Hi All, I have a very large, tall spruce tree, I believe it is a Norway Spruce, up near the front of my house. It appears to be healthy, and I've lived at the house about 11 years with no problems with it. I have noticed however that it has a quantity of large black ants, crawling up and down the trunk. I never thought much about them, but recently I have noticed (and this may have always been the case) rows of neat round holes in the trunk of the tree, spaced about 1" -2" apart, in parts and they are all beading sap. Sometimes there is a single row, and sometimes double rows. They aren't everywhere. Could these possibly be the ants burrowing into the tree, and if so, will this weaken the tree eventually? I have never seen an ant going in or coming out of one, it is kind of perplexing- thanks for any advice. JEFFERY1493
I looked up sap suckers, and this is what I found: -------------- http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_sap/sap.htm "Sapsuckers feeding on shade and ornamental trees leave unsightly bleeding wounds that attract bees, hornets, and other insects to the sweet, oozing sap. On forest trees these wounds may attract porcupines or red squirrels that further injure the trees through feeding. "After repeated attacks on the same area of a tree, large patches of bark may be removed. If this area is girdled, the portion of tree above this point will die. Many small limbs are killed and some- times the trunk is girdled and the whole tree is killed" ---------------------- Okay, this has me somewhat concerned. So how do I get rid of these 'sap suckers'....? --------------- http://www.winnipeg.ca/publicworks/Brochures/TreeProblems.asp "Distracting (Sap Sucker) Birds: Use string with pieces of foil or coloured flagging tape tied at one foot intervals to discourage the flight of birds such as sapsuckers. Several strings strung in the vicinity of trees that have been attacked will quickly discourage birds from visiting them." -------------- Has anyone done this? I can't really picture what they're talking about. My tree is about 100 feet high, so it would take more than several strings. This one has me particularly worried: -------------- http://vancouver.asklocally.com/whats_a_humane_way_to_get_rid_of_a_woodpecker Submitted by Guest on Mon, 04/04/2005 - 10:44pm. "Hi there, Where we live in North Vancouver we are always fending off wood peckers and sap suckers. Where the bird is pecking try placing a wild coloured beach ball and hang it there...we've done this and it works. It was an animal control company that showed us this. Doug" "One more thing...wood peckers are usually going after insects that are within the wood of a tree or siding and not really going after the wood itself...so double check for carpenter ant activity or something like that... Cheers!" -------------- Okay, so are we back to carpenter ants, which was what I originally feared? Or should I go to WalMart and pick up some beach balls and strap them to my tree. These might get some comments or talk from the neighbors, in my front yard. I can say it would be tragic to have this tree die, or for it to become a favourite snack stick for sap suckers until it acquires gaping, unsightly wounds and/or a dead girdled top. Taken at faith that my tree doesn't also have a nest of carpenter ants, has anyone had experiences with these sap suckers? How did you get rid of these fly-by-night tree assassins???
Here's a photo of sapsucker holes, if you need to confirm this. Sapsuckers Damage Trees from University of Illinois Extension provides similar advice to the second site you've linked to. It seems to me that you need to determine why exactly the woodpecker is attracted to your tree - it may be eating insects that are damaging your tree internally, as it is. I think some photos would help - first of all, of the holes in the trunk and secondly, if possible, the inside of the bark of the tree (perhaps some will come off easily near some of the holes)
That is EXACTLY what I have on my tree. Here is are the holes, and the tree. As I said, there are large, black ants all over the tree. That is the only insect I have ever seen. If carpenter ants are large, about 1" long, and black, then the tree is infested. If they are just eating the sap, then that would explain it.
I tied strips of crumpled aluminum foil at 2' intervals in several places around the trunk. I can't possibly get in the upper areas, the tree is about 100 ft high. But maybe this will make it less appetizing. The ants are about 1" with brown slightly striped rears.
Time to Panic! Well, I got a picture of one of the ants (attached). There weren't too many of them out today, but it had recently rained. The thing is, it looks alot like the carpenter ant on this page: http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F1Column/2003Articles/JUNE29.htm I don't see any piles of sawdust anywhere, or any holes really except the round ones bleeding sap. Crap! I hope these aren't possibly boring the center of the tree out, and possibly munching on parts of the house..............I have only seen one in the house so far, might have come through the front door. But the tree is only about 4' away from the house.
