I noticed early on this year the bark at the bottom of the tree starting to peel off. It seemed to be getting worse and when I pulled the loose bark off I noticed small holes in the base of the trunk. I'm pretty sure they are ants since they are everywhere in my neighborhood that is full of huge maples. How can I stop them from totally destroying the tree? If and when I can get rid of them, will the tree survive the assault? Thanks.
