Powder sugar and plaster of paris I think works. Ants transport appids to new growth to feed. The aphids excrete a sweet waste product to entice the ants to care for them. The ant will fight and kill any predators that try to eat the aphids. An ant can take out a large wasp.

While I don't know I suspect the ants will cut any tree roots that may be in the way of their tunnels.

You can place your pot in a solution of insecticidal soap and water at a rate of 1 to 2 tablespoons of insecticidal soap per quart of water for 20 to 30 minutes. Submerge the pot so the surface of the soil is just covered by the water-soap solution. This technique works quite well. Also, you should give your tree a good hard blast of water, as the ants are crawling up your tree no doubt to farm aphids. If you don't see aphids, look carefully for scale, cottony scale or mealybugs. All of those sucking insects produce a sticky exudate called honeydew that the ants eat. The honeydew will also promote black sooty mold as well. Ants do not cut roots,nor can an an ant "take out a wasp", at least, not the common Argentine ant we have here in the USA by the trillions. I'll let Rhizo comment on that comment :-) But they are problematic in that they will promote the proliferation of those sucking insects, and those insects can harm your tree. Once you've gotten rid of the ants and the sucking insects that most likely are in the canopy of the tree, you can apply trunk wrap, then paint the trunk wrap with about a 2 to 3" wide application of Tanglefoot, which is a very sticky substance that the ants can't travel across. Remember, ants come second - you most likely have some sort of sucking insect attacking your tree in the canopy, first, so be sure to treat for that, so you stop attracting ants.

Patty S.

Here is a link that might be useful: UC IPM: Ant Management

The link was great, thanks.
The pot is probably too big to submerge, at least I can't think of anything water tight that I could set it in that would also be deep enough to allow for soil coverage as well. But the suggestion (also noted on the link info) makes me think that the soap is not harmful to the plant's roots? If not, could a soil drench with the soap work? What about watering with a solution of neem oil or spinosad?
Would a ring of diatomaceous earth around the base of the tree repel them?
I have not found aphids or scale but I will keep a look out. I had forgotten that to ants these are farm animals, thanks for jogging my memory!
My main concern is whether or not they will harm the roots of the tree if they have colonized the container mix. If that is not an issue, I can certainly ignore them.
I've grown a lot of the basic veggies in my life, as well as camellias, gardenias, hibiscus, etc., but I am a novice at container fruit tree production. Really appreciate how responsive and patient you all are! And sorry to tag on so many addional questions. The more I learn, the more questions pop into my head.

Addional = additional. I really can spell. Autocorrect fail.

Diatomaceous earth will work very well. An ant motel should help to. Boric acid and powder sugar should work. The ants in cincinnati can be 3/4 inch long and they always win against the largest wasps. I don't know how big your ants are.

The link below give you an image of a tipical cincinnati ant

Here is a link that might be useful: https://www.google.com/search?q=giant+ant&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ipnsUdi8Ea-14APhrYCIDA&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=947#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=hFAxCM05flMHMM%3A%3BU2cHCecSjIA-_M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F1.bp.blogspot.com%252F_ngvcKdVhkyM%252FTRKtPLvzjBI%252FAAAAAAAACfQ%252Fw2o566DiNtg%252Fs320%252FJohn%252Bon%252BGiant%252BAnt%252B%252B2005.JPG%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.unknownmagicwithinwaltdisneyworld.com%252F2010%252F12%252Foh-how-silly.html%3B1600%3B1200

Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around the base and the trunk itself will slow them down. Any moisture at all from dew, rain, watering will make you have to re apply. Typically as the others have mentioned the ants are a sign of another issue. Treat that issue and the ants will go away on their own.

I have done all the suggested except for the powdered sugar. I save that for my funnel cakes, yum.

Mike

A Terro liquid bait station, consisting of boric acid in a sugar solution, could be extremely successful. It comes in a little plastic tray that contains the bait, allowing you to put it right on top of the potting mix, if you want to. Boric acid is very toxic to plants so sprinkling a homemade solution could be a problem.

Many different kinds of ants can be controlled with Amdro fireant bait. Sprinkle a small amount outside the container. There are also organic fire ant baits containing Spinosad as the active ingredient.

Ants love the opportunity to take up housekeeping inside plant containers, even building nursery chambers. If there is a lot of ant activity, they can leave the roots high and dry. Some ant species can harm roots by spraying them with formic acid. Some ants will feed on ripe fruit, veggies, and nectar. They will also chew through plant nectaries, causing damage.

