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#1
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
Hi, I've got a large cherry tree that's infested with either termites or
carpenter ants. I noticed at the bottom of tree what appeared to be sawdust, cleaned it up and the next day it was back. Today I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into the two holes they were using and the critters poured out of the tree. They appear to have two parts to the body (part near the head is smaller than the part at the rear and fairly large head wiith good sized pinchers. The Bonide spray seems to work but I suspect they'll just burrow into the tree at a another location how do I permantely get rid of them? Thanks, Mike |
#2
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
"Mike" wrote in message news:yG5ti.56$jk4.21@trndny01... Hi, I've got a large cherry tree that's infested with either termites or carpenter ants. I noticed at the bottom of tree what appeared to be sawdust, cleaned it up and the next day it was back Sounds like carpenter ants. The dust is from their galleries. They control the environment inside the tree by limiting moisture. Too wet or too dry stalls the decay pathogen. In this sense ants are a benefit for the tree. They stay within boundaries set by the tree after wounding. .. Today I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into the two holes they were using and the critters poured out of the tree. They appear to have two parts to the body (part near the head is smaller than the part at the rear and fairly large head wiith good sized pinchers. The Bonide spray seems to work but I suspect they'll just burrow into the tree at a another location how do I permantely get rid of them? Ants are good guys. Leave them alone. Even if you have them in your house, the reason would be rotten wood in your house. They stall the rot process in building materials as well. termites also respect boundaries set by the tree. If you are in the south many times the problem which caused the termites to be present was flush cut pruning. Your description does not sound like ants. As far as your use of pesticides, user beware. http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/spring.html the web site is down right now. try later or go here http://www.beyondpesticides.org/ You really need to let a professional diagnose your issue rather than applying toxins and then asking questions. Anyway, the cause of the issue with the presence or organisms is wounds to the tree. Even termites follow wounds and stay in chemically altered wood from the wound. |
#3
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
I forgot to sign what I wrote:
Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. "symplastless" wrote in message . .. "Mike" wrote in message news:yG5ti.56$jk4.21@trndny01... Hi, I've got a large cherry tree that's infested with either termites or carpenter ants. I noticed at the bottom of tree what appeared to be sawdust, cleaned it up and the next day it was back Sounds like carpenter ants. The dust is from their galleries. They control the environment inside the tree by limiting moisture. Too wet or too dry stalls the decay pathogen. In this sense ants are a benefit for the tree. They stay within boundaries set by the tree after wounding. . Today I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into the two holes they were using and the critters poured out of the tree. They appear to have two parts to the body (part near the head is smaller than the part at the rear and fairly large head wiith good sized pinchers. The Bonide spray seems to work but I suspect they'll just burrow into the tree at a another location how do I permantely get rid of them? Ants are good guys. Leave them alone. Even if you have them in your house, the reason would be rotten wood in your house. They stall the rot process in building materials as well. termites also respect boundaries set by the tree. If you are in the south many times the problem which caused the termites to be present was flush cut pruning. Your description does not sound like ants. As far as your use of pesticides, user beware. http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/spring.html the web site is down right now. try later or go here http://www.beyondpesticides.org/ You really need to let a professional diagnose your issue rather than applying toxins and then asking questions. Anyway, the cause of the issue with the presence or organisms is wounds to the tree. Even termites follow wounds and stay in chemically altered wood from the wound. |
#4
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
What I was trying to say is that you
