Carpenter Ants in a Tree

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kimam

Carpenter Ants in a Tree

I have a nest of carpenter ants in a Japanese Willow tree (2 years old) in the back yard. There looks to be a nest at the base of the tree. The ants go up and down the tree all day long. I had a bamboo pole that had been used to stake the tree. I couldn't get it out of the ground and it broke off in the attempt. It looks like the ants are going into the bamboo pole and into the ground. The base is perhaps rotted and so is being used as part of the nest (or nests). What is the most cost effective way to deal with these ants. I don't really need an elaborate system - they are not inside and I only have one other tree in the back yard - a 5 year old Maple. Last year we had a hot dry summer and ants were a problem for the first time. I'm not sure what happens to them in the winter - it gets quite cold and there is lots of snow. Thanks

Status: Open Jun 24, 2013 - 07:14 AM

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Answer

RonDawson

Jun 24, 2013 - 01:59 PM

The reason that the ants are going up into the tree could be to gather aphids. They also feed on leaf juices. So the back and forth is a food gathering effort.

Any time you spray for ants, especially carpenter ants, you take a HUGE risk of causing the colony to divide or "bud" into lots of new nests. My advice is to either bait with a short term bait such Advance Carpenter Ant bait, or go with something more long term like the KM Ant Pro System. Always remember that there are more ants on earth than any other creature, and where there are ants, there are usually more ants. Ants are everywhere.

For a quick kill, and not caring whether the ants bud or not, use Bifen Insecticide. Mix it in a bucket and pour about 1-2 gallons of mixed Bifen ( 1 oz per gallon of water) around the base of tree, and saturate the trunk. This will kill the ants on contact.

Then when they show up somewhere else, you can do it again, and again, and again. You get the idea.

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