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curtiskw

using tanglefoot

curtis
9 years ago

I plan to get some to use against peach borers. My question is how you all use/apply it. Also does it prevent any other pests on peach, pear, cherry, or apple trees?

Comments (10)

  • clarkinks
    9 years ago

    My experience is it melts away in the summer. It is great to keep rabbits of your tree trunks and for painting limbs you prune etc. I use it for grafting as well. I'm not sure how it will work on borers but nothing likes a mouthful of tar !

  • thomis
    9 years ago

    In the 7 years since starting my orchard nothing has wasted my time so effectively as Tanglefoot products.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    I tried it in my greenhouse and caught nothing. It sticks to the trees and everything else something awful. I believe it needs something between tanglefoot and the bark. Smeared right on the base of the tree it would deter borers but might damage the tree.

  • ljkewlj
    9 years ago

    It works pretty good against ants on my cherry trees. You have to use the brown paper tape they sell or survey colored flagging tape around the tree then brush on the tape.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Organic tape control for fruit trees

  • johnnysapples
    9 years ago

    There is videos to watch on how to apply it on utube. You need to wrap the tree with flagging tape for about four inches then put a thin layer on the tape. I leave an inch or so of tape not covered on both ends so it doesn't get on the bark of the trees. You have to put it on thin so it doesn't melt on hot days and run. You basically just make a barrier so the bugs don't pass it. You have to fill in voids in the bark with water salable calk so they cant get past behind the tape if the trunk is not smooth. The bugs wont walk into it. They will stop and try to find a way elsewhere so you have to make sure there isn't any part of the tree touching something that will bridge the bugs to the tree elsewhere.

  • mamuang_gw
    9 years ago

    It's good for preventing ants from climbing up cherry trees like others said. I just use masking tape sticky side out wrapping around a tree. The stickiness of the tape is not enough to deter ants so I smear Tanglefoot on the tape.

    Like Fruitnut mentioned, I am concerned that Tanglefoot would damage a tree so I never smear it directly on the trunk.

    I also smear Tanglefoot on red spheres and hang them on apple trees to catch apple maggot flies. My hair got caught on it a few times. I say, it's got more of my hair than the flies. It's too messy and sticky to clean it off. I lost a few clumps of my hair to Tanglefoot.

  • olpea
    9 years ago

    "My hair got caught on it a few times. I say, it's got more of my hair than the flies. It's too messy and sticky to clean it off. I lost a few clumps of my hair to Tanglefoot."

    That's a funny story Mamuang. I agree though, that tanglefoot will jump on you, and won't wash off. Think - "The Blob"

  • mamuang_gw
    9 years ago

    Olpea,

    I felt stupid every time I bumped into one of those spheres. I am not sure I want to hang them again this year!!!

  • Scott F Smith
    9 years ago

    I had to put it on my deer motion sprinklers because the ants were building homes in them and shorting them out. But then every time I was picking them up I was getting the stuff on my hands because I would forget I put it there. Yuck!

    I have put tanglefoot directly on the trunks of mature trees without problem. But, its definitely doing something and I would not put it directly on the bark of a young tree. It works great for dealing with my cherry aphids. It didn't help with my squirrel control.

    This year I am trying tangletrap (trap not foot) directly on my younger cherries. Its for making bug sticky traps and seems more mild.

    Scott

  • clarkinks
    9 years ago

    I wanted to post a pic to clear up the fact that tanglefoot has more than one product for anyone else reading and I use two of them. One is as sticky and nasty as the other which can at times make them useful. This is a picture of the tanglefoot used on the sticky fake apples and the tar like substance used for pruning and grafting

    This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Sat, May 10, 14 at 11:53

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