North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Caren Kirk <quirky@videotron.ca>]

After Idell's original post suggesting tanglefoot my husband adpated the 
idea and has been using duct tape (always handy!) wrapped around the tree 
trunk.  While perhaps not as sticky as tanglefoot, it's easier to work with 
and seems to be doing the job. We're taking care not to stick it directly to 
the bark and to replace it every once in a while, both for the sake of the 
growing tree and to remove the bodies of all the ants that, as was 
previosuly mentioned, begin to form a sort of bridge for the others.

We're trying to be vigilant and check every day ( I think my husband is 
becoming obsessed!) as it's an ongoing battle including  leaf removal/ jet 
spraying. The good news is that I've seen the ladybugs feasting away so 
hopefully, together, we can break the cycle and save my trees!

Good Luck to all fellow growers besieged by ants/aphids!

Caren Kirk
St. Jerome, QC
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
To: "Idell Weydemeyer" <iwgarden@earthlink.net>; "North American Fruit 
Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 9:55 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Ants/aphids


> >  Hi again-- forgot to mention  that  as season goes on, wind will blow
> > dirt and leaves on the tanglefoot so it has to be scraped occasionally
> > to keep the tangle foot fresh without a bridge for the ants--
>
>
> That's the problem I had when I tried tanglefoot. It's frequently windy
> here in Nebraska, and I use a lot of mulch. So the first windy day
> completely covered the tanglefoot with debris.
>
> I don't know how I could scrape it. That stuff is so messy anyway. I
> thought it was a real pain to work with. But considering the debris
> problem, it just wasn't worth the effort, not for me.
>
> Also, my trees are all staked, often cabled to other trees, and the
> branches are tied up or down - really, there are all sorts of pathways
> for ants. Tanglefoot sounded great, and no doubt it will work for some
> people, but... not for me.
>
> PS. Make sure, if you do use tanglefoot, that you don't put it somewhere
> you might brush against when working. It really is messy stuff!
>
> Bill
> Lincoln, NE (zone 5)
>
> http://garthright.blogspot.com/
>
> --
> Unfortunately, being open-minded is one of those annoying virtues we're
> supposed to embrace these days. I can't count the number of times I've
> had to listen to some absolute drivel and nod along sagely when the
> speaker justified it by saying "... you've got to keep an open mind." -
> Jim Cook
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