Don, youâre right, Iâd never seal the whole cut, but I think sealing the hole would do the job and still allow the tree itâs healing powers. Hwvr, I can reach only one of these holes and I think they are also using some higher up. If I could just get my cat to do the job while heâs up thereâ
Kitty
From: owner-perennials@hort.net [mailto:owner-perennials@hort.net] On Behalf Of Don Martinson
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2015 12:40 PM
To: perennials@hort.net
Subject: Re: carpenter ants
Hi Kitty,
Iâm not an entomologist, but to have an advanced degree in biology, although I would defer to anyone with more specific knowledge. Are the sites when the ants seem to be nesting easily accessible to you? I think if it were mine, I would apply some sort of ant-specific insecticide to the hole and then seal the hole with some sort of weatherproof sealant â not the whole cut, just the access hole. That said, there are some who would suggest that this might seal any sort of rot or infection inside whatever hole the carpenter ants created, so I would be interested to hear other possible options.
-- Don Martinson🌿
Milwaukee, WI
"If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener."
~J. C. Raulston
On 7/25/15, 10:46 AM, "Kitty Morrissy" <1018@rewrite.hort.net> wrote:
I realize this is a perennials forum but hope that someone here may have knowledge of this issue.
A year & a half ago I had several large limbs removed from a maple tree in the back yard. He did a good job, cutting correctly for promotion of wound collars. Instead of healing flat across, some of them have a hole in the center like this drawing shown on a CO university page:
According to that site, the image is a good cut with full collar. So the hole must be OK?
However, the hole in the center has drawn carpenter ants as witnessed by piles of frass at the base of the tree. I now see them coming to and from one of the holes. I sprayed some ant killer in the hole that I can reach, but others I cannot reach.
Am I going to lose the tree altogether? I donât want to spend a fortune on an arborist and it doesnât seem like something I can fix on my own. How long do you think it can last with this problem â or should I have it fixed or removed because Carpenter ants could decide to start a satellite site in my house about 20 feet away? I did once years ago have them on the other side of the house in the garage brickmoulding and in another maple out front but had that taken care of professionally.
Sorry, Iâm ramblingâthe question is, does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Kitty
