Does anyone know if ant killer is safe to use around cherries??

[Lauries]

The little blighters are EVERYWHERE! Constantly crawling up and down my cherry tree. :@

There is no aphid damage, I sprayed it with organic pesticide to be sure but I'm almost certain its home only to ants.

I wouldn't mind so much but I think their eating my cherries!! Lots of the tiny, developing cherries are turning brown and shrivelled, I've seen a few with holes in them and they just flake off the tree with the gentlest brush of my fingers

i often see ants on the developing cherries themselves.

If I was to put ant killer in the soil around the tree would it poison the cherries?!

I tried natural methods but they just didn't work!

[tamsin]

Have you tried wrapping a band of tape sticky side out around the trunk, they either don't want to pass over it or try and get stuck. You can wash any left on the tree off with a spray of water. Could they be farming afids on there? I've noticed the same ant issue on ours but there are only 3 cherries (it's new) so I doubt they are after them!

[mrscorpio]

Hi cant you get some sort of double sided sticky paper for fruit trees. You wrap it round the trunk so insects cant crawl over it.
It works similar to fly paper.
I dont know if it stops ants though.

[mrscorpio]

Have you tried wrapping a band of tape sticky side out around the trunk, they either don't want to pass over it or try and get stuck. You can wash any left on the tree off with a spray of water. Could they be farming afids on there? I've noticed the same ant issue on ours but there are only 3 cherries (it's new) so I doubt they are after them!

we must have been typing at the same time

[Lauries]

I thought about these bands but a lot of the ants are already in the tree so I thought if i put a band on they'd be trapped up there?

I heard some say they use ant powder in the soil but as the tree is producing cherries I'm worried in case using the powder makes people sick when they eat the cherries

xxx

[tamsin]

I just use normal selotape Give it a spray with a hose to knock them off then tape it up. I should think that would sort most of them. If you repeat for a couple of days that would catch stragglers.

I don't know about ant powder, I would think it's okay as long as it's not on what you are eating.

[sarraceniac]

If you do have to resort to ant killer then, as you say, just put it round the tree on the soil. The sellotape idea is better though.

[manda74]

i've got the same problem with aphids thrown in. i've tried spraying them with water but they've just come back and its getting quite bad so any advice would be great, although i will get some sticky tape around the tree. how do ants farm aphids?, do they make the problem worse?

[Lauries]

Yeah ants will farm aphids and make it worse. The theory is get rid of the aphids and you get rid of the ants, only it doesn't seem to work!

I couldn't find any aphids at first then I found a few, i used to just nip off affected leaves which slows the problem but doesn't get rid of it so I sprayed with organic bug free, in a big purpley pink bottle.

The ants are relentlessly refusing to leave though....

[mike abel]

Ants farm aphids by tickling them to encourage the aphids to release "honeydew" which is sugary sap from the tree (a waste product as far as the aphid is concerned). Ants protect the aphids from natural predators such as ladybirds. Control the ants either by using nematodes on the soil (drench in and water well), or insect barrier glue around the trunk, both are available from www.gardening-naturaly.com Don't worry about the ants in the tree, they will die out and don't eat cherries.

[Lauries]

I'm really not too sure about that Mike...
What other reason could there be for developing cherries turning brown and shrivelled and dropping off, some with tiny holes eaten into them?
I only see ants. No other pests?