Ants In Trees

A lot of folks get concerned when they see ants crawling up into their trees.  What are these critters after?  Will they hurt the tree?  What can be done about it?  

While ants are found all over the world, they are most abundant in tropical areas.  Some conservative estimates put the number of individual ants on the planet at about 20 quadrillion, with a biomass totally more than all wild mammals and wild birds combined.  There are roughly 300 species of ants that can be found in New Mexico!

The two most common types of ants seen in and around trees are acrobat ants and carpenter ants.  The former are quite small and numerous, and our tree climbers encounter them frequently.  They can bite but it’s not too painful.  Carpenter ants are considerably larger, being some of our largest ants. They are not aggressive and rarely bite humans.

Both types like to nest where there is moisture, often inside decaying wood.  Carpenter ants tunnel out soft, decayed wood to make nests, but do not consume the wood.  Their presence is a sign of decay in a tree, but they don’t make the decay worse.  What both types do that can be harmful to trees is they tend and farm aphids, protecting these sap feeding insects and then eating the “honeydew” waste the aphids produce.  One insect’s waste is another’s food!  Both types also eat other insects and may help reduce caterpillar problems in trees.

While a problem inside the house, ants are not a problem for trees and should be recognized as a vital part of the urban ecosystem.

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