I think carpenter ants are infesting my two yellow maples

13 years ago

During the last strong windstorm, we lost a large branch off of one of our big yellow maples near the house. When we started to cut it up to get it out of the way, we noticed that it was almost hollow inside, and big black carpenter ants poured out with every cut we made. They immediately headed back towards the tree. Now we have started to see ants inside the house (circa 1900, mostly wood). Do we need to get the trees removed? If one tree is infested, is the other one? Who should I get to inspect the trees? They are less than 10 ft. apart, and less than 20 ft. from the house. Thank you very much for your help!

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Comments (4)

Embothrium
13 years ago
Look for a certified arborist to inspect the tree.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
13 years ago
Post a picture of your yard. I'm concerned about a big hollow tree potentially overhanging your home.

IF a big tree is in the middle of my yard ready to fall on nothing I will leave it there and let it decline naturally. Its a neat look.

IF that same tree was overhanging my house where there was a chance of it causing me to have to pay my insurance deductible and maybe kill my kids its chainsaw time.

For what its worth, I gather carpenter ants / termites do best in declining trees. Imagine all the sap from a healthy maple covering them up when they try to enter.
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maple_valley_moira
13 years ago
A word of warning - if you have found Carpenter Ants in your house, I would strongly urge you to call an exterminator to check it out. We have wood beams in our living room and about 7 years ago, I started seeing tiny piles of sawdust on the carpet every morning. I also saw just an ant or two in the house. We ended up spending over $4,000.00 to get rid of them. They will literally eat your house. Unfortunately, home owner's insurance did not cover it either. They are nasty little pests!
botann
13 years ago
My neighbor has Army ants. ;-)

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