How and how to get rid of ants on cherries: methods and methods of struggle

Many gardeners strive by any means to get rid of ants on cherries, classifying them as malicious pests. In part, they are right, since if ants scurry along the trunk, aphids will definitely be found on the cherry. But not everything is so simple.

Ants on cherries: good or bad

Gardeners have an ambivalent attitude towards ants on cherries and other trees. In fact, these are wasps that lost their wings in the Cretaceous period. They have preserved the wasp way of feeding: protein for larvae, carbohydrates for adults.

To feed the larvae, workers carry all the protein that they can find:

• caterpillars;
• Zhukov;
• different larvae;
• pieces of meat of dead animals.

By destroying other garden pests, ants bring tangible benefits. But adults also want to eat. They can feed on seeds, sap and nectar of plants, but their main source of carbohydrates is honeydew. This is the name of the excrement of aphids, scale insects and worms due to the high content of sugars. Gathering is an unreliable business, cattle breeding is more profitable. And the ants found a way out: breeding aphids in trees and bushes.

As a result of evolution, some species have even developed a caste of "cattle breeders". The ant "cattle" spends winter in warm underground barns. In winter, the owners also take care of the "calves" - eggs, licking and cleaning them.

Since any cattle needs to be grazed, ants carefully bring their "cows" to the pasture in the spring. The latter is often played by fruit trees in the garden. Aphids graze on their pastures, giving sweet "dew" to the ants as payment.

Because of the developed "cattle breeding", gardeners and enlisted ants as pests. If the “livestock breeders” are not interfered, their “cows” are capable of killing young trees, and the old ones will surely lose their crops. However, without ants, aphids will also appear on trees, since they also fly. This means that you should not fanatically ruin anthills and destroy their residents. It is enough to block their path to the trees.

The appearance of ants on cherries does not mean a disaster if they are not leaf cutters.

Why do ants appear on cherries

Strictly speaking, they appear on all trees. From the moment ants wake up, they need to start storing food, and, therefore, including transferring aphids to trees in order to receive honeydew. Naturally, they transfer their wards to trees that have already begun to wake up. There is still no suitable grass in early spring. And not even all the trees have budded yet. At this time, stone fruit crops are actively blooming. It is on them that ants carry aphids.And then they just run back and forth, collecting their prey and transferring it to the anthill. Since cherry is one of the early waking trees, the appearance of ants on it is natural.

Pest life cycle

The ant is an insect with complete transformation. This means that in its development it goes through 4 stages:

• egg;
• larva;
• chrysalis;
• an adult.

The ant grows only in the larval stage.

The life cycle begins with an egg. The sex of the future ant depends on whether it is fertilized or not. Females hatch from fertilized eggs, males from unfertilized eggs. Eggs are usually stored in small "packages".

The hatched larva is inactive and looks like a worm. You can see an analogue of an ant larva in an aspen or bee nest. Working females feed the brood. It depends on the type of food whether you end up with a queen ant or a working individual. Since the outer covers of the larva are capable of stretching only up to certain limits, the future ant is forced to molt. During growth, the larva undergoes 4 molts.

In the last stage of growth, the larva pupates. These cocoons, usually lying in bulk, are popularly mistakenly called ant eggs. It is their ants that feverishly save when the anthill is destroyed.

If a male emerges from the pupa, its lifespan will be limited to only a few weeks. He will die immediately after fertilization of the female. The uterus can live up to 20 years, keeping the colony alive. The life span of a working individual is 1-3 years. Under natural conditions, the population of the anthill is completely renewed in a year.

White oval cocoons are pupae, not eggs

Signs and causes of appearance

A sign of the appearance of ants on cherries is a path of these insects that scurry up and down the trunk of the tree. If there is no path yet, and the aphids have arrived on the leaves, ants will soon appear.

