Ant Walnut
Does anyone know about havester ants and walnuts?
We have a walnut tree and for the first time as we are gathering the nuts, we've seen that some of the nuts have a small hole where there are ants going inside (or escaping once they're knocked around a bit). Can anyone tell me how they "crack the nut"? Do they bore into it where the two halves come together or is there already some kind of crack there? References would be great if you have them. Also, could they be effecting the actual tree wood? (Is my tree in danger from them?) Thanks!
Ok, there are actually 3 layers to a growing walnut - the fleshy outside, the shell and the meat inside. Between the fleshy outside and the shell are the plant equivelent of veins.
The veins feed the meat inside by going through one small opening at the bottom of the shell and through tiny holes spread all over the shell. The bottom hole is the softest part to get through, so it's probably where the ants are entering.
See a walnut in a store for details - these are the nuts with the fleshy outside removed. You can slide a pointed knife in the hole at the bottom and then twist to pop them open (assuming they're not old)
As for getting rid of the ants... I'd recommend finding and planting "tansy" - they grow to about 2 feet tall and have yellow flowers (a bit like bright cammomile with flat tops), and ants don't like them at all!
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