In the News -
November 2007
Homespun advice from a veteran county agent
Aunt Sally and the twig girdler
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Fall was the best time to visit Aunt Sally where growing
boys always found something good to eat as we helped gather, store and preserve
fruits, nuts and vegetables in preparation for winter. Stocking the pantry was
necessary in most homes at the time and Aunt Sally had a knack for growing a
variety of items.
Although she had a green thumb, we would often overhear Aunt Sally talking to
plants, chickens and cows. Most kids thought it strange, but grown-ups advised
that “you never argue with success.”
Even today, talking through an issue seems to help, so I’ve concluded that
Aunt Sally was simply trying to reason things out. Perhaps talking things
through served to trigger hidden solutions, and such was the case of the twig
girdler.
One fall, I happened to be with Aunt Sally when she picked up a small pecan
branch that appeared to have been cut off clean with a pocketknife. She spent
several minutes walking, talking and looking up into the tree before finally
stopping to look down at me.
Her jet-black eyes seemed to bore into my soul before softening ever so
slightly as she admitted, “I thought some knot-headed boy had been cutting on my
pecan tree, but I guess not. Gather these branches for me and we’ll burn them.”
She never said what changed her mind, but that branch sure appeared to have been
cut off with a knife.
Years later while in college, Aunt Sally asked me to research several things
that had always puzzled her, the pecan branch was one of them. Every fall it’s
easy to note small branches on the ground beneath pecan, hickory, and other
hardwood trees. Close inspection will reveal a clean, circling cut as if done by
a knife.
However, as Aunt Sally concluded, the culprit is not some knot-headed boy,
but the twig girdler, a half-inch beetle that chews a circle around the branch
after depositing her eggs. The branch will die, break off and fall to the ground
where, unhindered by sap flow, the next girdler generation will develop inside.
Gathering the branches and destroying them, as Aunt Sally advised, serves to
provide some control.
Each fall, you may encounter naturally occurring phenomena which add to the
enjoyment of being in the great outdoors. Check them out using books, the
Internet, other references, or just talk it out. The answers always prove
interesting and rewarding. ‘Til next week!
Of course, if you need accurate, unbiased information about most things under
the sun, call your county extension agent or visit
www.uaex.edu.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
November 2, 2007
By: Robert Seay
Benton County Extension Agent
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
|
