Reader Penny Harris from Cambridge, Vermont lost an enormous white pine in a recent windstorm. This photo shows the inside of the snapped trunk. What caused these strangely shaped holes?
Answer
This looks like damage from carpenter ants, but remember, they don’t invade healthy trees. Unlike termites, ants cannot digest wood, but they excavate long, interconnected galleries to use as brood chambers. They only move into wood that is wet or partially decayed. The wood chips are deposited outside and are often a sign that carpenter ants are present. The late Gordon Nielsen, an entomologist at UVM, used to say that we should be grateful when carpenter ants move into our houses because they are calling attention to a moisture problem.
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