1. Diagnose 2. Treat 3. Access The problem you made was you treated, now you are trying to diagnose. Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Consulting Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. "symplastless" wrote in message . .. I forgot to sign what I wrote: Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. "symplastless" wrote in message . .. "Mike" wrote in message news:yG5ti.56$jk4.21@trndny01... Hi, I've got a large cherry tree that's infested with either termites or carpenter ants. I noticed at the bottom of tree what appeared to be sawdust, cleaned it up and the next day it was back Sounds like carpenter ants. The dust is from their galleries. They control the environment inside the tree by limiting moisture. Too wet or too dry stalls the decay pathogen. In this sense ants are a benefit for the tree. They stay within boundaries set by the tree after wounding. . Today I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into the two holes they were using and the critters poured out of the tree. They appear to have two parts to the body (part near the head is smaller than the part at the rear and fairly large head wiith good sized pinchers. The Bonide spray seems to work but I suspect they'll just burrow into the tree at a another location how do I permantely get rid of them? Ants are good guys. Leave them alone. Even if you have them in your house, the reason would be rotten wood in your house. They stall the rot process in building materials as well. termites also respect boundaries set by the tree. If you are in the south many times the problem which caused the termites to be present was flush cut pruning. Your description does not sound like ants. As far as your use of pesticides, user beware. http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/spring.html the web site is down right now. try later or go here http://www.beyondpesticides.org/ You really need to let a professional diagnose your issue rather than applying toxins and then asking questions. Anyway, the cause of the issue with the presence or organisms is wounds to the tree. Even termites follow wounds and stay in chemically altered wood from the wound. |
#5
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
More important than the presence of organisms are the following. If you
have addressed these issues you should be in good shape. Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case Sensitive. Troubles in the Rhizosphere http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub1.html and Look up "Tree Planting" http://www.treedictionary.com Improper Mulching - http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub3.html and http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/ Look up "Mulch" Improper Pruning http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry) http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html Tree Farming and Related Problems http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/SOUND/ Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. |
#6
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
symplastless wrote:
Ants are good guys. Leave them alone. Even if you have them in your house, the reason would be rotten wood in your house. They stall the rot process in building materials as well. I 100% agree in leaving ants alone if at all possible. I am skeptical about your statement implying that they only come into your house if there is rotting wood. I'm also skeptical that they halt the rotting process. How does the formic acid ants exude do that? I'd think it further breaks down the lignite in the wood - that is ants destroy wood rather than make it last longer. Near me there is an ancient Indian city named by the whites Chaco Canyon. Abandoned by Indians due to changed climate (dried out) you can go there and find large pieces of wood which were trees over 700 years ago. The ranger there told me that the wood still exists because there are no ants (no water) to digest the wood. Was that information wrong? -paul |
#7
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
Mike wrote:
Hi, I've got a large cherry tree that's infested with either termites or carpenter ants. I noticed at the bottom of tree what appeared to be sawdust, cleaned it up and the next day it was back. Today I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into the two holes they were using and the critters poured out of the tree. They appear to have two parts to the body (part near the head is smaller than the part at the rear and fairly large head wiith good sized pinchers. The Bonide spray seems to work but I suspect they'll just burrow into the tree at a another location how do I permantely get rid of them? Thanks, Mike could be a number of type of ants, but all of them are beneficial to the tree...they are not killing your tree but excavating in already diseased/rotted wood. They are just a symptom of another issue. Lar |
#8
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
symplastless wrote:
Ants are good guys. Leave them alone. Even if you have them in your house, the reason would be rotten wood in your house. They stall the rot process in building materials as well. Thinking you are meaning carpenter ants here but even then 85%-90% of all carpenter ant work I do in homes has nothing to do with wood at all much less wet/rotting wood and the c-ant nest that I find around wood is more so for the hollow void rather than it being wet. (hollow core doors & crown molding are usually the culprits) Lar |
#9
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
Ants stall decay by limiting moisture.
-- Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Consulting Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. "Paul Cassel" wrote in message ... symplastless wrote: Ants are good guys. Leave them alone. Even if you have them in your house, the reason would be rotten wood in your house. They stall the rot process in building materials as well. I 100% agree in leaving ants alone if at all possible. I am skeptical about your statement implying that they only come into your house if there is rotting wood. I'm also skeptical that they halt the rotting process. How does the formic acid ants exude do that? I'd think it further breaks down the lignite in the wood - that is ants destroy wood rather than make it last longer. Near me there is an ancient Indian city named by the whites Chaco Canyon. Abandoned by Indians due to changed climate (dried out) you can go there and find large pieces of wood which were trees over 700 years ago. The ranger there told me that the wood still exists because there are no ants (no water) to digest the wood. Was that information wrong? -paul |
#10
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
"Lar" wrote in message ... Mike wrote: Hi, I've got a large cherry tree that's infested with either termites or carpenter ants. I noticed at the bottom of tree what appeared to be sawdust, cleaned it up and the next day it was back. Today I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into the two holes they were using and the critters poured out of the tree. They appear to have two parts to the body (part near the head is smaller than the part at the rear and fairly large head wiith good sized pinchers. The Bonide spray seems to work but I suspect they'll just burrow into the tree at a another location how do I permantely get rid of them? Thanks, Mike could be a number of type of ants, but all of them are beneficial to the tree...they are not killing your tree but excavating in already diseased/rotted wood. They are just a symptom of another issue. Lar |
#11
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
"Lar" wrote in message ... Mike wrote: Hi, I've got a large cherry tree that's infested with either termites or carpenter ants. I noticed at the bottom of tree what appeared to be sawdust, cleaned it up and the next day it was back. Today I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into the two holes they were using and the critters poured out of the tree. They appear to have two parts to the body (part near the head is smaller than the part at the rear and fairly large head wiith good sized pinchers. The Bonide spray seems to work but I suspect they'll just burrow into the tree at a another location how do I permantely get rid of them? Thanks, Mike could be a number of type of ants, but all of them are beneficial to the tree...they are not killing your tree but excavating in already diseased/rotted wood. They are just a symptom of another issue. It gets worse in that I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into an opening in the tree which caused the ants to rpidly exit the tree and I suspect the carpenter ants won't ever return to inside the tree because of the spray and the spray may hurt the tree. Is it possible that fungus could be in the tree? Fungus is on the outside of the tree. |
#12
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
Mike wrote:
It gets worse in that I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into an opening in the tree which caused the ants to rpidly exit the tree and I suspect the carpenter ants won't ever return to inside the tree because of the spray and the spray may hurt the tree. Is it possible that fungus could be in the tree? Fungus is on the outside of the tree. The Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer looks to be a couple of pyrethroids, which breaks down so ants probably could be back in within a couple of months, hard to say. Fungi infected wood probably was what gave the ants a place to nest to begin with. The fungus will be in parts of the wood that are staying wet, not sure if there any way to avoid such areas in any large tree. Lar |
#13
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
Why not just cut the tree down and be done with the ants?
-- Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Consulting Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. "Lar" wrote in message ... Mike wrote: It gets worse in that I sprayed Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer into an opening in the tree which caused the ants to rpidly exit the tree and I suspect the carpenter ants won't ever return to inside the tree because of the spray and the spray may hurt the tree. Is it possible that fungus could be in the tree? Fungus is on the outside of the tree. The Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer looks to be a couple of pyrethroids, which breaks down so ants probably could be back in within a couple of months, hard to say. Fungi infected wood probably was what gave the ants a place to nest to begin with. The fungus will be in parts of the wood that are staying wet, not sure if there any way to avoid such areas in any large tree. Lar |
#14
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
"symplastless" wrote in message . .. Why not just cut the tree down and be done with the ants? Well, I think not when I can pour 5lbs of salt arounf the roots wait two weeks then burn it then plow the ground. |
#15
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Chrerry Tree Infested w/ Ants or Termites?
"Lar" wrote in message ... Mike wrote: The Bonide Termite and Carpenter Ant Killer looks to be a couple of pyrethroids, which breaks down so ants probably could be back in within a couple of months, hard to say. Fungi infected wood probably was what gave the ants a place to nest to begin with. The fungus will be in parts of the wood that are staying wet, not sure if there any way to avoid such areas in any large tree. Lar Several years ago, beofre I bought the house someone and trimmed it resulting in several places on the trunk that are entrance points for the ants.I think the tree has fungus inside and the ants were probably carrying out the rotten wood. |
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