Help with ants in oak trees

[Jakeintexas]

Hello all, I have a question maybe someone can help me with. I recently purchased an acre in south texas with approx 120 plus or minus “scrub” oak trees (technically live oak?). Many of them have never been groomed or cut, and as I am cleaning them up have found several of them with open wounds that are home to hundreds of carpenter ants due to the rotten and dead branches.  
 

I have read mixed input on the level of danger that the ants pose to the trees, and have considered getting some “advance” carpenter ant bait. 
 

my main concern is whether or not this bait can be harmful to the trees, and how effective it really is. They say it doesn’t take much to wipe out an ant colony, so it makes me leery to put some out and have the ants bring it literally inside the trees. 
 

any help is appreciated! 
 

jake 

[Steve Bullman]

Probably best off asking at arboristsite.com as Arbtalk is a UK based site. We don’t have carpenter ants here so probably not the best place to get answers in this case!

[Jakeintexas]

7 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Probably best off asking at arboristsite.com as Arbtalk is a UK based site. We don’t have carpenter ants here so probably not the best place to get answers in this case!

Ah! Thanks.   Lucky you! 

[Jakeintexas]

Can’t believe I didn’t catch that. Feel free to delete mod! 

[monkeybusiness]

Jakeintexas - put some pics up of Texas stuff at least and make us jealous! We know nothing about your ants but would gratefully see pics of your part of the world. Cowboys/guns/oil fields/massive machinery/wide open spaces/belt buckles/Cadillacs etc etc. Make us jealous boyo!

[Jakeintexas]

32 minutes ago, monkeybusiness said:

Jakeintexas - put some pics up of Texas stuff at least and make us jealous! We know nothing about your ants but would gratefully see pics of your part of the world. Cowboys/guns/oil fields/massive machinery/wide open spaces/belt buckles/Cadillacs etc etc. Make us jealous boyo!

Haha! You’ve seen a few movies and westerns I see! 
you’ve pretty much summed up most of it. Big oil and big ranches etc. It is however hard to see so much of this great state being developed though. Many people from California and other states have moved by the thousands to Texas in recent years. 
Heat index where I live has been around 120F the past couple weeks so don’t be jealous of that! 
 

I’ll get some ant pics soon! 

[Stere]

I should think the ants are mostly harmless  - they are eating the already deadwood &  farming aphids.

 

Also dead standing   wood branches maybe should be left alone as its good habitat.

 

 

 

Id say the dead would is likely  a syptom of the enviromental condtions  & that  old oak trees often  do naturally retrench

 

https://www.vetcert.eu/sites/default/files/2019-11/Retrenchment pruning for veteran trees FINAL.pdf

 

 

[madmaxtree]

I'd say that you should definitely take action to get rid of carpenter ants but yeah, it might be a good idea to use the baits with caution. From what I've heard, if the baits are used strategically, it can be quite effective and won't really be harmful to your trees.

[trigger_andy]

On 29/06/2023 at 22:42, Jakeintexas said:

Haha! You’ve seen a few movies and westerns I see! 
you’ve pretty much summed up most of it. Big oil and big ranches etc. It is however hard to see so much of this great state being developed though. Many people from California and other states have moved by the thousands to Texas in recent years. 
Heat index where I live has been around 120F the past couple weeks so don’t be jealous of that! 
 

I’ll get some ant pics soon! 

Ive been over to Houston a few times with work. (Oil) I love it there. Very friendly and patriotic people. Im thinking of flying over this October with the family, tour around a little, see the Alamo then drive down to Galveston and catch a Cruise ship to the Caribbean.