Is there are carpenter ants in my tree trunk an emergency?
Within weeks. Carpenter ants do not eat wood and cannot chew sound heartwood. They hollow galleries in wood already softened by moisture and decay fungi. Their presence tells you a decay pocket exists inside the trunk, usually larger than it appears from outside, and that it stays wet. The ants are tenants, not the cause of the damage — but they are a dependable indicator that the interior is not solid.
What changes while you wait
Months to years, not days. Decay advances on the order of inches per year in most species, so a trunk that is stable this spring is generally stable next spring. What changes while you wait is your margin — each season the cavity widens slightly and every load above it, a full leaf canopy or an ice storm or a limb that simply grew heavier, acts on less wood. Reassess yearly, and again immediately after any storm that takes a major limb, because losing a limb redistributes load onto the decayed section.
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