I’m wondering if the Maxforce carpenter ant gel will work for my problem. I’m seeing ants going up a tree but I don’t know where the nest is located. Can I apply the gel to the tree trunk, close to the ground, and expect that ants feeding on it will bring it back to the tree and it will kill the nest? I don’t want to loose this tree and there are a lot of ants in it.

This could work. I’ve used this technique in the past and it has done the job. Just be sure to “refresh” the Carpenter Ant Gel every couple of days. I’ve noted the gel will dry up much faster than normal when applied to a tree trunk so it won’t be as readily available as it is when controlled out of the elements.

Alternatively, you could opt to apply some Optigard to the tree trunk. This will prove to be very effective since the ants will have no choice but to walk over the treated surfaces if the nest in the tree is to survive. This could prove to be the most effective approach in terms of timliness and effectiveness.