How to Treat Ants Near Tree Mounds

Ant mounds are an eyesore at best; they can also be a potential hazard to your family and pets. Children playing in the yard can trip over the ant mounds and people and pets can suffer painful bites should they unknowingly disturb a fire ant hill. Whatever your reason for wanting to remove an ant pile near a tree, doing so can be achieved in a few basic steps.

Things You'll Need

• Ant bait insecticide
• Lawnmower or rake
• Sticky tree trunk insect barrier

Instructions

1. Mow or rake the ant hill. This is a simple and natural means for removing an ant pile near a tree, but it can be unsafe when dealing with a fire ant mound. If you do suspect fire ants, rake or mow the ant mound from as far away as possible, do not step on or anywhere near the mound and vacate the area immediately.

2. Place a sticky insect barrier around the tree trunk. If ant activity persists after manually removing the ant pile, it is possible the ants are attracted to honeydew on the tree, a sweet excrement left over by aphids and other tree pests, or by fruit or flowers with strong aromas. The key to controlling ants in these instances is to trap them on their way from the ground up to the tree. An excellent means for doing this is to wrap a band of commercially sold sticky insect barrier around the tree trunk to trap ants as they travel upwards.

3. Apply a granular bait insecticide to the ant pile. This option should only be used where other tactics fail, because it carries the highest risk of possibly harming your tree. If possible, find a granular bait insecticide that indicates on product labeling that it is safe for use on cultivated trees. Apply exactly according to the manufacturer's directions and monitor the area around the tree to confirm that the ants have left.

References

• University of Kentucky Extension; Ant Control for Homeowners; Michael F. Potter
• University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Project Pesticide Education Program; Ants