I've got this ~ 50 Year old oak tree in front of my house...nice looking. I noticed there were tree shavings on the ground like there had been a tiny saw chewing at it. I looked at closer, there are ants walking in and out of this hole or holes they made. How can I stop their progress. I don't want a hollow tree that will eventually fall over.

Thanks

 

Buy the neighbors kid a magnifying glass

I would go get some of that home defense spray for bugs and spray the trunk of the tree and maybe a 2' circle around it. The little ants will walk through it and take it to their homes, hopefully spreading the poison around.

 

The iside of most larger trees will be dead. The ants are just living in the moist rotten wood inside. Call a pest control comapny. An honest one will trll you the same thing. A greedy one will charge you $500 to kill them. That will last till next year and a new colony will move in. It's all in the life of a tree.

 

Get that fire ant spray that come in the galon jug with the sprayer and hose. That stuff works wonders. I have not tried it on a tree, but every couple months I put down a perimeter around the back patio and I havent seen a single ant, even when I have the dog's foot right up near the edge. I used it on an ant hill a few months ago. Killed them dead overnight, nothing was left, not even to this day.

 

Get some Diazinon, you can put it down where there are ants and they will magically disappear, I don't know why but is kills them off quickly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diazinon

Although it says it is no longer available I have bought it recently.
Jim

 

Jim, I think it's the odor in the diazanon that makes them leave!!

It is an excellent insecticide, but deemed too good to continue to use.

As Charliez mentioned they're just eating the dead wood, however if you can keep them out of the tree it will remain upright longer because even though the interior may be losing its integrity it still helps support the tree.

 

I went through this with an old apple tree. Every year they came back. After 8 years I gave up, put a chain saw to it and used the wood for smoking meat.

 

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdet...RK30&catID=848

Its 75' roll of the stuff. I use it on my jobs all the time, works great. Keeps carpenter ants like you have out of Cedar very well. Also keeps tent caterpillars out of Balsam's well.

I know thats way more than you need, but see if your neighbors will split it with you, everybody has pest problems.