Ants are eating my apples. Help!?

Question

I have ants eating my apples on my tree. What's the best way to get rid of them? Would like a natural remedy.

Answer 1

u could spray the ants but the apples would die too.

Answer 2

Before you try to stop ants from getting to your apples, try to stop the problem at it's source. Search any of the areas around your house, backyard, front yard, surrounding your house. If you find any anthills, go to any big store (wallmart, home depot, etc) and get some anti-ant powder. If they are fire ants, there can be a specific fire ant killer powder found. Simply pour the powder (liquid? whatever it is) into the holes.

If this doesn't work there arent many natural ways of doing this, but I suppose you could put some kind of sticky solution near the base of the tree, if you can find anything natural that won't kill the tree.

Answer 3

Ants On The Apple

Answer 4

Go to your garden supply store and buy a product called Tanglefoot. It is a sticky substance you can paint in a ring around the base of the tree trunk and the ants cannot cross it without sticking to it. Follow package directions. You can also use petroleum jelly for the same purpose but it will have to be renewed more often.

Answer 5

organic ant killer! Works best you can get it any where. I can not think of the name but it uses a natural chemical that makes ants do not like so they leave. works awesome for black ants and fire ants!

Answer 6

put an ant trap near the apples anss theyll go for that instead

Answer 7

Maybe you can wait till winter till the new apples grow back, then take very good care of your apples like...hmm, about 5 times a day, but it depends how good you want your apples to be, best pick them when their ripe, quickly! But if you want a stupid answer... Put a HUGE net around the tree! lol, try it, i dunno if it would work though... srry.

Answer 8

hmmm i read that ants are naturally repelled to ground up coffee

Answer 9

You probably won't be able to get rid of them this year.

you'll want to spray next spring when you have your pruning done.

Answer 10

If you find a trail of them in your house, or some "scouts" looking for food so they can bring the rest of their nest to enjoy it, just sprinkle the baby powder on the ants and wherever they are coming in from, if you can find it, and you will see them begin to get upset. After a while, they'll be gone, and they won't be back again for awhile, even after you remove the powder. We dust baby powder on our honey jar and sugar bowl, as well as the outside of the cats' dish and it keeps the ants off.

• Sounds crazy, but try vinegar! Fill a squirt bottle with plain old cheap white vinegar, and squirt it anyplace you've seen ants (kitchen counters, windowsills, etc) and let it dry. It's non-toxic, won't harm anything, and the smell will go away in just a couple of minutes. It worked for me!

• I have a suggestion for the ant problem; plain old cinnamon. I put in or at the site of the ant invasion, they back off quick!

• Black pepper is a nonlethal, poison free, cheap, and safe way to get rid of ants - sprinkle the black pepper where you see them congregating and watch 'them scatter. Follow them to where they're exiting - which is the same spot they're entering in at - and sprinkle the pepper at that spot to keep them from coming back in. It's safe to use in your cabinets, on windowsills, near your pets and kids, around food, etc.

• I have a book with several tips for the use of apple cider vinegar. One of them is getting rid of ants. Make a mixture of 50/50 water and vinegar and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the surface with the solution several times a day. Ants guide themselves with their scent. Vinegar has a natural chemical that alters ants' scent and which ants avoid.

• My husband was in conversation recently with a gentleman in the pest control business. This man preferred to use environmentally safe methods to control pests. His recommendation for ants was: equal parts Windex and Ivory Soap. Simply mix, and spray problem areas.

• Most ant poisons have a sweetness to them that attracts most but not all ants. Some ants are attracted to grease. Observe your ants and see what they like, maybe you need a different bait. Also, though this is sometimes difficult, see if you can trace them back to where they are getting in, because caulking is usually the best solution, as it prevents recurrence.

• I live in south Florida, the bug capital of the world, and I don't use anything toxic in or around my home. I discovered a safe way to get rid of ants. I found Shakley's Basic H. It is a non-toxic soap made from soybeans. I take a pint spray bottle, fill it 1/3 with Basic H and 2/3 with water, mixing gently. Follow your trail of ants to try to discover where they are entering. Spray a thin stream of the mix around where they are coming in. I also spray around my door frames and into any openings where they might enter. Caulking any little holes or openings is also helpful. Please remember this is a SOAP. Do not spray where it will be stepped on and someone will slip. I reapply it as needed. Try to keep it off painted surfaces as it will eventually bubble the paint. You can also put three tablespoons into a Miracle Grow feeder full of water and spray outside around the foundation of your house. It will soak into the soil and get into the nests. Do this once or twice a month until the problem abates. As an added bonus, use the same mixture in your feeder and spray your lawn to keep it flea free. I also keep the little spray bottle handy to spritz any bugs that try to dash in the door when it's open. If it can kill a palmetto bug (roaches that are as big as B-52's), it will kill anything!

• I had a bad problem with them last year and tried everything. Then, I read in a book to place Bay Leaves on your counters and preferably along the trail where they are coming in (if you can find it). It worked. Now I make sure that I keep some behind my canisters, etc. on my countertops.

• We use plain white chalk drawn in a line at the place they come in they wont cross for some reason and also I use comet cleanser sprinkled where children/animals don't go.

• So far this has worked in my house. First you need to find out where they are coming in at. To kill ants that have entered your home without poison I use straight Simple Green. Believe me it works. Then after they are all dead, clean the area and spray the area with a peppermint spray. Fill a spray bottle with water and add approximately 10 - 15 drops of peppermint essential oil , sometimes called Peppermint Spirits. Ants won't cross the area because they hate the smell. Hope it works as well for you as it has for me. Please note this can be dangerous to cats!

•Ants will crawl away from mint. I did this as a science experiment and it worked. Just plant mint all around your house. Especially near doorways.

• A line of cayenne pepper usually stops them from crossing over it.

• Try putting some whole cloves around. I put them on the window sills and door jams and also sprinkled a few around in my bottom cabinets. It worked.