I have been digesting everything from this forum for years so now want to contribute a little back.

I figured out how to kick ants out of my fruit trees once and for all.They love to farm aphids and keep predators like spiders and ladybugs away. First how to keep them out of the tree. Some people like tangle foot but that seemed messy.

Ants hate vegetable oil. They get it on themselves they can not breath and avoid it if possible. I took some velcro wrap and put it around the trunk of the tree then an old toothbrush on the vegetable oil and they do not go up it anymore. In a matter of days aphid predators return.

Then I put some Terro ant bait under the tree and they go for that now they can not get up the tree. In a week most of the ants are gone. Take off the velcro wrap and reuse it next year.

Only thing is if branches are touching a fence or some other way the ants can get into the tree besides the trunk they will find the alternate if it exists. Good luck!