My lilac is being infested!!!! I was trimming the branches since they were overgrown and a bunch of small black ants came flowing out as I was cutting! Good grief!!! I just had an evergreen taken down because the branches were grayish covered and it was dying. We thought it was old but now my lilac has the same grayish color on the branches.

Is it possible it's been the ants all along? Eeeewwww, it really sucked and I swear a few are on me as we speak. I am on my way out to get another branch down but what's your opinion?

I am thinking take it down, especially if it's infested. ARGHHH! One little bugger was carrying something that looked like larva.

Alright, I'm headed back out. I hope it was only one branch but I doubt it. Any ideas or is my lilac screwed?

Well, nevermind. My neighbor came over and grabbed a branch, pulled and the whole thing came up out of the ground. It's gone, the ants got a hold of it. He said it was so old and the ants just took advantage. You could see the trails they made in each branch. Now I need to dig out the mulch and border and then we're going to pull what's left of the rootball out.

RIP Lilac.