Ants in Crack of White Pine

[brendonv]

A customer of mine has ants in the union of a double stemmed White Pine. It's going to be slated for removal at some point but in the mean time they'd like to stop them.

Should a run of the mill household ant killer be the answer?

 

[cory]

Why not? Diazinon is it?

 

[sotc]

I hate ants in my crack. Just find something at any decent nursery. Still a good idea to use plant friendly insecticides in case they decide not to remove it right away

 

[sotc]

And it is technically illegal to use any of the products against the label directions...

 

[Paul B]

diatomaceous earth AKA silicon dioxide. Organic, avoid baited products as they encourage more of the little buggers to show up to the party. Most ant killers / baits here are a mix of sugar water and borax.

 

[FJR]

Everyone wants to remove carpenter ants from their trees, and I think it is a big misnomer. Carpenter ants do not eat wood. They will bore out galleries and tunnels in soft and decayed wood. That wood is already structurally compromised, therefore the ants really aren't doing any damage. They are a secondary issue, decay in the included bark is the primary.

 

[Jack]

I hate ants in my crack. ...

We live in a log home and we use borax for everything. It's sold everywhere as roach powder. Kills most insects by desiccation and is "supposed" to be save for mammals. If we get an invasion we bait them with a home made mix of jelly and borax. They eat the mix and take it back to the colony and after a week or two no more ants. We found the mix to be very important. They avoid too much borax. And, too little doesn't kill the colony. We experiment every year to find the right mix for their taste.

edit: My wife adds: "You have to let them keep coming and eating it ... really hard to do! Other than that, we leave them alone ... just not in the house!!!"

 

[brendonv]

That's what I explained.

It's such a large part of the landscape right now removal has to be planned for. I suggested they start planting new trees behind these. Problem is that it's the center tree in a group of three, which has been pruned to look like one. These are full size White Pines, 80' to the tip. I said take this one, then take them all. So they have to make a choice.

But the pile of saw dust at the base the ants were eagerly extracting while we were standing there isn't something they want to look at. So they will kill the ants, and install a temporary cable 2/3 up for structural support.

No targets, just manicured lawn.

 

[rfwoodvt]

Everyone wants to remove carpenter ants from their trees, and I think it is a big misnomer. Carpenter ants do not eat wood. They will bore out galleries and tunnels in soft and decayed wood. That wood is already structurally compromised, therefore the ants really aren't doing any damage. They are a secondary issue, decay in the included bark is the primary.

A side benefit of thier gallery making is that they remove a significant amount of the pathogen that would be available for innoculation.

Carpenter ants are indicators of an existing problem, not generally a cause. I say leave them be.

If the customer is worried about the ants "migrating" to thier buildings that should never be a problem unless thier buildings have damp wood from poor ventillation or drainage. If that is the case the ants will come whether they are in nearby trees or not.

 

[top_notch]

Good to know!

 

[treelooker]

A side benefit of thier gallery making is that they remove a significant amount of the pathogen that would be available for innoculation.

Carpenter ants are indicators of an existing problem, not generally a cause. I say leave them be. .

I agree. If they have bugophobia then use one of the irritants suggested.

Was the option of supporting the cracked stem with brace rod and pruning suggested?

Or are they eager to blow a pile of money to put a hole in their landscape, and leave you with nothing to work on in that yard next year and thereafter?

 

[squisher]

How are you proposing to brace the stem of a 80' white pine?