If you keep bees in Southern California, Argentine ants are up there on your list of troublesome pests. And maybe you have some citrus trees.
A recent Los Angeles Times article discusses protecting your citrus trees from Huanglongbing (HLB) disease: "Want to save your citrus trees? Start a full-fledged insect war," by Jeanette Marantos.
Well, citrus psyllids spread HLB, and guess what? Ants protect citrus psyllids. Get the ants out of the way, and the citrus psyllids are defenseless against parasitic wasps. And your bees certainly won't complain! This is two-birds-with-one-stone stuff! The article suggests a relatively safe approach.
And gardeners, plant alyssum! The parasitic wasps really like it.
