Painting trees-carpenter ants

m Ransley

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Jun 25, 2005, 1:24:13 PM6/25/05

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In Mexico I noticed everone paints the lower 5 ft of the trees white,
they say it keeps off the ants. In the central midwest US trees are full
of carpenter ants . Does painting it work? I will not paint my trees as
it looks bad but was wondering if there is a way to keep out carpenter
ants and if paint helps.

Tony Hwang

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Jun 25, 2005, 1:57:18 PM6/25/05

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m Ransley wrote:

Hi,
I don't know if it works or not. But I saw painted trees in China too.
Tony

SQLit

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Jun 25, 2005, 3:50:35 PM6/25/05

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"m Ransley" <ran...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:7386-42B...@storefull-3137.bay.webtv.net...

Painting trunks of citrus trees is common in Arizona. It is for protection
from the sun.
Here at least painting trunks of trees has nothing to do with ants.

Luke

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Jun 25, 2005, 5:48:18 PM6/25/05

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I've heard of painting trees to prevent sunscald, and to repel the
shothole borer (I think it is) on fruit trees. I doubt paint on a tree
would repel carpenter ants - they do infest white painted houses, you
know ;-).

Carpenter ants prefer to nest in rotted wood, so preventing and
removing, if possible, rotted wood helps deter them. Once infested,
there are a variety of insecticides and baits that will kill them.

--
Luke
______________________________________________________________________
"Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House
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Norminn

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Jun 25, 2005, 7:53:34 PM6/25/05

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They like damaged/damp wood to nest in. Clean up the tree, get rid of
damaged wood. Also may use it as bridge to structure for same
conditions or to find food. We had loads of carpenter ants around our
condo, with some folks dumping loads of poison with no effect. Just
cleaning up rotted wood fence, wood partition damaged by sprinkler
blast, dead wood from hedges, etc, got rid of them entirely. The same
conditions that attract carpenter ants may attract termites, so it is
important to keep wood clean/dry/painted, keep trees and shrubs from
contacting wood structure, caulk window/door openings, space around
plumbing entries, etc. Nests are easy to locate because they forage
mostly in evening. If there are fruit trees, the fruit would be an
attractant, too.

Joseph Meehan

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Jun 26, 2005, 9:50:33 AM6/26/05

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It only works for Spanish speaking ants.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Wayne Boatwright

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Jun 26, 2005, 11:36:17 AM6/26/05

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In Arizona teh lower trunks of trees are painted white to keep the plant
cooler.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

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