Saving a Maple tree

[mikehaugen]

I have 2 large silver maples in my yard, and one is pretty badly infested with what I think are carpenter ants. I would like to get rid of them and save the tree but am unsure how to do it. Last year I saw quite a few of them going into and out of the tree about 10 feet up and there are a lot of holes there. I guess I should have done something sooner, as it seems they have been there a while since inspecting the tree further. Now there are some dead branches, one large branch and several smaller ones. I want to cut off the dead branches now, but am not sure if I should do it in the middle of the summer. I have been told to only prune trees in the late fall/ winter, but I think that is for live branches. Since these are already dead, would it be okay to cut them off now? Should I spray anything on the opening where they are cut off?

Also what is the best way to get rid of the ants? I don't see them at ground level so I am not sure stakes and such would work. I like the tree and don't have a lot of large trees, so I hate to give it up, but I also don't want the ants getting into the other trees... maybe they are already and just haven't done enough damage yet for me to see. If I need to cut down the tree and burn it I will, but would like to avoid that.

 

[SPIKER]

first treat tree with ant killer all around the base, they are coming in and out and onto the ground to forage.

If you buy some Borax "Sodium Terta-Borate" (20-Mule team laundry detergent/additive) and bait them with that.

Use the Borax and mix in bait (use hot dog or baloney) and mash them together like slimy putty. (NOTE Spring and early summer they like Protein in summer & fall Sweets/Fruits.)

Use a empty butter dish/small plastic tub, cut 4 small triangle Vs at bottom and bend out so only 4 small openings at the bottom the V that is bent out forms a small ramp for them to crawl into the container and keeps other critters out. You can then either screw the container to the tree near where they are coming and going a lot. The lid can be popped off and more bait added as they take it into nest.

After a while they find and eat/carry the mix into the tree/nest & kills them about as good as any commercial killer and has 0 environmental problems.

In mid summer and Fall they prefer sweets and fruits as a mix base, I use cheap Jelly. I did this a week ago to a ANT HILL and today looks 90% of the mix was gone and I saw 0 ant activity!

Just be sure to remove the screw once the nest is dead, would not want to hit it with saw blade later... also dont use Brass, good ole steel or galv.

Cutting off dead limbs now is OK, they are dead BUT be aware if you dont fix ant issue the rest of tree is probably not going to have happy ending...

Mark

 

[mikehaugen]

Thanks Mark, I will have to try the borax. It's cheap enough so what have I got to lose?

 

[mikehaugen]

Oh yeah, about the butter tub... are you saying to hang it sideways on the tree or hang it from the side with the holes down?

 

[SPIKER]

Oh yeah, about the butter tub... are you saying to hang it sideways on the tree or hang it from the side with the holes down?

Sideways is fine, maybe so rain can't get into it only put 3 holes on lower side. I put mine flat on ant hill and at first didn't stake it down. The DOG decided it looked fun to play with... :/ So I used a old alum gutter spike to hold it in place & scolded dog so he left it alone.

Not sure if the height is easy to get to for your ant hole in the tree. but somewhere just under it where you see them traveling put it so opening is right in-line with their path.

this also works for Yellow Jackets I'm told but HANG it on stick above or near their nest with holes slightly larger for them to get into.

Mark

 

[Jstpssng]

I could be wrong, but if the ants are working the tree it's a sign of an underlying problem. Silver maples just aren''t that long lived and if you've been seeing holes made by insects than the truth is tbat it's probably on it's way out.

 

[Creekpaddler]

I have 2 large silver maples in my yard, and one is pretty badly infested with what I think are carpenter ants. I would like to get rid of them and save the tree but am unsure how to do it. Last year I saw quite a few of them going into and out of the tree about 10 feet up and there are a lot of holes there. I guess I should have done something sooner, as it seems they have been there a while since inspecting the tree further. Now there are some dead branches, one large branch and several smaller ones. I want to cut off the dead branches now, but am not sure if I should do it in the middle of the summer. I have been told to only prune trees in the late fall/ winter, but I think that is for live branches. Since these are already dead, would it be okay to cut them off now? Should I spray anything on the opening where they are cut off?

