Black walnut branch sections will be dipped in wax to seal in moisture.
Our lab inventory often reads like a list for a camping trip... saw, stove, propane, pot, spoon, etc. But recently what we have been cooking in the field are small vats of paraffin wax. We are preparing for another experiment involving the, now elusive, walnut twig beetle. After several experiments, we have figured out that the beetles find it hard to resist a fresh, baited black walnut "bolt". These 1-foot long branch sections, which we refer to as "bolts", come from a hazard tree that was just removed from our Bent Creek property. Waxing the ends of these bolts assures us the most fresh sample possible.
Cooperators at a field site in TN hoisting a funnel trap in to a tree canopy.
Early in the month of June I was at a federal property in Tennessee setting up Lindgren funnel traps. Yep, that small black and white thing making its way into the tree-top. Bud and I (along with another cooperator) also deployed several sets of large, fresh bolts (3-ft sections) into about a dozen trees in and around Knoxville. The beetles have been hard to find this year, which is good news for
black walnut trees and landowners who have been affected by recent
infestations, but makes running field experiments difficult. We are hoping to pick up some activity soon for experiments we would like to initiate in September.
We will keep you posted.
