AusBonsai

Hi everyone!
Lately, i've noticed the black ants been quite busy on and around my fruiting peach tree. I thought they were harmless so I left them alone.
BUT this is what I found this morning: I'm thinking it must be those ants that have been farming these tiny insects on my Prunus!
Could anyone help me ID these insects,please?
Can it be treated? And what can be used?
(Thanks a lot in advance).

Confidor, and quick. That's the solution, the problem is aphids, and yes they are "farmed" by the ants for their waste products.

...or you can use a pyrethrum based spray.....kills on contact with the aphids...

Many thanks,guys! I was so worried that it would kill my first Prunus.
Will the chemical from the spray affect the growth of the young shoots and newly formed fruits?
Will the fruits still be edible?

thuynguyen001 wrote:Hi everyone!
Lately, i've noticed the black ants been quite busy on and around my fruiting peach tree. I thought they were harmless so I left them alone.
BUT this is what I found this morning:

c77667.jpg

I'm thinking it must be those ants that have been farming these tiny insects on my Prunus!
Could anyone help me ID these insects,please?
Can it be treated? And what can be used?
(Thanks a lot in advance).

Hi Thuynguyen,

If you don't have any pest spray at hand and your tree is well rooted and stable in the pot all you have to do is hit it with a fast jet of water from the hose. If you're in a flat and don't have access to a hose put it under the kitchen tap and you can rub them off. Spray it with a little soap powder disolves in water and a drop of cooking oil (the oil makes it stick and suffocates the aphids. You can even scrub it with an old toothbrush dipped in this solution and then just rinse under the tap. You can keep a check on it and maintain it with pest spray if you wish, but I wouldn't eat any fruit. The soap powder is all you need once a week if neccessary to keep them at bay...you can do this for scale as well.
Aphids and scale are the blight of the tropics so we know how to treat them. You'll even find your tree looks better than it did before.
cheers Loretta

Hi Loretta,
Thank you a lot!
I'll try it with a jet of water first and then go mix myself some soapy water with cooking oil( thats easy!)

[quote="thuynguyen001"]Hi Loretta,
Thank you a lot!
I'll try it with a jet of water first and then go mix myself some soapy water with cooking oil( thats easy!) [/quote]

Your welcome...let us know how it goes
Loretta

this also can lead not only to aphid but also scale.

this also can lead not only to aphid but also scale.

you have been given the right info!

the ants farm the aphid and scale for there secretions which are known as honey due, it is like a sugary liquid, how is the trees health other than the aphid? was it put into any recent stress? I have found even living in the tropics that my trees have hardly ever had pest or disease problems, a couple of juniper got smashed by red spider mite a while back but other than that they have been fine, I am a firm beleiver in a healthy tree is more resistent to pest then an un happy tree, plants can build up a self resistence to pest and disease through good care and a watchfull eye, also i would check any other trees you have that aphid commonly like, best bet to go through your whole collection to make sure as you could possibly have more problem trees, if so i would quarantine the "sick" ones and get them sorted out before it goes through more of your trees

jamie

Jamie, i think the warm weather has waken up those nasty ants. They just come out and march on & around my plants.
Speaking of scales, I remember i had one of my trees died because of that Ants + scales problem just last year! Oh No!

yea that can happen mate, its frustrating for sure! when i got nailed by the mites i lost three of my oldest juni, 2 of them were part of the first lot of trees i had ever bought, they survived my novice years but then carked it later on go figure, ohwell, ya live ya learn you figure it out

Certainly either the confidor or pyrethrum spray will work on those. I would leave those more heavy-duty treatments to a last resort category and go with organic or physical solutions initially such as the spray and oil solutions. Capsicum and garlic are my two favorites for keeping away most pests, but in this case I have found the soap and oil option works best.... though I don't have any prunus in bonsai form, it works a charm on similar species in the garden. As far as fruit production/consumption, it mostly depends on how deep the infestation is.... Totally agree with the 'healthy tree is a resistant tree' point made above. If you check the pH and adjust as needed, you will find the tree bouncing back quicker.

I totally agree with Jamie and Makkanan, these pests are mainly attracted to plants that are not in the best of health so checking out your trees present condition is your first priority, make sure your not keeping it too wet etc. Also if you keep it in the sun and want to spray it with the soapy water at weekly intervals for a little while I would not include the oil as your leaves night burn. The soapy water on it's own works quite well, just keep one of those hand held spray bottles at hand and if you see any more you can hit them straight away with no mucking around.
cheers Loretta

Beat-a bug Chilli Garlic and Pyrethrum spary is a non chenmical, highly effective treatment available from Bunnings.

Cheers,
Mojo