Hi there. I would like to know.. I have air layered several trees in my yard. After two months or so I opened them, hoping to see roots, but all that came out was the ground and little black ants. In some layerings the ants also had eggs. I have googled it, but only find info on aphids eating the new roots. Do these ants also?

TIA

i have problems with ants , i usually put some small pieces of slate around my trees with Nippon on to prevent infestation , i have never had a problem with them in my air layering so am unable to offer any help sorry , good luck though my friend

The ants are not the problem, if you have a lot then you have an aphid infestation. That is what the ants feed on and they also "milk" the aphids. Get rid of the aphids and you will get rid of the ants.

The problem is, get rid of the aphids and the ants bring more. They seem to have an inexhaustible supply.

Spray the plant with rubbing alcohol cut about a half or so. It kills aphids on contact.

Also, get a little dish, put some jelly in it, and pour borax powder around the jelly, then put it by the plant. The ants take the borax back to the nest and die. Or, put the plants or their stands in trays full of water so the ants can't get to the plants. Depending on time of year, etc., empty the dishes every couple of days to keep mosquitoes from hatching.

The ants do not bring more more aphids hatch. You need to spay with insecticide every ten days.

m5eaygeoff wrote: The ants do not bring more

Yes, ants do bring aphids.

www.thoughtco.com/aphid-herding-ants-1968237

"Aphid-herding ants make sure aphids stay well-fed and safe. When the host plant is depleted of nutrients, the ants carry their aphids to a new food source.

Some species of ants continue to care for aphids during winter. The ants carry the aphid eggs to their nests for the winter months. They store the precious aphids where temperatures and humidity are optimal, and move them as needed when conditions in the nest change. In spring, when the aphids hatch, the ants carry them to a host plant to feed"