poor tree into collateral damage. Any products to recommend? I will be bringing the tree inside the house in a month and a half, and if the ants are still holed up in there, shit-fits will be had.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[Cadillactaste]

This was sold to me for the sole purpose to get rid of ants. Some even use it to rid their pets of fleas. So...it's not a harsh thing to use.

 

[Paul G]

This was sold to me for the sole purpose to get rid of ants. Some even use it to rid their pets of fleas. So...it's not a harsh thing to use.
View attachment 257668

Thanks

 

[Sansui]

Hi Paul, I had a persistent mealybug infestation on my fukien tea trees this past winter. This in turn attracted many small light brown ants to feast on the mealybug's honeydew. I beleive the ants actually farm the mealybugs to their advantage and may have seeded the trees with the mealybugs. I'm not a fan of heavy duty pesticides, but after neem oil and alcohol treatments failed I resorted to using Sevin which knocked both out. I did experience some leaf drop but all has been well since then. I place my trees in a large cardboard box lined with a trash bag to contain any pesticide over spray. I hope things are well in southeast MI! I have many childhood memories of MI!

 

[vedecx]

Take a magnefying glass out on a sunny day...

 

[Paul G]

Hi Paul, I had a persistent mealybug infestation on my fukien tea trees this past winter. This in turn attracted many small light brown ants to feast on the mealybug's honeydew. I beleive the ants actually farm the mealybugs to their advantage and may have seeded the trees with the mealybugs. I'm not a fan of heavy duty pesticides, but after neem oil and alcohol treatments failed I resorted to using Sevin which knocked both out. I did experience some leaf drop but all has been well since then. I place my trees in a large cardboard box lined with a trash bag to contain any pesticide over spray. I hope things are well in southeast MI! I have many childhood memories of MI!

I have never used Sevin, but I'm willing to give it a try. And things are well here. It's Dream Cruise weekend, so everyone is out partying

 

[Sansui]

An event well after my time there, but I do remember seeing the first Mustangs, Tornados, and that turbine engine prototype car on the road while stationed at my safety guard post at John R and Buena Vista! Have fun!

 

[Rid]

the gel bait is good for indoors, it comes from the big fox stores with an oversized. syringe

 

[Cadillactaste]

Thanks

Welcome... it's my go to grab when I see soil insects.

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Leave it fully submerged into water for a couple of hours, like 2 or 3 and then leave it on top of a bowl of water or something like that for a few days. They'll be gone for a while for sure.

 

[leatherback]

Check WHY they are on your tree. For sure you will find scale, aphids or the likes on the tree. A bonsai is NOT interesting for ants in itself.

 

[Paul G]

Check WHY they are on your tree. For sure you will find scale, aphids or the likes on the tree. A bonsai is NOT interesting for ants in itself.

It has some small white patches of a cotton-like substance scattered intermittently on the trunk and branches.

 

[leatherback]

That is probably wholly aphid. You will need to treat the tree. You can try to make a dent in the infection with cottonbuds dipped in alcohol/soap mixture and removing the insects that way. FOr large scale infections you might need to work with poision.

Do remember that eggs will hatch after the treatmet so over a course of 6 weeks you need to clean the tree 2 or 3 times.

 

[W3rk]

This was sold to me for the sole purpose to get rid of ants. Some even use it to rid their pets of fleas. So...it's not a harsh thing to use.
View attachment 257668

Fine powdered DE works when/because it is dry and jagged. My understanding is that it can become ineffective when wet... and if you're watering your trees, well.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Fine powdered DE works when/because it is dry and jagged. My understanding is that it can become ineffective when wet... and if you're watering your trees, well.

I've applied right after watering...and they are about on the surface getting into the powder. And for me...it's worked. (((Shrugs))) but by all means try something else. I just know what works for me.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

The ants are gone whenever I'm done treating for aphids.

But then again, I have noticed the ants move a tonne of potting soil to encase/tunnel themselves and the aphids, basically cleaning my roots of old debris I would have to take out manually. Saves me a lot of precarious work.

Ants only use pots themselves for nesting, and putting that pot on top of another pot without plants moves the nest down in a matter of days.

DE has never worked for me and I honestly can't believe it's safe for close-to-human use if you read into its mode of action: shredding trachea apart.

 

[Traken]

If you do just need to get rid of ants, the brand Terro makes ant bait traps in a multitude of styles that are quite effective at taking out ants. Here's one we use around the house:

TERRO Indoor Liquid Ant Killer Baits (6-Count) T300 - The Home Depot

Terro Liquid Ant Killer Bait Stations are pre-filled with liquid for convenient usage. Specifically designed to kill worker ants.

www.homedepot.com

That doesn't help with removing the reason they're there in the first place, but they're good at getting rid of the hive/nest. They'll take the bait back to the nest and feed the rest of the ants with it, poisoning them.

 

[Dan92119]

Aspartame seems to work well for me. The Walmart brand is really cheap. I read ants can’t process it so it kills them.

 

[Paul G]

If you do just need to get rid of ants, the brand Terro makes ant bait traps in a multitude of styles that are quite effective at taking out ants. Here's one we use around the house:

TERRO Indoor Liquid Ant Killer Baits (6-Count) T300 - The Home Depot

Terro Liquid Ant Killer Bait Stations are pre-filled with liquid for convenient usage. Specifically designed to kill worker ants.

www.homedepot.com

That doesn't help with removing the reason they're there in the first place, but they're good at getting rid of the hive/nest. They'll take the bait back to the nest and feed the rest of the ants with it, poisoning them.

very familiar with terro. Hopefully I can get rid of the aphids in the next month and won't have to worry about the ants!

 

[yashu]

I would go with an imidacloprid systemic. Care must be taken to remove flowers if the tree is blooming as this insecticide is very harmful to bees.