Ivan wrote:

If I could block the supply that would solve my problem.

You could try and block the ants.

homeguides.sfgate.com/sticky-tree-barriers-ants-75430.html

This looks great, except that I didn't see how to make the sticky stuff. The web browser inserted ads for Medicare etc., every couple of lines, so I may have missed it.

Maybe as good is the link to borax and jelly ant killer.

Ants, during the milking process of an adult female scale insect:



(The attachment size limitation won’t let me to upload in better quality.)

Felidae wrote:

Ants, during the milking..

They look happy, both the milkers and the cows.
IF the farm was mine, they would be very dead by now...

Clicio wrote:

Felidae wrote:

Ants, during the milking..

They look happy, both the milkers and the cows.
IF the farm was mine, they would be very dead by now...

That sure! They were dead in seconds after the picture
On the second image he gave a high five for his mate!

I eliminated their scale insects, now they breed aphids... I’ll declare war...

Usually it seems what works one place may not work another.

Following advice here I clicked some links and found a mixture of apple jelly and borax as ant killers. I mixed up some and put a little dish near the indoor plants last spring and never saw an ant. I was getting ready to toss it, but decided to put it by a couple of the outdoor plants that were having ants every day. It immediately became packed with ants and stayed so for several days. Now they have all disappeared, except for the dead ones clogging up the dish.

Why did it attract and kill ants one place and not another? I have no idea, but those trees are not being eaten up. Good.

Ants have varying tastes depending on the species. Some have attraction to sweet tasting food, others savoury. Generally, if they’re in the garden and not bothering me ie on the lawn, I leave them be. They’ll go eventually. Killing them, or trying to with DIY type poisons can have a detrimental effect.

They say that they kill the colony after the worker ants take the poison back to the nest. I’m not sure if that really works, even if it does, you could end up with an even larger colony as neighbouring ants take over a dying colony (the nests can be massive).

They’re simultaneously a pain and fascinating creatures to learn about.

In general the old environmentalist here agrees. In general all these bugs have a place in the food chain and we disturb it at our risk. Why can't we just get along?

In particular, when the wisteria bonsai has a huge number of buds about to burst into bloom, and the next day they are half eaten by a bunch of ants industriously finishing the job right before my eyes, this is war. They are doomed. Whatever it takes. Screw the food chain.

Orrr.. you put the legs of the table in little pts, amnd put those in a tray of water. You will not get ants on your bonsai and you can leave the critters alone.