There are only two reasons for the appearance of ants on fruit trees: aphids and ripe fruits and berries. The time of the first reason is spring or early summer, the second is the ripening period of the cherry. Ants do not mind eating sweet fruits and berries. Most gardeners have probably seen these insects swarming on fruit in gnawed holes.

Why is the appearance of ants on cherries dangerous?

These insects are not able to cause harm to the tree itself. The danger is that aphids spread too quickly on the tree and damage ripe fruits. Cherries with damaged skins will quickly rot, which means crop loss.

Cherry ant control methods

Fighting ants in the garden is fun and endless. Because getting rid of ants forever is possible only in two ways:

• salt the soil thoroughly and renew the "salting" every year (rains wash out the salt);
• fill the area with oil products so that they saturate the soil 20 cm deep (also periodically renew).

Well, yes, nothing will grow. But the goal was to get rid of ants, and not to grow something on your site.

If you need a crop, you will have to do with half measures and wage an endless struggle with the ants:

• treat tree trunks with insecticides;
• dig up the ground on the site;
• clean the area from plant debris;
• build ant traps;
• treat trees and soil with insecticides.

But in any case, no way will allow the gardener to get rid of ants forever. And you don't need it. There is more benefit from these insects than harm.

In the photographs, the belts are fixed to the trees so that you do not have to worry about the lives of foragers: in the cracks in the bark of old trees under the bandages there is enough space for passage

How to save a cherry from ants: traps and gadgets

Insecticides act only on those insects that come into contact with them in one way or another.This means that the use of chemicals will destroy some of the working individuals, but will not seriously affect the life of the anthill. Therefore, it makes little sense to treat the garden from ants with insecticides. Is that in parallel with the destruction of other pests.

But it makes sense to make traps or devices that do not allow ants to climb the cherry tree trunk. You can also try to get rid of insects with scents.

How to scare ants off cherries with scents

All attempts to scare ants away from cherries using smells are folk remedies. With the exception of "natural" preparations with a lavender scent, produced by an industrial method.

If the room can be treated with aromatic oils, then for the garden it is an expensive pleasure. Gardeners are trying to scare off ants with strong-smelling garden crops:

• garlic;
• onions;
• celery;
• dill.

Sometimes they also try to get rid of insects by planting flowers like marigolds or calendula. Unfortunately, practice shows that illiterate ants crawl well over all these "terrible" repellent plants. And if you plant dill, garlic or onions too close to cherries, then they also use the flower shoots of aromatic herbs as a path to the tree.

Salmon, vinegar and vodka "work" for a couple of hours. Exactly until the moment when the liquid dries. Therefore, getting rid of ants on trees with the help of aromatic substances will not work. Cherry traps are much more effective when properly looked after and updated.

Such a rag on a young cherry is quite effective in scaring away ants.

How to get rid of ants on cherries using traps

All ant traps involve girdling something around the tree. Appropriate name: hunting belt. The principle of all these traps is the same: the ant falls on a sticky or viscous surface and cannot get out. You can buy fishing belts in the store, or you can do it yourself. Fishing belts can be:

• from a special tape purchased in a store;
• from ordinary scotch tape;
• from sticky tape for flies.

The hunting belt is wrapped around the tree trunk, closing the line. Scotch tape is wound around the cherry trunk with the adhesive side up. Making such traps is not difficult, but the main thing here: preparing the tree trunk.

Preparation of a section of the trunk for a fishing belt

Ants are able to crawl into the slightest gap, so a place on the trunk of a cherry must be prepared for installing a belt. Dead bark is removed from a 10-15 cm wide section of a tree. Particular attention is paid to old cherries with a gnarled bark. All irregularities on the trunk are covered with clay or other plastic material.

The purpose of the cherry tree trunk preparation is to block the path of the ants under the trapping belt.

Disadvantages of belts

All adhesive surfaces of the belts will quickly become dusty and lose their ability to catch insects. In addition, ants have long mastered the art of making their way over the corpses of their fellow tribesmen. Therefore, the effect of trapping belts on trees is unlikely to last longer than a couple of days. The only way out here is to constantly update the adhesive surface or use a new belt. Scotch tape has another unpleasant feature: it does not like water. Rain may cause the tape to come off.

