"Davey" wrote in message
...
I'm not a gardener by nature, whereas my wife is, but our willow tree
has what looks like a load of dried sap coming out of a spot on the
trunk about 4 feet off the ground, forming a small solid waterfall
effect, and there are several ants crawling around it. The waterfall is
about 4 inches in height.

Maybe it's an internal ant nest? If so, is it bad for the tree, and how
to treat it if it is?
Otherwise, I can't find what it is, so any help welcome.

Is there a good website to ID such problems? All that I have looked at
haven't helped.

--
Davey.

I hope you are successful in identifying and solving this. You'll get good
advice from the folk hereabouts.
Sadly, I lost a magnificent weeping willow as a result of flooding and high
winds earlier this year.

The dear old thing did go out with some style.
Its foundations, weakened by very high water, succumbed to high winds and
toppled over.
On the journey it demolished 2 walls, a street light, a flagpole, several
smaller trees and part of the roof of a building across the flooded lane. It
blocked the lane for 3 days.
Clearance was finished a couple of weeks later with the assistance of some
excellent tree surgeons and a 170T crane.
The tree was measured at 108ft high. After removing the small bits, they
reckon the big bits amounted to about 23 tons.
The root ball, which fell back to soggy earth, was measured at 10ft dia. The
bole is a bit over 4ft dia.
This has started to shoot again. I don't know whether to leave it or not. It
can never have its old and good footing.
Have posted some pics here. Possibly.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n1py0n0db...1sAk1px03_AgIa

Good luck,
Nick.