Also what is the best way to get rid of the ants? I don't see them at ground level so I am not sure stakes and such would work. I like the tree and don't have a lot of large trees, so I hate to give it up, but I also don't want the ants getting into the other trees... maybe they are already and just haven't done enough damage yet for me to see. If I need to cut down the tree and burn it I will, but would like to avoid that.

Cut the dead limbs off soon. Dead branches will just attract more insects. Then seal the cuts with spray-on pruning seal. It's quite likely that the heartwood of the trees is pretty much gone, due to the ants. Which means that the tree is not far from dying. That said, silver maples can hold on a long time, dying one branch at a time. Typically, silver maples grow quickly and do not live as long as their cousins, sugar- and red maples.

Are there any woodpecker holes in the trees? If there are, I would cut them down and replant.

 

[riptides]

Silver Maples rank as the number one worst tree to have in your yard next to your house.

I believe it as I have 7 of them that are probably in the 50 to 70 year old range.

I have been in maintenance mode on these beasts for the last ten years. Ants, squirrel, wood peckers and infinite variety of birds, and the occassional hornets nest make their way into the trees.

The are magnificent, beautiful, dangerous and generally a pain in my wallet.

If your looking at a dead branch, take if off before Mother Natures does it for you.

 

[LD1]

I would rank walnuts as about the worst to have around the house. Especially if it is on a hillside lawn:laughing:

As to the ants, I am afraid others are right that the tree is on its way out. It may last a few more years though, but now is the time to get some replacement trees started and established.

For the ants, dont use the ant spray that kills them in seconds. That does no good for the colony. The borax is good, but "grants" is the brand ant killer I use and like. Same basic ingredients as the borax mix. Kills them slowly so they infest the whole nest and queen. They make ant stakes to put around your house. I think a box of like 6 of them is only a few bucks. Perhaps put a few of them at the base of the tree, and some up in the tree laying on branches or whatnot.

I still have a few left. I quit using them though cause the dog would go around the house and eat them all:mur:

 

[jymbee]

I could be wrong, but if the ants are working the tree it's a sign of an underlying problem. Silver maples just aren''t that long lived and if you've been seeing holes made by insects than the truth is tbat it's probably on it's way out.

I tend to agree. The ants are more than likely a symptom, not a cause.

 

[SPIKER]

...
I still have a few left. I quit using them though cause the dog would go around the house and eat them all:mur:

LD I think you NEED to get that DOG checked out, maybe he was eating the bug killer sticks to finish off the live millipedes he's been eating :x

Someone said have it checked for worms, and I agree but who knows maybe the sticks worked on the worms too lol...

Mark

 

[Pilot]

Yes, cut the dead limbs whenever you want. However, do not seal the cut ends. That's an old method that has been found to actually encourage decay. As soon as you cut the limb, the bare end will dry and actually prevent decay. Also, cut the end at an angle that will let water run off.


Are the ants climbing the outside of the tree? I once stopped an infestation by slathering on a layer of grease. Too much on one tree killed it, but the second one survived. The trees weren't very large and the bark was still thin. I used general purpose grease like you would find around a shop; a vegetable based grease would probably be safer.

Condition of the heartwood has no effect on whether the tree is close to dying. Heartwood is dead wood already. Many trees, hollowed out by decay or bugs survive a very long time; most of the strength is in the outer cylinder, the inner portion adds little strength.

I wouldn't do this to a live tree, but I recently killed a carpenter ant colony by pouring a little gasoline on the stump they were nesting in. Worked really well.

 

[PhysAssist]

We have had frequent problems with carpenter ants leaving their trees and coming into our house in the small gaps (too small for chinking) between some of our logs.

