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Pine with Cavity from Dead Limb: Ants & Filler

Large shade pine (2 ft across) had dead limb removed, taking 6-in deep × 8-ft strip of rotted wood. Cavity looks terrible. Tree guys say remove ($700). Asked about ant spray and cavity filler (putty/tar).

The expert said ants attracted to wound/sap, not killing tree. Spray ants (Raid outdoor). Trim loose bark/wood at wound edges—tree will grow over it. If tree is green, it's healthy; don't remove. Cavity filling not needed.

Wound Care

Ants = symptom, not cause.
Spray ants on trunk and wound.
Trim loose edges; let tree compartmentalize.
Green crown = keep tree.

Conifers: Pine Bark Beetles in Alabama: Prevention via Tree Vigor—Contact Extension for Local Advice; Pine Tree Holes in Rows: Sapsucker Woodpecker Damage; Standing Water at Pine Base: Trees Don't Produce Water—Check for Leaks; Tree House on Pines: Nail Damage, Beetle Risk, and Ant Management; Pine Tree Ants in Cavity: Don't Fill, Just Trim; Saving a Poorly Planted Evergreen in Minnesota; Pine Cone Absence in Massachusetts: Not Necessarily a Problem; Identifying a Tree with Round Cones & Tiny Needles: Bald Cypress; Identifying a Pine Tree from a Photo; Can a Wind-Thrown White Pine Be Saved?

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