A properly made belt will help get rid of ants on cherries.

Other ways to deal with ants on cherries

It is believed that whitening the trunk with lime or chalk helps to get rid of ants. In fact, they are one and the same. But practice shows that ants do not run along the bleached trunks of trees only for the first day or two. Therefore, additional harnesses are used for safety net. Often a rope dipped in some kind of fatty substance is used for this purpose.

Since a full-fledged belt is not made in this case, the rope is tied directly to the trunk. As a deterrent, they are used:

• vegetable oil;
• tar;
• petrolatum;
• grease.

But, according to gardeners, unless vegetable oil does not harm trees. And this is not accurate. But they have probably already checked that tar and grease kill trees by burning out the bark under the rope.

This type of protection on trees can only be used by tying the rope over some protective material. Usually polyethylene or cling film. But from the heat, all oil products turn into a liquid state and flow down onto the trunk of the cherry. In fact, this is the same as applying them to a tree without any protection.

Skirt

If you can do everything right, it allows you to get rid of the ants on the cherry in the most gentle way. The "skirt" does not scare or kill them. It only does not allow the ants to climb the cherry tree. The section of the tree where the skirt will be fixed is prepared in the same way as for hunting belts.

The skirt itself is usually a plastic bottle cut lengthwise. It is fixed on the trunk of the cherry so that there are no holes at the top edge. The incision must be sealed, also leaving no opportunity to get out through it. The bottom edge of the skirt should not fit snugly against the trunk of the cherry so that the ants can crawl under it. That is why this device is called a skirt. It is similar in shape to her.

A properly made skirt reliably blocks the path of ants to the cherry

Foil

Somewhat similar to a skirt, but with serious flaws. You will need a strip of foil to make this device. About 2 cm from the edge that will be the top is folded at a right angle and small cuts are made. The latter are needed to make the foil lay smoother on the cherry trunk. After that, the material is wrapped around the tree and fixed.

In theory, ants cannot climb over the folded edge and fall down. This is provided that the insects went on top. The photo clearly shows that the foil never lies flat on the tree trunk and there is enough space under it for the ants.

But if the section of the trunk is also smooth, the string, which will need to tie the foil to the cherry, will block the path of insects between the trap and the tree. But there is no guarantee that it will be possible to get rid of ant foragers.

Foil on an untreated cherry trunk is just an imitation of a struggle

Pool belt

Made from a wide strip of rubber. This trap will require a fair amount of labor. First, the rubber is attached to the cherry with its upper end, just like the skirt. The bottom edge is folded up so that a rubber groove forms around the tree trunk. From below, the structure will have to be supported with wire struts or something else. Purpose: to prevent the rubber from unrolling.

Vegetable oil is poured into the gutter. It must be changed as it becomes dirty with ant corpses. It is recommended to use vegetable oil in case of an "accident" if the ring unfolds.

Idea with padding polyester

This is a fallback option, the second line of defense after the oiled belt on the tree trunk. The synthetic winterizer is tied on the main branches of the cherry above the deterrent belt. It is not known whether this material will help to get rid of visits to cherries by ant foragers, since there are no special statistics. Some believe that the ants will walk on the synthetic winterizer, others that they will get confused.

How much the synthetic winterizer protects the cherry can only be determined empirically.

How can you treat a cherry from ants

To get rid of ants, cherries are sprayed with insecticides or repellents. But it must be borne in mind that the remedy will only work on working individuals.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies usually mean infusions and decoctions of herbs:

• garlic;
• nightshade tops;
• celandine;
• tansy;
• wormwood.

But, in fairness, getting rid of the ants is unlikely to help. From non-herbal remedies to business often go:

• wood ash;
• laundry soap;
• ammonia;
• vinegar.