I'd rather see you get rid of the ants in as non-invasive a way as possible (baits and diatomaceous earth). But you do need to get rid of them.

Ok, boy do I need glasses..I read your title to be...'I have ants in my pants'. Ok mvoing on...lol.

Mike

Thank you to all. I am going to take a closer look at the container this weekend to see what might be going on. It has occurred to me that perhaps there is too much moisture hanging out down at the bottom. I know I see a lot more ants after a good rain wets the ground.
Mike - thanks for catching my not so subtle play on words. Your eyes are fine!
SWP

OK, ants showed up on the Meyer as well so I tipped it out to look and the whole container was swarming with them. Decided to repot right then and there but had to dodge ants, figure out where to put the pile of infested soil, rinse the roots so I didn't inoculate the new pot with ants, then find a way to protect the bare rootball while I ran and scooped up the critter soil and mixed up new media. Got it all done. It was very dramatic. I would have preferred not to bare root at this time of year on the Gulf Coast but I felt like I didn't have a choice. I had invested in 24 quarts of reptibark with plans to try my Desert Rose and some succulents in 5-1-1 so I soaked it in a big big bucket of water, rinsed perlite and strained it through my kitchen colander, and subbed some bagged soil for peat, which I had not yet acquired. I hate peat anyway. Not perfect but clearly faster draining then the original mix. It drains within 30 seconds, is this normal? Also have little shade on the patio this time of year but covered the repotted Meyer with shade cloth I had on hand from Gemplers (planned to shade my fall garden until temps moderated here in the fall). I haven't even looked inside the innards of the lime yet, clearly I will have to be more prepared then I was with the Meyer. I sure hope my tree makes it.

Oh Lord, ANTS!

I've written a good number of ant threads the last '4', four-years.

Ants are a big problem in our area. While walking our dog, we'd see hundreds if not thousands on the walks.

One problem is our neighbors have their gardens/grass sprayed w/poisons.
I chose not to use chemical insecticides...but have changed my mind the last two years.
Once neighbors have their lawns sprayed, every last critter finds their way to our house.

Rhizo is 100% correct about Terro Ant Baits. Terro really rids ants. Baits need replacing every three months or so, but they work like a charm.

I summer plants outdoors..when it's time to bring plants back in, the soil is loaded w/ants..Or were.

Last spring, 2012, one plant that was about to go outside was so ant-infested, I tipped the plant over a piece of heavy cardboard, then dragged it outside. Wearing gloves!
The plant was hosed and rehosed. But, to be honest, it's difficult ridding all, one-zillion disgusting ants.
I filled a 24-inch pot w/o drainage holes w/water, then set the ant-infested plant inside, for days.

Anway, here's what I did last autumn. Around July/Aug I placed indoor/outdoor ant baits between various sections where plants were placed.

A week or two before bringing in, I watered EVERY SINGLE PLANT with vinegar. 'I don't suggest doing this, but it's up to you.'

Between the baits and vinegar, I found very few ants in the house this year.
2012 was a dam* nightmare; didn't want a repeat in 2013.

Repotting helps, but if repotted plants are left outside, those darn insects find a way back in the soil.

The other day, while inspecting my plants, there were ants everywhere! Although I'm not afraid of ants, 'in small numbers,' when I see hundreds crawling on pots, leaves, shelves, it's like being in a horror movie.

I went as far as ordering Praying Mantis eggs, assuming when larger they'd eat ants..No dice. I discovered mantis won't bother ants. They prefer larger prey. Oh, well, it was worth a try.

I spray vinegar and sprinkle hot pepper powder on outdoor plants, shelves, and tables. (Vinegar is not sprayed on foliage.)
Vinegar kills ants on contact and dislike the scent of hot pepper.

Good luck to those of you who have ant problems.

I'll have to check the link that was posted. Toni

Almost a month since the Meyer was bare root repotted. We had a week of 95+ degree weather and no rain to speak of until today when, in the ways of Texas weather, we got one inch in an hour. The tree has spent the past few weeks under white shade cloth alongside a small fig tree I rescued on 4th of July weekend. Both lost about 4 leaves and have not grown any new ones yet, but they live. And no ants.

Looking for solutions for my ants in houseplants problem. The terro traps aren't working.