Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
Get thee to a nursery and get your hands on some natural Neem Oil. You'll love it for all of your gardening... it's stinky but it's natural and non-chemical, and harmless for humans and pets and birds and such. It goes a long way... 1/2 tablespoon or so per litre of water. Since you have fruit trees, consider investing in one of those hand pump plant sprayers that holds about 5l.
xo
Neem is great because it deals with a wide range of pests from aphids to scale to beetle larvae and more. Looks like you have a kind of armored scale there, so you'll probably need to do multiple applications.
Thank you for that info @denmarkguy!!! Much appreciated - I had read a few forum threads and yes, did notice that quite a few people mentioned this neem oil, so I have added it to todays shopping list after reading this now.
Yeah, I am soooooooooooo over these ants and all the "pain in the arse" they bring, lol.