Distracting ants from old food sources

May 28, 2025 Last reply: 1 year ago 4 Replies
B

I've got a pecan tree with an ant trail running up the trunk. Presumably the ants (argentine variety) are farming aphids or something up in the crown.



Initially the ants were attracted to a bait station hung on the trunk, but after a failed experiment in bait recipes they lost interest. I've since replaced the bait and station, but they haven't shown any interest, trailing past the new bait.



I'd like to distract them, even if only temporarily, from the old pheromone trails in hopes they're re-explore and discover the new bait station.



I'm thinking about simply coating the trunk with dish soap somewhere above where the bait station is located. However, I don't want to drive them off the trunk entirely. There are many alternative paths for ants to reach the crown via nearby trees which are entirely out of my reach.



Thoughts and stories would be most welcome....



Thanks for reading,



bob prohaska


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L

A hummingbird feeder trick for ants is a moat. If your trunk is round enough it might be doable. Search on ant moat hummingbird if interested in seeing these.

There's a product called Tanglefoot, sticky stuff that can trap insects climbing the trunk:

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You could also apply stuff to a "rag" and tie it around the trunk.

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B

The problem is bark roughness. I'd have to caulk the bark to the moat. Not impossible, but I'm hoping for something simpler.

Again, sealing to the bark is the gotcha....

I might start by applying detergent foam around the trunk. I've got that handy. Spraying the trunk with hydrogen peroxide is another idea, but I'd have to go out and buy that.

Come to think of it, just spraying the trail with water is even easier...I don't expect it to work, but neither will it harm....

Thanks for writing,

bob prohaska

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B

Tanglefoot might work if you first wrap the tree with a 1 1/2" wide strip of soft foam then wrap over that snugly all the way around with duct tape. Then put the tanglefoot on the duct tape.

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B

It looks like the detergent foam did the trick. The ants recovered their old trail within a couple of hours, but they also noticed the new bait station.

Thanks for everybody's replies!

bob prohaska

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