Question
Hi, i'm from Northern areas of Pakistan.

1. Dear, the problem with my vine is that it is infested by the ants (bigger, black ants) that live in the soil in its vicinity. They come out of the holes in the soil, crawl up the plant and eat up the stem and fruit. I want to get rid of the ants, suggest the measures that i should take.

2. and the pomegranate plant bears sufficient flowers, most of which fall prior to fruiting while the rest that make the fruit get rotten and fall off from the plant. What to do ?

Answer
Dear Taseer, I apologize for the lateness of my reply.  For the ants, it can be very difficult to get rid of these type of ants, but I think the best way would be to sprinkle some Cream of Wheat around the plants.  If you can find Borax, you can also mix the Borax with the Cream of Wheat.  Since Cream of Wheat is a cereal food product, it should be easy to find.  Sprinkle the Cream of Wheat around the plants, and the ants will be attracted to it and carry it back to the nests.  When the ants eat it, it makes them swell up and explode.  You will have to sprinkle the bait several times, but I think it will take care of your problem.  Other things work as repellents, such as coffee grounds and cinnamon, and baby powder will kill them if they run through it, but I would try the Cream of Wheat first since that will kill them pretty quickly.  As far as the pomegranates are concerned, spray the fruit with a copper fungicide several times during the fruiting season (from now until harvest) and that should help the problem.  Some flower drop is normal but when the fruit rots, you need a fungicide to fix that.  You should be able to find the fungicide at a gardening center or farming supply.   I hope this information helps you.  Please write back if you have further questions.  Good luck, Melissa