Ant powder poisonous?
Question:hi i have an acer tree that i have just noticed is infested with ants,and im wondering if nippon ant killer will also kill my tree
Answers:
No. Nippon is basically borax (and sugar) which is harmless to plants, animals and humans but anathema to ants and other insects.
The ants are not harming the tree, by the way, they are collecting 'aphid honey' from aphids which are living on the leaves. There is very little you can do about the aphids (you could spray the whole tree with a systemic insecticide but that risks blowing insecticide over a wide area). Only a VERY heavy infestation of aphids would harm the tree. The worst that can happen is that their sticky 'dew' collects dirt and makes the tree look messy.
I would leave things be. It's a natural situation which does no real harm to anyone and it's always best not to tamper with nature unless you have to.
well its poisonous to ants, it kills em, but i dont think it will hurt you acer
NO it will not hurt the tree but keep any animals away from it and use gloves and a mask when spreading it out . Good luck and be careful .
If it says poison then it means poison but it shouldnt hurt you tree really.
The powder won't harm the tree, but it probably won't make a lot of difference to the ants. The ants that you get with Acers are sugar eating ants (the tree gives them maple syrup). First of all, hose down the trunk of the tree - that will wash away their food supply. Now get some jelly ant killer - Nippon's brand is called Japanese Ant Killer but they're all the same stuff. Put this around the base of the tree and the ants will eat it instead. It contains Borax and it takes about 3 weeks to wipe out the whole colony.
before you go ahead and use incesticides to kill ants off anything, it would be worth a try making up a 1 part solution of lemon juice to 3 parts water and 1 part vinegar and 1 part soap! Its totally harmless and does kill off all sorts of garden pests.
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