I've noticed ants crawling over the soil of one of my container grown trees.

I was wondering what is safe to use to get rid of them.

The container is not swarming with them and there don't appear to be any signs of a nest in the container. But I want to do something about it before they do nest and possibly cause damage to the tree.

It seems to be only this one that's affected and the 2 other trees that have been next to this one are unaffected.

I know there are Ant powders available but this would mean putting this on the soil and potentially get watered into the soil. Or there are sprays and jellies.

Does anyone know if these are likely to be safe or what else to use or do about this problem.

Thanks

low toxicity, super easy: take some old honey that has started to get grainy, or some pancake syrup, or just boil some water and lots of sugar to make a syrup. Put a bit of borax soap powder in it. drop it around the ants path. Works super quick.

The only thing is if your plants are outside, theyre will eventually be more ants. I think theyre only a problem if theyre tending aphids.

Forms very effective barrier around tree trunks, fences, and even around the house as a band of matching paint and be unnoticeable. Very easy to apply.

Ants B-Gone:
Texas A&M university report:
http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/HORT/Jul3004b.htm

Manufacturer's report:
http://www.logfinish.com/items_detail.php?name=Bug+Juice&ItemID=11&CA=7&UID=2005122021160565.184.95.46
Manufacturer's suggestions: 8 oz bug juice into 5 gallon latex paint.

What I do is to split the 8 oz bug juice as follows:
For tree trunks: 4 oz bug juice, 1.5 gallons interior water-based white flat latex wall paint, 1 gallon water. Then paint a 2 ft wide band around the trunk. Very good for protecting peaches, cherries and plums against borers.

For redwood fences (sometimes used by the ants to climb unto the trees when the branches are touching the fence: 4 oz Bug Juice in 2.5 gallons stain or water sealant and paint a band of it on your fence.

I have a ton of red ants but none in pots so far. I found Boric Acid at H.D. Seems to work good. Is this bad if I was to put it in pots?