[andrewmoquin]

These small black ants are sucking the sap from the new laves of my English laurel hedge, and causing a lot of damage. any ideas as to how to discourage them? And by discourage them I mean kill them all!

[SG6]

Locate the nest and destroy it.

Locate the nest and the route they take and paint the trunk with something like plant grease that they cannot get across. They will however just wander elsewhere and probably to another part of the laurel.