Painting trees-carpenter ants

[m Ransley]

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]

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.

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

 

[SQLit]

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.

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]

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

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.