Ridding Chestnut tree of ants

15 years ago

We recently had our 125 year old chestnut tree thinned and some dead branches taken off. The tree guy said that carpenter ants are hurting the tree and that we need to use Diazinon around the base. I don't want to uise it because there are squirels living in it.

Any other suggestions on how to rid it of the ants?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

alfie_md6
15 years ago
They say (you know, them) that carpenter ants don't damage the trees; they take advantage of the damage that has already done by other means. See, for example, the link, which advises not doing anything unless the carpenter ants are going from the tree to your house.

Here is a link that might be useful: Carpenter ants in trees
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
With that bad advice, I'm worried about the kind of job that your 'tree guy' did on your chestnut. Did he use tree spikes to climb the tree?
Related Discussions
How to get rid of ants in a potted orange tree?
Q
Comments (23)
This thread has reminded me of one of my many nightmare stories about fire ants. These ants are simply a part of life in much of the warmer parts of this country. I was living in S. Carolina at the time. I got into my car, backed down the driveway, and started down the road. After about two or three minutes, I felt a sharp sting on my calf. Immediately, I felt stings all over, including down my blouse. A huge swarm of the ants had entered my car at some point from the time I had driven it earlier in the day till the moment they all tried to sting me at once. The nurses counted dozens and dozens of stings from my toes to the top of my head. I was bothered by 'phantom' ant stings for months after that, lol.
...See More
how to get rid of ant in a container
Q
Comments (7)
That's a really good point, and one I hadn't considered. You would think there might be a toxic reaction because of plants' sensitivity to even small excesses of boron, but so far I've never had a problem ..... and I use them fairly frequently. I have a hypertufa trough with evergreens in it that gets an ant colony moving in every year, so each year it gets a liquid bait trap set on the surface and the ants "go away" and the plants carry on as normal. Al
...See More
Carpenter Ants on our Chestnut?
Q
Comments (1)
hire a new tree guy ...???? at least get the opinion of a certified arborist.. rather than a guy who owns a chainsaw .... ants are there as a result of an unhealthy tree ... which may simply be a function of a very old, mature tree ... stopping the ants from going up the tree ... really isnt going to solve what is happening inside the tree ... ken
...See More
Need help to get rid of scales and ants
Q
Comments (12)
Hi everyone, Thank you for your advice. I continue to spray with organocide. I used garden hose to hose the leaves and flush the soil. They look better. less ants still have some left though. Do we have to spray citrus regularly to protect all insects in the future? I really like the idea of coffee ground. I will try this method soon. I have another question... I'm not sure wheter should I create another post or not. I have a potted honey mandarin tree(dwarf, about 3 ft tall). This past summer, it had about 10 fruits. They looked pretty normal but when we cut them in half, we found out that half of the fruit had dry pulps and another half had juicy pulps. This happened to all 10 oranges. I don't know what cause this? less water?
...See More
Kimmsr
15 years ago
Ants are a symptom of a problem, not the problem. The tree guy suggested you use a product that is not only not organic but is not longer being sold because of its adverse affect on human health. Look into why the ants are in tree and solve that problem and the ants wil no longer be in the tree, but get a tree person that really knows what they are talking about.
nandina
15 years ago
A 125 year old chestnut! American? Tell us a bit more about the tree itself, please. Over the years I have treated numerous mature trees riddled with carpenter ants and in a state of slow decline such as you describe. You do want to discourage the carpenter ants before they locate the comfort of your house walls. In these situations it is very easy to see the travel patterns of the ants. My organic solution, which works well, is to toss 20 Mule Borax within the tree hollow and around the trunk. Replenish in a month if the first treatment has not worked. Although Borax applied in heavy doses kills plants, I have never lost a mature tree using it in moderation sprinkled along the ant trails.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
I was wondering about that, too, Nandina. The age of the chestnut, I mean.
alfie_md6
15 years ago
Chinese chestnut?
Kimmsr
15 years ago
Applying Borax is not an organic solution to a problem and eliminating the ants without solving the problem will not prolong the life of the tree. Boron, in just a bit over that necessary to plants is a soil poison and in just a fairly small amount will kill plants.
nandina
15 years ago
Kimm, we need to have a bit of a discussion. I do not understand what you mean by "solving the problem to prolong the life of the tree". Just what is the tree's problem? I may be one of the few posting here with American Chestnut/chestnut experience. Let's do a bit of thinking here.

The chestnut could be in decline because:
1. Chestnut blight-no known cure.
2. If it is located in a New England state the rapidly spreading winter moth has found chestnut to be tasty and is completely defoliating the trees. A 125 year old chestnut should be 50'+ tall, the moth difficult to control organically.
3. Given a choice chestnuts enjoy a slightly dampish soil with underground springs beneath. Perhaps the water source has been diminished due to drought or land disturbance.

4. Old age?

5. Etc, etc. So, Kimm, just which "problem" are you going to solve"...after you have identified which problem it is?

But, of course, you would say that we really do not need to know the 'Problem". Just run out there with organic soil/goodies, spread them around the tree to encourage Mycorrhizal fungus and perhaps have an arborist inject some (MF) around the tree roots and this will prolong the life of the tree. At this point, based on years of observation, I want to raise a red flag. The canopy of a mature tree in decline adjusts to the tree's poor health. This is why one sees dying branches and summer leaf drop. When a tree receives a healthy dose of food when it is in a weakened state the canopy is not strong enough to support the sudden growth spurt. I have seen mature trees treated in this manner split in half or have considerable limb breakage because the weak branches cannot sustain the additional growth encouraged by fertilizers. There are times when one accepts the natural world. In the case of this particular question we may or may not know the cause of the problem this chestnut is experiencing. But, a bit of borax sprinkled on the carpenter ant trails and in the tree hollow should solve the problem. Been there. Done that for years with no harm to anything in the surrounds.
Kimmsr
15 years ago
Nandina, you did not read everything I wrote. Ants are a symptom, not the problem and the trees caretaker needs to look for what the real problem is and solve that. Once the real problem is resolved the ants will stop visiting the tree. Killing the messenger, in this instance the ants, will not solve anything.
jean001
15 years ago
The result of the real problem is dead wood. And the reason for that is commonly improper pruning cuts during years past.