North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Claude Jolicoeur <cjoli@gmc.ulaval.ca>]

A 11:03 07.11.09 -0400, vous avez écrit :

>Where I can detect the frass 
>from Saperda activity I have been injecting insecticide directly into the
holes.  (But I 
>have not been able find out what insecticide is the best one to use.  Older 
>references specify endosulfan, but this has been removed from the market
in both 
>Canada and the States.)  (This process of injecting insecticide directly
into the holes 
>is my own invention - I am a physician, and have ready access to syringes
and 
>needles.)  The advice to poke a wire into the holes is a complete waste of
time - the 
>holes are frequently crooked, and the wire doesn't get up (or down) to
where the 
>grub is.  Has anybody got any more ideas or experience in managing this pest?

*******************************

These borers are a difficult problem, I am sure we are not the only ones
that have lost trees to them...

Some years ago, I did use a syringe to inject insecticide in the holes - at
the time, I used a bio insecticide, Rotenone, mixed with water. I must say
I had mitigated success with the method.

I have now returned to the wire and knife method... I found the ideal is a
copper electrical wire, actually the ground wire of a #14 wire used for
building construction. The main thing is to accept to break some of the
bark. I do make a wound, but better the wound I do than the continuing
damage from the pest. Also, I don't try to follow a long path with the wire
- I open up the path with a knife, it is much faster - I use the wire
mainly to check around if there are other paths and to feel if they are
long or short. Now, when I hear and feel the squisch from the destroyed
worm, I am sure I killed it, which was not the case with the injection method.

Maybe you can try again with the wire...

Claude
Quebec