PM's Residence Garden as Insect Battlefield

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 28 May 2017)


                       Tree Enemy No. 1

The Ministry of Forests and Water Affairs has initiated a war with the
"12-toothed bark insects" in the garden of the Çankaya Mansion and
the Prime Minister's Residence by unleashing red forest ants in the
garden.  In addition to destroying the unwanted pests, the red ants are
aerating the ground, improving drainage and moving seeds.


                Prime Ministerial battleground

A chemical "pheromone" is also being used against the 12-toothed pests.
When a pheromone is secreted into the environment it creates a special
reaction that prompts creatures of the same species to reproduce,
tempting the pests into a trap.  In the garden of the Çankaya Mansion,
41 pheromone traps, each 1.3 meters high, have been spread among the
trees.


       Red ants to the rescue!

As for the red ants, nests for them have been formed in the garden so
they can battle their enemy, which drills holes in the bark of the trees
and begins to eat away at the tree's cambium tissue layer.



Çankaya Mansion and Prime Minister's Residence (A)