HELP! Is this tree rotten/diseased?

gmstorms

Does the tree in the attached pictures appear to be rotten or diseased?

It was blown over in yesterday's storm here in Gainesville, Florida and I am perplexed at how such a seemingly healthy tree was uprooted?

Also, there is an emormous bee-hive located at the roots of this tree, but I was too scared to get close enough to take a good picture.

Thank you so much for your help!

Most appreciative,
Gail

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windthrown

That windthrown tree looks to have healthy heartwood and sapwood there, as well as healthy bark. The variable color is not uncommon in a lot of tree species. Here at least when the trees are leafing out in spring and we get a lot of rain, they suck it up and become top-heavy. Then along comes the wind and over they go.

Were they bees, or were they yellow jacket wasps? Yellow jackets that build nests in the ground are the most aggressive ones, and they are nasty. Ground wasps generally do not tunnel themselves, but they use existing dens and holes left by rodents. Your tree roots may have been eaten by voles this winter, and the weakened tree could no longer stand up to the wind. We also had some trees here that were hollow (they were boxelders) and foxes and racoons moved into the tree cavities and dug out under the trees. The dogs then dug out the racoons, and used the space under the trees as dens. I dropped all the trees that were being used that way, as they were 3/4 hollow. The dogs were still able to use the dens, and the unstable trees were not an issue any more.