I have ants in ALL of my trees. From the top to the bottom. I have no idea what they are doing, but i can't do much to stop them. Hopefully they aren't causing too much trouble. Its actually fun to watch them go up and down. Must be like a skyscraper for them...maybe they just like the view!

Ants are in your trees because there is something attracting them, not because they need the exercise. Honeydew from aphids or scale is usually their goal. Neither aphids or scale are good for your tree and steps should be taken to eliminate them. The ants will go elsewhere when their food source is removed and you can find another interesting action scene. Al

I'm with Al on this. On my trees, where there are ants, there are aphids. And actually, Franktank, there is something you can do that, for me, is 100% effective, and that is a product called Tanglefoot. You put a band of corrigated paper around the base of the tree and then slather the Tanglefoot on it. It is the most sticky goo you can imagine. A few brave ants will try to cross it and immediately get stuck and the rest will congregate, run round wildly, and just generally get POed, until they finally give up. It's a show in itself.

Don

Never really thought about that. I'll get some of that. I haven't noticed any real problems in the past, but then again, my trees are all 3 years or less in age.

You let a bug have some fun and then it stabs you in the back...

Both aphids and scale are easy to control with Neem or ultrafine horticultural oil. Three sprays a week apart should get them under control. Al