I'm seeing ants (not the very small black ants, but larger), in young, new trees (7 or less years old), sugar maple & mulberry. I'm not saying they couldn't have some infestation or damage, but it just seems unlikely to me that 2 new young trees on my property both meet one of these causes???
Those could most likely just be harvesting sap from a wound somewhere on the tree. Ants are always on the hunt for food sources and highly sugary substances like tree sap are a good food source. If there is no noticeable decay, that would be my guess.
I have thousands of them in my willow tree and was worried about that. I did see aphids on some leaves that ants we’re eating and I cut those branches off. 🤦♀️ They are small black ants in Arkansas. Thoughts?
Ants can have a symbiotic relationship with aphids. Aphids will suck plant juices from the tree and excrete a sugary honeydew that the ants will collect and eat so they can sometimes even "farm" aphids by protecting them from predators. In low populations, neither of these are detrimental to the tree.
Hey Patrick, thank you for sharing your knowledge. I leave in Fayetteville NC, and I have a 200 yr old white oak. I found a colony of carpenter ants inside my tree. I need someone to do a diagnosis on my tree. By any chance do you know someone around here that could take a look at? Thank you
Patrick is one of our Arborologists for our B2B business. You could try reaching out to our tech support line at info@rainbowecoscience.com to see if they have any recommendations for you!
I have a Lapins cherry tree with red ants on the New tips. I sprayed it with a fruit tree spray, now I'm wondering if I did the right thing. I didn't know that the ants feed off of dew and maybe other insects?
Generally, ants aren't a huge concern when it comes to tree health. They could be gathering resin or dew from the tree but most likely not harming it. I would hold off on any additional sprays unless you are noticing symptoms on your tree.
I'm seeing ants (not the very small black ants, but larger), in young, new trees (7 or less years old), sugar maple & mulberry. I'm not saying they couldn't have some infestation or damage, but it just seems unlikely to me that 2 new young trees on my property both meet one of these causes???
Those could most likely just be harvesting sap from a wound somewhere on the tree. Ants are always on the hunt for food sources and highly sugary substances like tree sap are a good food source. If there is no noticeable decay, that would be my guess.
I have thousands of them in my willow tree and was worried about that. I did see aphids on some leaves that ants we’re eating and I cut those branches off. 🤦♀️ They are small black ants in Arkansas. Thoughts?
Ants can have a symbiotic relationship with aphids. Aphids will suck plant juices from the tree and excrete a sugary honeydew that the ants will collect and eat so they can sometimes even "farm" aphids by protecting them from predators. In low populations, neither of these are detrimental to the tree.
Hey Patrick, thank you for sharing your knowledge. I leave in Fayetteville NC, and I have a 200 yr old white oak. I found a colony of carpenter ants inside my tree. I need someone to do a diagnosis on my tree. By any chance do you know someone around here that could take a look at? Thank you
Patrick is one of our Arborologists for our B2B business. You could try reaching out to our tech support line at info@rainbowecoscience.com to see if they have any recommendations for you!
I have a Lapins cherry tree with red ants on the New tips. I sprayed it with a fruit tree spray, now I'm wondering if I did the right thing. I didn't know that the ants feed off of dew and maybe other insects?
Generally, ants aren't a huge concern when it comes to tree health. They could be gathering resin or dew from the tree but most likely not harming it. I would hold off on any additional sprays unless you are noticing symptoms on your tree.
@@SavesTrees Thank you and much appreciated!