Photo: Apple blossom in springI have an apple tree in the garden and throughout the summer there has been a trail of ants up and down the branches. Will this have a detrimental affect on the fruit?
A. The ants will be anything but detrimental to the fruit. They are looking for aphids on the tree. Ants are attracted to the honeydew from the aphids and if you look on the leaves you will probably see some of them curling. The ants are a great early warning sign for aphids and if you catch them early in the season, you will be free from infestation. If you do use an insecticide (preferably an organic one) then just spray the affected leaves instead of the whole tree. It’s a bit late when the fruit is ripening and I wouldn’t recommend any spraying later in the season but you can look out for this problem next summer.
Horticultural
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