These substances can act well on insects that do not live in colonies.The death of even several hundred workers will not significantly affect the life of the ant colony.

Plants with tall flower shoots or stems are more likely to act as a bridge to the cherry than to get rid of ants.

Biologicals

Biologics are used to destroy not ants, but their "livestock". Therefore, cherries can be treated with any bioinsecticide that acts on aphids. The most popular ones;

• Fitoverm;
  
• Akarin;
  
• Healthy garden.
  

The drugs are used according to the instructions, which are usually written on the package or attached to it.

Chemicals

With chemicals, the issue is controversial. To get rid of an ant colony, you must either use potent insecticides with contact action, or the struggle will be endless. For ants in the country, you can use either spraying or granules. The most popular brands are:

• Raptor;
• Karbofos;
• Klaus.

When choosing a drug, one should pay attention not only to the inscription indicating the exterminated insects, but also to the composition.

There are preparations designed to exterminate ants in the house, and there are for the garden. They can differ not only in the size of the package, but also in the active active ingredient.

Raptor

For ants in the garden, granules that contain fipronil are usually used. The poisonous chemical has the ability to penetrate chitin, and special additives attract insects. When the ants come into contact with the granules, the poison gets inside, and the workers die. The duration of the granules is 2 months.

How to use: scatter the granules along the ant paths

Karbofos

A potent insecticide, a liquid solution of which treats trees from pests. It can be used only in spring, when there are no berries on the cherries yet. With the help of karbofos, it is possible to get rid of ants. But you need to spray it on the ground. The drug is diluted according to the instructions. To destroy the anthill will require a set of measures and a lot of work.

To begin with, they track down where the foragers carry supplies. Next, the anthill is dug up as deep as possible and treated with karbofos from above.

The pellets also allow you to get rid of the entire ant colony. After tracking down the anthill, the workers are blocked the way to the cherries to their favorite aphids. Next, microgranules of malofos are scattered near the anthill. It is assumed that the starving ants will sooner or later feed their queen with poison. But, given the diversity of the food supply for these insects, the method is questionable.

Dr. Klaus

From ants on the site, the product is released in two forms: spray and granules.

Spray composition:

• lambda-cyhalothrin 0.1%;
• synergist;
• stabilizer;
• emulsifier;
• water.

To process a summer cottage from ants, they first find an anthill. Then they dig it up, getting to the larvae. Spray the soil with a spray. All ant paths are processed. After 2 days, the ants should disappear.

For the treatment of the area from insects, the company offers a replaceable cylinder with a special ejector

Granule composition:

• lambda-cyhalothrin 0.05%;
• synergist 0.15%;
• stabilizer 0.8%;
• emulsifier;
• food attractants.

Wear rubber gloves when using pellets. The drug is poured on the paths along which insects move. The food components attract ants, which carry the pellets back to their storage. Consumption of funds 15 g per 1 m². After 2 days, the insects die.

The duration of the granules is up to 2 months

Muratox

Sometimes there are also recommendations to use this drug to get rid of crawling insects on trees. But it is more suitable for indoor use than for open spaces. Active ingredient: diazinon 60%. Produced in the form of a liquid concentrate. The solution is used in places where ants congregate.

In other words, this drug will not save you from raids on cherries.

How to remove ants from under cherries

The most popular soil treatments are lime and ash. True, the main task here is not to overdo it with these substances.Lime will neutralize the acidity of the soil, but this may not be necessary. Ash is a natural nitrogen fertilizer that should also be used very carefully. Provided that the gardener needs cherries and not a beautiful green tree.

There is one more thing. Gardeners who have experimented with these substances say that the method works only the first days. Then the ants stop paying attention to lime and ash.

It is good if the gardener knows that his trees lack copper or iron. In this case, the soil under the tree can be spilled with a solution of copper or iron sulfate. The tree will receive the missing element, and the ants will die.

