When you spot these insects crawling around your plants , do n’t panic . Use these tips to winnow out emmet from your citrus tree trees .
When an unwished-for parade of ants invades your lemon tree diagram , the unspoilt news is that more often than not , these worm are n’t harm your plant life . But if their presence bothers you , it ’s time to take action mechanism . Many of the same scheme you ’d use toeradicate pismire in your house — think blocking access and cleaning up food sources — will act upon to get disembarrass of emmet in your plants . Here ’s how to get free of ants in your Citrus limon tree diagram and keep them away for goodness .
Why Ants Are Attracted to Lemon Trees
Before you start smashing pismire , play detective for a few moment . attempt to see out what ’s attracting the pismire by watching where they ’re going and what they ’re doing . This will help you decide which of the methods below to utilise to banish them from yourlemon trees .
You may notice ants crawl randomly around your plants in search of food , or they may be a trivial more goal - focused . Ants are most potential to show up in your citrus tree whenaphidsor graduated table microbe are already there . These sap - sucking pesterer get honeydew melon , a angelical liquid that ants eat . In fact , the ants so prize this intellectual nourishment informant that they will " crowd " the aphids from leaf to riff and protect them from predators .
Some ants are attracted to the ambrosia in citrus blossoms , thusacting as pollinators . However , these visitors are n’t always benignant : Red fire ants sometimes snipe lemon tree trees , destroying flowers and chewing through the bark to get at the sap . They may even gnaw the bark all the elbow room around the trunk , which will eventually kill the tree .
Credit: Jay Wilde
The Best Ways to Eliminate Ants on Citrus Trees
Attack the Aphids and Scale Bugs
If your gamboge tree diagram has aphid or scale bugs , you ’ll require to wipe out these pests first todiscourage the antsthey attract . bet closely at the undersides of the leaves for flyspeck white , dark-green , or black insects ( aphids ) or little brown bumps that do n’t move ( scale worm ) . If you blemish them on just a few leaf , snip the affected portion off and throw out them in the garbage , not the compost bin , since most piles do n’t get hot enough to kill plague . And if potential , isolate the plant to avoid broadcast the blighter to other flora .
If you ’re dealing with a more widespread plague , utilise insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to get rid of aphid and plate . A hard spray of water from your hose also can help ping off aphids . take over the intervention every three weeks until the insects are gone .
Drench Red Fire Ants
Water also can add up to the delivery when deal with red flack ants attacking your maize tree . Find the nest and stream about three gallon of stewing urine on it . If the nest is n’t completely destroyed by this treatment ( or if there are plants around that would be harm by the hot water ) , use an insecticide drench on the nest . Once it surcharge in , this will pass over out the colony .
If flaming ants have nuzzle among the root of apotted lemon Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , you’re able to dunk the entire tooth root glob of your tree into a bucketful of insecticidal drench .
As with any pesticide , always read and follow label directions to protect yourself and non - target species from harm .
How to Keep Ants Off Lemon Trees
Prune Wisely
Keep the branches eminent off the ground , so the ants have a strong time climbing your lemon tree diagram . Prune so that the lowest branches are 30 inches from the grunge , if possible . curve aside branchesthat touch nearby shrubs or fences if the emmet are using them as an on - Allium tricoccum .
Protect the Trunk
Block the ants ' enactment up the tree trunk by placing a tree wrap around the trunk . Cover a few inches of the trunk with the wrapper , set off low to the ground , but high enough that your sprinkler wo n’t splash it . Then paint a gummy substance such as Tanglefoot Tangle - Trap on the wrap , which will take hold of any ants that seek to cross the roadblock . Check the tree every week to make indisputable ants are n’t purloin under and eluding the sticky trap . Reapply the goopy stuff if it ’s covered with dead ants .
Keep Your Citrus Trees Well-Watered
Your citrous fruit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is more probable to be attacked by pest if it does n’t have enough water . Keep your citrus tree diagram healthy by making sure it gets at least an inch of water a week . If you have apotted lemon tree , water whenever the land feel juiceless to the touch .
