Tim from Sacramento, California writes
I have a Red Oak that is about to bud, and usually the new leaves get very sticky and attract aphids and ants. I also have blackberry vines, navel orange trees, and Meyer lemon trees that are flowering. All are covered with the little black sweet ants that used to be in my house, thank you very much. Are these ants doing the plants any harm? If so, a suggested treatment?
The ants should not be harming any trees or plants to our knowledge. Carpenter ants however can damage trees, but is sounds like you have the small black ants and not the large carpenter ants. Ants can help with pollination, however they usually do not play a significant role. This being said, the more ants you have outside the better chance there is they will show up in inside. We recommend our outdoor ant control kit which will give the ants a food source outside that they will take back to the colony and eliminate the issue at the source.
Answer last updated on: 04/20/2012