Another option is to drive the anthill with oil rags. The entrance is covered with oiled rags. A few days later, insects will dig a new entrance away from the old one. Cover with rags again. And so gradually "drive" the ants away from the cherry.

Ants do not like ash very much, as it stains their antennae

Rules for processing cherries from ants

Like other fruit trees, the first time to treat cherries from ants and other pests is in the spring, when the trees are still hibernating. Usually this is the first decade of March. Provided that the air has already warmed up to 5-6 ° C. At this time, the cherries in the garden are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate and the tree trunks are whitewashed. When aiming at ants, you should also take care of preparing a place for trapping belts on the tree trunk.

Young cherries are sprayed with a 1% solution of vitriol. For old trees prepare 3%. Since copper sulfate can be mixed with lime, after spraying, the trunks of the cherries are whitened. Vitriol can also be added to the mortar to enhance the effect.

You can whitewash the cherries later, but it is no longer worth adding vitriol, as it is poisonous. In late spring, before the cherry trees begin to ripen, trees can be treated with industrial chemicals of systemic and contact action. But during the ripening of cherries, that is, by about mid-June, you will have to make do with either biological products or folk remedies.

It is during the ripening period of cherries that the use of ant traps on tree trunks will be the optimal solution, since it does not at all affect the quality of the berries. After picking cherries, trees can again be treated with pesticides. Systemic drugs are needed to get rid of the ant "cattle". To get rid of ants on trees, it is more advisable to use contact poisons.

How and when to spray trees

Before spraying cherries with any remedy, including folk remedies, it's a good idea to check the weather forecast. In the next 3 days, there should be no rain, so as not to wash away the insecticide. It is better to process trees early in the morning or in the evening and always in calm weather. The latter is needed, first of all, for the safety of the gardener. Even if folk remedies are used when spraying cherries, eye contact with infusion or broth will cause a lot of unpleasant sensations.

To work with industrial insecticides, you need to use:

• rubber raincoat with a hood;
• mask with respirator;
• protective glasses;
• rubber gloves;
• rubber boots.

The cloak can be replaced with a chemical protection suit.

The gross violation of safety precautions when spraying cherries with insecticides is fraught with severe poisoning

Frequency of processing

This factor directly depends on the means used last time. "People's" should be updated at least once a week, and some of them even more so every day. When processing cherries with industrial preparations, you must look at the instructions for their use. Some products have a period of protection of trees from insects for 2 weeks, for others - up to a month.

Prevention measures

Measures to prevent ants from visiting cherries include:

• deep digging of the earth next to the trees;
• complete absence of plants under cherries, especially "scaring off" dill, onions and garlic;
• regular cleaning of the garden from dry plant residues;
• systematic checking of slate sheets, boards and other similar debris lying on the site;
• spring and autumn processing of trees from pests;
• sanitary pruning of cherries;
• timely harvest.

Ants are very fond of arranging anthills under something that is heated in the sun. Often these are sheets of roofing iron or slate. Insects bring pupae under these sheets when it is necessary to increase the temperature in future adults. Likewise, they can arrange a "kindergarten" under dry foliage. If you do not litter the garden with rubbish or, at least, regularly move the rubbish, you can seriously complicate the life of the ant colony.

Conclusion

Getting rid of ants on cherries is not as easy as we would like. It is best to get rid of insects using barriers on the trunks of trees, only blocking the path to the cherries for foragers. Let them look for food elsewhere and catch harmful invertebrates, and not breed their "cows".

Recommended entries

Folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle

Remedy for the Colorado potato beetle Prestige

Remedy for the Colorado potato beetle Tabu

How to get rid of spider mites in a greenhouse

Remedies for bees and wasps

How to treat cucumbers from aphids: folk remedies, drugs, ammonia

Aphids on roses: how to deal with folk remedies and chemicals

Mire on currants: how to fight, photo

Diseases and pests of cherries and the fight against them: photos, how to treat in the Moscow region and regions