Hi Guys,
OK, let's start of by telling you what I (think I) know about gardens:
- They need water
- I like 'em colourful...
- ...but colourful doesn't work for the lawn.
Now that you know to use small words when explaining, I a problem that has stumped me.
I have a coconut palm that has never seemed very happy. For years now, everything around it has grown well, while this five-foot tree seemed to be drying out.
Then, a few days ago, I discovered (ahem, my five-year old discovered) that the mother of all ant colonies where living in the tree, with a zillion or more eggs in the folds left by the old leaves (the ones around the base).
Convinced that this was my problem, I proceeded to remove those leaves as carefully as I could and killed the ants once they were off the tree. Then, following the advice of family who claims to have green fingers, I rinsed the tree with a water/washing powder mix.
There are certainly fewer ants now, but looking at the tree closely two days later, it was clear that it hasn't quite worked. A significant portion of the colony has survived, and they have simply moved their eggs to the leaves that are higher up.
Short of ripping off every last leave and spraying the tree with insecticide (lethal to the tree?), how do I fix this? I'd like to keep the tree alive, but those tiny buggers must go.
Any ideas,
Regards,
Cobus