North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

Normally wasps around here go for wooden sheds and fence posts to make their 
nests.  Last year due to the huge fruit crop, there were large numbers of 
giant hornets, and they stripped bark off fruit tree branches.  A number of 
branches on one plums were nearly killed by girdling low on the branch.  And 
this spring I noted the top of a young persimmon tree was dead and cut it 
out.  I discovered that several feet of a 1/2" thick leader had been 
stripped of bark.  This was definitely NOT deer damage, as the dogs keep the 
deer away.  Besides, there were plenty of easier and better things to eat 
than the bark high in a persimmon.....     Donna