North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

I haven't see this pest locally (s.WI), don't think we have it.  If the 
borers arrive, where do they show up first?  Is there some common widl 
susceptible tree or shrub which I should keep an eye on, or will they appear 
first in apple plantings?  More likely in older trees, or young trees/ 
nursery rows?


----Original Message Follows----
From: "Deirdre Birmingham" <
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] A righteous borer tool
Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 13:10:26 -0600

This is handy info but I cannot picture how it works, probably because I 
don't know what the drill bit looks like. Seems it should be something 
flexible to follow holes, n'est-ce pas?
 I discoverd this borer in my young trees in my nursery in October as I was 
preparing them for the winter.  Just in  less than 1% of them. The few 
affected were on mostly Bud-9 and one was on M-26.   They will get planted 
out in the spring and I hope I am not transporting borers to the field as 
well.  There are wild apples and woods about 100 to 200 feet away.
What I didn't find explained well as I searched for what to do is how much 
of the tree to cut out.  I used a paper clip, not having copper wire handy 
as your book (previous edition) and other references indicated,  and then a 
pocket knife to cut until all affected tissue was removed.  Seemed a bit 
drastic at times.  Is one supposed to be? I never noticed any grubs, but 
they could have been in the mix of what I was jabbing at and then cutting 
out. On one tree they seemed to have already headed down into the roots.
I was painting tree bases for SW tree injury using latex paint.  I have no 
need for Surround yet, but had on hand diatomaceous earth.  So I added water 
and DE to the white latex paint.  And then painted as close to the soil line 
as possible and on all sides of the tree trunk.  DE was recommended in your 
new book for dogwood borer, but will it work on the round-headed appletree 
borer?

--Deirdre