Woodchips and Ants

[bigboreblr]

Anybody have ant issues with their trees? Wondering if using woodchips makes the problems worse. I was tempted to mix in woodchips into heavy clay soil, but avoided that with my tree plantings so far. Still tempted to try that though. I get pickup sized loads of woodchips for free from time to time. Probably got the equivalent to 2 dump truck loads so far this year.

I do have gravel I can use instead of woodchips. Was thinking of doing a hybrid approach. 3ft diameter of landscape fabric and stone, then the next 2ft out around the cages woodchips.
I had the ant / aphid issue last year. I want to say it was worse with store bought wood mulched site vs stone, but did see some on stone sites too.

I am also trying the sticky paper around the trunk to keep ants and caterpillars out. I prepared one tree spot better than others with plenty of peat moss last year. That tree virtually had no ant activity. I did apply granular ant killer monthly. Terro alternating with walmart brand the net month. Wonder if peat moss upsets ant colonies. These trees are at the edge of hedgerow between me and my neighbor. Lots of old rotting branches in there to keep the ants thriving.

 

[SD51555]

I've had a hell of a time with carpenter ants on my purchased spruce trees. Mind you, they've been in the ground for 7 years, they still get ant problems. Never see that on my native trees. I walk those trees every week during the growing season just spray them with the blue and orange can of Cutter fogger spray. 2022 only took one application, and a follow up to get a few stragglers. 2023, I had to zap some every week all summer it seemed.

It's helped though. I'm not losing my new growth to ants. I don't have any mulch or matting of any kind around those trees. Where I've got spruces mulched with wood chips and mats, there is no difference in ants. If anything, there are fewer, but I wouldn't call it a correlation.

 

[Ikeman]

Any spots where you improve the soil structure and provide mulch will attract ants. If they are causing issues with them damaging the trees, I would consider using something like amdro to provide lasting control. If you want something more natural, and are okay with more frequent applications, you could spread Diatomaceous Earth over the wood mulch.


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[Telemark]

I have ants try to colonize the sand layer of my new leach field. I generally use a good dose of wasp killer in and around the hole. It tends to knock them out for at least the rest of the year.

 

[bigboreblr]

There are generally 2 types of outdoors folks. The organic type and the industrial we have the technology type....

Many on here use ant killer around their trees. I was shaing terro ant killer around my trees today. Did not notice a signle ant anywhere. A combination of alot of rain and catching a small dry window to spray malathion last week. Usually those guys ar on my trees year round. I am not used to sprayng this early, but noticed caterpillars early this year.

So, the organic types say ants attack aphids and other nsects on the apple trees. I have seen them do that. Then I red on the other hand, aphids take advantage of ant damage to apple leaves and feed there. Saw mostly caterpillars, but did see some green aphids on a few trees before spraying.

Only place I saw ants all wekend was when I was transplanting a small spruce. Saw some in the soil.

Any opinions on ants folks care to share?

n a good note fianlly saw some bees on my apple trees today.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

There are generally 2 types of outdoors folks. The organic type and the industrial we have the technology type....

Many on here use ant killer around their trees. I was shaing terro ant killer around my trees today. Did not notice a signle ant anywhere. A combination of alot of rain and catching a small dry window to spray malathion last week. Usually those guys ar on my trees year round. I am not used to sprayng this early, but noticed caterpillars early this year.

So, the organic types say ants attack aphids and other nsects on the apple trees. I have seen them do that. Then I red on the other hand, aphids take advantage of ant damage to apple leaves and feed there. Saw mostly caterpillars, but did see some green aphids on a few trees before spraying.

Only place I saw ants all wekend was when I was transplanting a small spruce. Saw some in the soil.

Any opinions on ants folks care to share?

n a good note fianlly saw some bees on my apple trees today.

I've read from a number of sources, and I believe Professor Kent on here in the past, that ants "use" aphids as farmers. Ants collect the honeydew waste products from the aphids to take back to their nests. Ants usually are a sign that aphids are on those trees. A few of the real apple tree experts on here in the past have said that aphids are usually a problem on younger trees, and that older, more established trees can tolerate aphids. They advised treating young trees for aphids, so they don't weaken trees trying to establish themselves with bigger, stronger root systems. FWIW.

 

[crappieman2380]

I've seen the same on my young fruit trees. Ants seem to farm the aphids. From what I've seen and read they aphids secrete a "honeydew" liquid the feeds the ants. A spraying o Sevin has done the trick for me the past 2 years.

 

[SD51555]

Any spots where you improve the soil structure and provide mulch will attract ants. If they are causing issues with them damaging the trees, I would consider using something like amdro to provide lasting control. If you want something more natural, and are okay with more frequent applications, you could spread Diatomaceous Earth over the wood mulch.


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That is interesting. I wonder if I didn't carry a squirt bottle of water set to mist and a blower full of DE blasted onto them when wet wouldn't do the trick?

 

[bigboreblr]

Saw a bit of ants before leaving on vacation.

Town highwsy dept dumped off a load of chps.