Yesterday, when family came over to hang out, we noticed that Abel's tree had had all these ants on it. My first thought was, "Oh, this must be healthy - nature hanging out by the tree". But others thought that the ants were eating the leaves because there were swaths of leaves with holes on the tree.
So, off I went to the trusty Internet to find what is causing this ant "infestation". To my mild surprise, this is a common occurrence where the ants are not eating the leaves, but protecting an insect called aphids that do eat the leaves. The ants, in turn, "drink" out of the butt of these aphids to extract sugar and bring it back the their colony. Gross. I guess that is why, in the movie "ANTZ", the ants order aphid beer. Anyway, I thought that was disgusting, but also at a wonder on how ants work.
The point is, ants and aphids are a problem to apple trees because the ants protect the aphids from their natural predators (like ladybugs) and, as a result, an over infestation of aphids causes harm to the tree. One remedy is to coat the base of the tree with canola/vegetable oil. Apparently, ants do not like oil - can't walk in it, get mired in it - and should stop the ants from going up and down the tree and protecting the aphids.
I just hope the predators are still around to eat the aphids.
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Joy of Gardening
I think I have found a way to grieve.
One of the lessons we have learned recently is to take joy in life. After Abel passed away, Deborah's mother helped us do some gardening around the house. The previous owners did a wonderful job in planting perennials and we have had the privilege of enjoying the fruits of their labour the past couple of years. However, the gardens have needed some maintenance for some time now and we are glad that Deb's mom likes this kind of work.
In helping her with tidying up the gardens, I grew to enjoy working outside, planting new flowers, and nurturing the existing plants. The act of taking care of plants gave me a contentment and reminds me of the lesson God taught Deb and I about enjoying life.
Here are some pics of our plants. Enjoy!
One of the lessons we have learned recently is to take joy in life. After Abel passed away, Deborah's mother helped us do some gardening around the house. The previous owners did a wonderful job in planting perennials and we have had the privilege of enjoying the fruits of their labour the past couple of years. However, the gardens have needed some maintenance for some time now and we are glad that Deb's mom likes this kind of work.
In helping her with tidying up the gardens, I grew to enjoy working outside, planting new flowers, and nurturing the existing plants. The act of taking care of plants gave me a contentment and reminds me of the lesson God taught Deb and I about enjoying life.
Here are some pics of our plants. Enjoy!
above: a Ginko tree
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