North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["D Stubbs" <dsmndel@gmail.com>]

Now that I have had window screen on the trunks of a couple hundred trees for about 10 years I would say the results are mixed as an effective  borer barrier for the trunk.  
First of all, each region of N. America seems to have very different borer species.  Here in N Minnesota I have not yet seen the root borer, however it has been very difficult to get a definitive ID on ours (I believe  ours is the dogwood borer) but I tend to crush then in extracting. They work in any branches up to 9' high and down to 5/8 " diameter.
Our orchard is surrounded by native forest, so  it has plenty of natural habitat for bugs. 
However, I have lost several trees to borers right at the boundary where the screes ends. My solution to keeping them from depositing eggs below the screen was to wrap the junction with blue painters tape. What seems to have happened is that the insect lays her eggs right there above the tape then the eventual frass is hidden under the tape where I cannot see it. 
The reason I chose the 2" wide painters tape was to paint it with Tanglefoot to trap the female, but I only found one possible egg layer in all these years.
Conclusions? 
I will continue to use window screen  for mice,   
Change out any that has gone rusty ( harder to see into), 
Remove any tape at the screens' top, 
In folding over the screen at the top try to get it fairly snug to the bark ( tree can easily push it out as it expands - a number have done this and the top is quite snug now)
Cut the split coffee cans down to about 4" high ( 'weed whip disease' barriers)
Do a monthly trunk inspection looking for any frass under the screen
Del,  2/3 n. Mn

On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 6:33 AM, Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com> wrote:

I have heard window screen mentioned as a protection from peach tree borers several times over the years and have recommended it for people growing peaches organically.  So far I have no reason to question its effectiveness but it is certainly more time consuming than a single squirt of Lorsban once a year.  I recommend attaching it with something that stretches, like rubber (not vinyl) electric tape to avoid possible girdling although vinyl will work if you re-wrap annually.
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