Advanced stock Liquid Amber attacked by ants

[blkrota]

Hey Guys, The past few months i have been shopping for advanced stock and realy wanted this liquid amber, only to find ants under the large layer at the top, I was just checking it out this morning and pulled the dead wood from the cut , It came off like wet corky type wood.
I sparyed the ants and larvae with nutra soap (dont think it will do much but its low toxic to the plant.

Please help , should i take it back? i will talk to Ray as he is more than helpful but its a long drive and i was just out ther on friday.

Can any carving be done as it looks like they have gone down into the trunk, or should i try and just kill them off, the tree a week ago with leaves on it looked very healthy at rays, it looks like they have been there longer than a week.

[Amanda]

The heartwood of my liquidambar is rotted like cork it will peel away very easily also holds lots of moisture however the cambium is very tough if you want to hollow it out, as is may have issues with ongoing rot and bugs love rot unless you treat it with a hardener.

To be honest I'd be taking advantage of it by hollowing it out with a dremel and making a feature of it but it's your tree and if you didn't expect then give Ray a buzz

[buddaboy]

Earles wood hardener worked a treat on some of my figs and the missus's rose.

[LLK]

Ordinary ants, i.e. not termites, don't attack vegetation, they just take advantage of opportunities
like hollows in which to nest or scale for feeding. My guess is that this liquidamber was airlayered and the stump subsequently rotted, or rot may have crept in for another reason. You don't need chemicals to get rid of ants; dunking the rootball in watered down coffee or vinegary water will get rid of them.
Leave the rootball in long enough and the ants will drown regardless of what's in the water.
In your place I'd return this tree to Nesci's, because wood rot that close to the soil is i.m.o. too difficult to control. Get another one that doesn't cause you constant headaches so you can concentrate on the really worthwhile stuff!

[craigw60]

I agree with LLK I would return the tree. i wouldn't blame Ray i know he produces some fantastic stock and this is probably just an oversight on his part. I am sure you will be able to trade it in for something else.
Craig

[Mitchell]

As someone that keeps that type of ant, I can say they are not doing much if any harm to the plant. In fact that are probably removing the rotting material. The top was chopped, which can crack, this lets water sit in the cracks and rotting starts. If the ants were not there it would continue to hold the moisture in the trunk and keep rotting downwards. The ants move in, bore tunnels through the rotting wood (not the live wood) and create their home. I have never seen them bore into live wood, but their tunnels allow air to penetrate and the wound is kept dry.

Many flat chopped tops can have ants living in them, in some cases only one 2mm hole entrance will be present, virtually impossible for anyone to notice.

If it is not what you expected, I am sure Ray will help you out. It does look like though, that tip was heavily rotted away, so perhaps you could clearly see it would of had issues anyway?

[Krusty]

I am by no means an expert, but i would suggest some talcum powder. Ants hate it. I use it when they come into the kitchen at the point of entry, and they don't come back.

[blkrota]

Thanks for all the info guys, I am not blaming Ray at all, He is an awsome bloke , These things happen.

To be honest I'd be taking advantage of it by hollowing it out with a dremel and making a feature of it

That is what i wanted to hear, I dont want to give the tree back , It looked so nice in bloom.

If it is not what you expected, I am sure Ray will help you out. It does look like though, that tip was heavily rotted away, so perhaps you could clearly see it would of had issues anyway?

The tip looked fine a week ago before all this ran , I taped it and it was hard as a rock, Ray and i were even talking about which way to cut the top , I sorry i did not take a pic of what it looked like before i fingered it this morning.

I dont think the rootball is affected, I am heading out the back now to be 100%

[blkrota]

Ok so i pulled it out of the box and found large ants in the root ball, not alot but its making me think they have setup a small network from top to bottom.

LLK i wil give your method a go, How much coffee should i put in one bucket of water , 1 teaspoon ok ?

Thanks agian
Oh and Mitchell thanks for putting my mind at ease, Makes sense.. Also where do you get ant farms from, I want one.

[Jamie]

ants generally farm scale insects, i would definately be going over the tree very closly to make sure this isnt a problem. it isnt any ones fault, these things do happen like you have said. if you are not happy with what is happening take it back before you do anything else with it.

on the notion of carving i lost two very nice shohin tridents due to carving at the wrong time, looking back at it now i should kick myself in the rear for doing it. so if you do choose to carve a deciduous tree make sure a) it can take it and b) it is the right time which i cant tell you as i dont know!

J.

[blkrota]

Thanks Jamie, And sorry to hear about your situation, hope it all works out.

In regards to taking it back , TOO late , its soaking in very weak coffee water mix now, Alot of ant have scrambled for ther life to the surface, Then only to be squished.
I will take it out soon, then dunk it in some fresh water and weak seasol mix to rid the coffee.

If the tree does not make (Hope not) then this will be a learning curve, I have learnt more about ants from AB members than bonsai today

Here is a pic of the top after i poked at it with the end of a small paint brush, The hole is about 2 inches deep and then starts to harden , so im hopeful.

[Amanda]

Greenwood. Sweet. Seal.

Have fun with it

[Joel]

That is what i wanted to hear, I dont want to give the tree back , It looked so nice in bloom.

It flowered and fruited? As a bonsai?

Joel

[blkrota]

Yep had one left the week before i picked it up, I have a pic of it when it was at rays on my work computer, Thats what made me buy it

[Amanda]

You must share a photo. I've a 30 yr old specimen which has never, ever flowered