Besides sealing/caulking any areas we identify, the other main tool we have used has been Home Defense, which although it does not kill immediately, it does eventually kill the whole nest. Apparently they get it on their legs and bodies, and then they carry it back to the nest, and as they are groomed by other ants, it is ingested and kills the nest.

We spray it wherever we see ants in or on the house, and (more relevant to your post) we also spray it into any cavities we find in trees or logs we cut or have delivered, especially if we see ants coming out of them.

We do a perimeter spray around the bottom 3' of our foundation once in the spring and again as needed if there is a storm with heavy driving rain, because that apparently does wash it off (as evidenced by a new influx of ant scouts a week or two after the storm. We have used this for about 15 years as needed without apparent harm to our koi in their pond downhill and downstream of the house and all our wood piles. We also still have tree frogs, toads, leopard frogs, bullfrogs, and several species each of salamanders and king snakes living in relatively close proximity to our house, none of which appear to have suffered ill effect, unlike at my BIL's house in the suburban Chemlawn desert, where no amphibians survive the toxic spraying.

YMMV
Thomas

 

[LD1]

LD I think you NEED to get that DOG checked out, maybe he was eating the bug killer sticks to finish off the live millipedes he's been eating :x

Someone said have it checked for worms, and I agree but who knows maybe the sticks worked on the worms too lol...

Mark

He also eats treated lumber, OSB, and metal trim from my garage :MUR:

I am going to have to start a thread about that stupid dog one of these days...

 

[SPIKER]

He also eats treated lumber, OSB, and metal trim from my garage :MUR:

I am going to have to start a thread about that stupid dog one of these days...

When we were kids, the neighborhood trucking company has a German Shepard guard dog that was about mean as snot. We worked there cleaning stuff in summer time (buddies dad was maintenance guy for the trucking company.)

We painted a few rigs and the like well part of the duties was dog duty scooping & feeding. That thing would tear open full cans of dog food it was tied to a truck tire & rim & would pull it around the shop pretty easy. For some reason it loved to eat brooms, if they were not hung up 8' or better off the floor it was ate at night when the dog had free reign inside the rig bays. I remember the one straw brooms that all that was left was a pile of tooth picks and maybe a 10 or 12" stub of a handle chewed down to 1/2 it's dia.

It particularly like use 3 kids as it rejoiced in grabbing one of our legs & having its way with us. :/ I think I'm still emotionally scared a bit lol.

One sat morning we opened up and found one of the truck drivers holding onto a beam 15' in the air. he got in late from a run and was parking the rig inside when the dog cornered him all he could do is climb the steel beam to get away.

Mark

 

[LD1]

When we were kids, the neighborhood trucking company has a German Shepard guard dog that was about mean as snot. We worked there cleaning stuff in summer time (buddies dad was maintenance guy for the trucking company.)

We painted a few rigs and the like well part of the duties was dog duty scooping & feeding. That thing would tear open full cans of dog food it was tied to a truck tire & rim & would pull it around the shop pretty easy. For some reason it loved to eat brooms, if they were not hung up 8' or better off the floor it was ate at night when the dog had free reign inside the rig bays. I remember the one straw brooms that all that was left was a pile of tooth picks and maybe a 10 or 12" stub of a handle chewed down to 1/2 it's dia.

It particularly like use 3 kids as it rejoiced in grabbing one of our legs & having its way with us. :/ I think I'm still emotionally scared a bit lol.

One sat morning we opened up and found one of the truck drivers holding onto a beam 15' in the air. he got in late from a run and was parking the rig inside when the dog cornered him all he could do is climb the steel beam to get away.

Mark

:laughing:

Sounds a lot like my dog, only he's no German Sheppard. Hes a mutt through and through.

His mom was also a mut. Her mom was 1/2 Blue tick 1/2 Black lab, and her dad as 1/2 Black Lab 1/2 Rott.

So that makes her about 25% Blue Tick, 25% Rott, and 50% Lab. Then she got knocked up by some other mutt that had shar-pei it it, and this was the offspring :laughing: