Getting Antsy?

Photo from: http://www.ent.uga.edu/

Carpenter ants are frequently seen crawling in and out of trees (Pin Oaks seem to be a favorite).

These little critters are fairly difficult to treat. You have to kill the Queen in order to entirely rid yourself of an infestation. Using ant bait, available at local hardware stores, is a good place to start. The idea is that ants are attracted to the bait, and then carry it back to their friends in the tree.

Carpenter ants are a secondary tree problem, as they only eat dead wood and do not damage the tree. However, the presence of the ants warrants a closer look at your tree for a more serious (primary) problem.

There is a chance that the ants will migrate to your house (again eating dead, rotting wood), so it is better to manage the problem than to let it go.